You want high-powered basketball in the non-conference schedule? You've got it, friend.
Per Jon Rothstein, BYU basketball has scheduled a non-conference meeting with the UConn Huskies. Coached by the divisive and often explosive Dan Hurley and winners of two of the last three national championships, yeah: those UConn Huskies.
Unlike the Cougars' already-announced exhibition match with UNC, this "neutral site" battle will be set in Boston's TD Garden. Something of a homecoming for AJ Dybantsa, a Brockton, MA native, this battle could shake out to be a top-10 matchup if current preseason projections are a reliable indication.
Though the official announcement has yet to be publicly released, it is expected to be scheduled on or around November 15th or 16th.
In the modern era of advanced analytics and metric-based rankings, simply having a Q1 matchup the likes of UConn on your schedule will boost your tournament resume -- win or lose. Barring a devastating loss, of course.
Though the Huskies 2024-25 season was more valley than peak, they're reloading in a big way. Returning with the 9th overall ranked recruiting plus transfer rankings on 247 Sports' leaderboard (BYU currently sits at third behind Duke and Houston).
Still in a way-too-early look for the upcoming season, as November sits six months into the future, but an exciting piece of news for what promises to be one of the most hotly anticipated seasons in the basketball program's entire history.
This should prove to be an excellent measuring stick for where BYU stands in the early season. With such a loaded depth chart at Kevin Young's disposal, a battle against one of college basketball's most accomplished heads will be a welcome -- and necessary -- challenge for a squad with Final Four aspirations.
Are you ready for the big time, Cougs? Here's your chance to prove it.