Season/Schedule Outlook | 2013 – 2014
Our beloved Huskies face off against many unfamiliar foes this season. The switch to a new conference has left our strength of schedule in question. However, the men’s basketball program decided to schedule as many difficult out-of-conference games as possible. As always, some games are “can’t misses” and others are what we call cupcakes. Nevertheless, the season must go on. Below I take a road trip from November to March, encapsulating the 2013-2014 UConn season.
Key Games:
- vs. Maryland (November 8th)
- vs. BC/#24 Indiana/Washington (November 21st – November 22nd)
- vs. #10 Florida (December 2nd)
- at Washington (December 22nd)
- at #13 Memphis (January 16th)
- vs. #3 Louisville (January 18th)
- vs. #13 Memphis (February 15th)
- at #3 Louisville (March 8th)
November:
The season begins with a neutral court, primetime matchup against Maryland at the Barclays Center. If everything goes to plan, I see the blue and white walking out with a win. Minor games against in-state school Yale followed by games versus Detroit and Boston University brings us almost to Thanksgiving. Expect Detroit to be a somewhat challenging game. Out of all the mid-majors the Huskies face this season; this Detroit squad has the chance to give UConn a game. On November 21st, the Huskies play rivals Boston College in the 2k Sports Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at Madison Square Garden in NYC. This will be the first time the two New England schools face each other in 8 years. After this game, the Huskies face either #24 Indiana or Washington. UConn then closes out the month of November with a game versus Loyola (Maryland).
December:
UConn plays 6 games in the month of December, including a few high-profile out of conference games. Leading this list is the matchup against #10 Florida. This game will be played at Gampel Pavilion and should be one of the best out of conference games in recent memory. It is projected that both teams will enter the game ranked inside the top 15. The Huskies then play at Washington in a rematch of last year’s snow-game in Hartford. Other notable games include the bout against another PAC-12 school, Stanford. UConn closes out the year with the conference opener, at Houston. If UConn is to slip up this month, it could very well be against Florida, Washington, or Houston. Over the past 10 years, UConn has gone 3-7 in conference opening games. Hopefully a new conference will change that trend.
January:
January marks the beginning of conference play. Although the American Athletic Conference might not be as difficult as the old Big East Conference, the AAC still boasts some tough matchups. Games against SMU, Harvard, and UCF all lead up to the biggest 3 day stretch of the season so far. On January 16th, the Huskies play at #13 Memphis. 2 days later, UConn tips off against the defending National Champions Louisville Cardinals. Expect this to be the biggest on-campus game in recent memory. College Gameday will be present, and both teams are expected to be ranked inside the top 10. Games against Houston, Rutgers, and Temple will round out the month.
February:
UConn faces a difficult task in the first week of February; a road trip to Cincinnati. Although the Bearcats are not ranked in the pre-season, expect this to be a very difficult game. Cincinnati always plays well at home, and UConn has had back and forth games with them over the past 5 years. UCF, USF, Temple, and SMU all play the Huskies during the month of February. The biggest game of the month will come on February 15th versus #13 Memphis. At home, I expect the Huskies to win this game.
March:
The month of March is usually saved for March Madness, but 3 games were sneaked in the early weeks of the month. Games versus former Big East foes Cincinnati and Rutgers lead to the March 8th showdown versus #3 Louisville. This is probably the hardest game on the schedule and will truly test the Huskies. Expect Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright to get involved in a battle with Louisville guards Russ Smith and Chris Jones.
In summation, I expect the Huskies to tally up a record of 26-5; with losses coming at Washington, at Memphis, at UCF, at Cincinnati, and at Louisville. I’ll allow a tolerance of +/- 2 games; so I predict anywhere from 24 – 28 wins. I am not going to predict any tournament games, for jinxing my beloved Huskies will be a very tough burden to bear. Nevertheless, ten toes in my fellow Husky-fanatics, ten toes in.
-CTBasketball
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