Game on? UConn men scheduled to start this week — maybe
The countdown to the start of college basketball has begun, but at UConn it’s not yet certain how many hours or days are left to count.
The NCAA set Wednesday, Nov. 25, as the day teams can begin playing regular season games. According to the TV networks that handle Big East teams, the UConn men will begin the season Wednesday night against Central Connecticut at 8 p.m. at Gampel Pavilion. The game is on FS1. On Friday, UConn vs. UHart is on the CBS Sports Network schedule at 8 p.m.
On Monday morning, the UConn men’s basketball official Twitter accounted noted that “winter is coming,” and added: “2 days.”
Does that mean ... game on?
UConn, which has been discussing those games for weeks, had not yet put them on its schedule as of Monday at 11 a.m. In fact, UConn’s games in the Mohegan Sun bubble against Vanderbilt on Dec. 1, BYU or Southern Cal on Dec. 3 and NC State Dec. 5, which appear on the schedule released by the bubbleville organizers more than a week ago, were not yet on UConn’s schedule Monday morning.
The only games that are on the schedule are the five Big East games scheduled between Dec. 11 and 23.
Neither Central Connecticut nor UHart has those games at UConn listed on their schedules. Central lists its opener as Friday night vs. Maine at Mohegan Sun. UHart has posted only America East conference games, which begin Dec. 19.
There isn’t a mystery here; nothing is certain during the pandemic, especially with numerous teams across the country pausing activities and pulling out of early games due to positive tests.
The Huskies paused on Nov. 5 when a player tested positive for COVID-19 and didn’t resume practicing until Thursday. Coach Dan Hurley made clear during the shutdown that the nonconference scheduled would have to be re-evaluated, because he didn’t want to risk injuries by ramping up players to game speed too soon.
UConn would have only six days of practice, after a two-week layoff, if they play Wednesday, and Hurley has said it takes weeks to catch up after such a layoff.
“There’s a level of anxiety coaches and players all share right now about our ability to be prepared for opening night,” Hurley said on Nov. 12. “Not just to play well, but just to be in the type of physical condition for a player to be safe to go out on game night after missing so much time.”
The priority is to be ready for Big East play, “that’s what we want to try to put ourselves in position to be as close to full strength for,” Hurley said.
The UConn games this week have not yet been ruled out, either. With the opponents a short bus ride away and no in-person attendance allowed, there are not the usual logistical concerns involved in the delay, but presumably a decision is imminent.
Dom Amore can be reached at damore@courant.com
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