By JAMES MADDEN
BOSTON – It’s a rarity nowadays for a defending national champion to face off with the team they beat in the national championship in the same calendar year, with Friday’s tilt being just the second rematch of this caliber in the last 16 seasons (with the other being Michigan vs Villanova in 2018). But a rematch of that magnitude was on the docket Friday night at the TD Garden in Boston.
In the rematch of Michigan’s second national championship win in April, UConn defeated the new-look Wolverines 85-77, behind a cast of characters that were on the floor when the blue and gold confetti fell in Indianapolis last spring. Viewed by fans as a “get back” win, UConn head coach Dan Hurley had a different opinion about that notion.
“There was an enormous amount of pressure on us to win this game today,” Hurley said postgame. “Not because of what happened in April because there’s no “get backs” on that. With what we’ve got coming up on our schedule, we really needed to win this game today.”
As the Huskies have once again risen to becoming one of the premier programs in the country over the last few seasons, Hurley and his staff have never shied away from a jam-packed and difficult non-conference schedule, with their 2026 slate being more of the same.
“We started the year last year with BYU here and (AJ) Dybantsa and that was an awesome game,” Hurley said. “It’s great for college basketball, it’s great for UConn fans, regional college fans. It’s a lot better than playing a second-straight buy game at home with a 50-point spread.”
With two players in Braylon Mullins and Silas Demary Jr., who were both front and center in UConn’s national runner-up run last season being the catalysts on Friday, the Huskies also saw a breakout performance from former five-star recruit and freshman forward Colben Landrew, who finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and two assists.
Friday’s Hall of Fame Series at the TD Garden was a big doubleheader for UConn fans, as newly-hired Boston College head coach Luke Murray, who spent eight seasons working under Dan Hurley across three programs picked up his first big win as the head coach of the Eagles with a 71-55 win over UMass.
“It’s been really cool to see those guys,” Murray said postgame. “Coach Hurley and I got a chance to spend some time. Coach Hurley built that culture, I didn’t have anything to do with that. I’m trying to take as much as that as humanly possible and instill that at BC.”
As UConn looks forward to the remainder of its non-conference schedule, it is currently scheduled to face five ranked opponents and four top-ten opponents based on the preseason rankings. Some of the Huskies’ notable matchups are listed below.
@ No. 5 Arizona (11/18)
@ No. 2 Duke (11/25) – Las Vegas
vs No. 3 Illinois (12/4) – Chicago
vs No. 17 Kansas (12/12)
vs No. 9 Virginia (12/20) – New York City
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