Name: No UConn games at XL Center until fall of 2021; Sacred Heart, BYU emerge as possible nonconference opponents for men’s basketball with Big East scheduling still taking shape
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No UConn games at XL Center until fall of 2021; Sacred Heart, BYU emerge as possible nonconference opponents for men’s basketball with Big East scheduling still taking shape

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AdvertisementBy Hartford CourantOct 07, 2020 at 4:11 pmThe UConn men’s basketball team can begin practicing next Wednesday. The Huskies can play their first game as soon as Nov. 25, according to the NCAA.Not much more is certain regarding the schedule for the upcoming season, with the coronavirus still making it difficult to impossible to plan.AdvertisementFor that reason, it is certain that there will be no UConn basketball games, men’s or women’s, nor ice hockey games at the XL Center this season, Mike Freimuth, executive director of the Capital Region Development Authority said on Wednesday.“Because of the uncertainty, it didn’t make much economic sense for either of us,” Freimuth said. “We’ve got to have the building pretty full for it to work. We talked it through.”AdvertisementWhatever sporting events are staged between now and March are likely to have limited, possibly zero fans, so for UConn to pay rent for the 15,000-seat arena, or for the CRDA to pay costs of opening and operating it, including increased costs of health and safety measures, would have been lost money. Also, to play during the pandemic, UConn will need to keep players on campus as much as possible.The plan is for UConn’s agreements to play in the XL Center, which have been on a year-to-year basis, to slide to next season and begin in the fall of 2021. Typically, UConn would play nine home games in Hartford in men’s and women’s basketball, and Hockey East conference games.“Our teams love competing in downtown Hartford," UConn athletic director David Benedict said, "but the conditions brought about by COVID-19 have made that impractical. Our men’s hockey and basketball teams will compete in the Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum and Gampel Pavilion, respectively. We look forward to playing at the XL Center during the 2021-22 season.”UConn will be communicating with season-ticket holders regarding the XL games.In the meantime, the UConn men are in the talking stage with several schools to build the schedule for 2021. The Huskies are still on board to play in the Legends Classic, which has been moved from Brooklyn to the Mohegan Sun during the first week of December. Notre Dame pulled out of the event, and BYU has emerged as a likely replacement, a source with knowledge of the tournament confirmed. Vanderbilt and Southern Cal are the other schools expected to play in the doubleheader. No agreements have been signed yet.Baylor’s first 5 games: Nov. 25 - No. 43 Michigan (potentially) in Mohegan SunNov. 26 - No. 2 Villanova (likely) in Mohegan Sun Nov. 29 - at No. 30 Seton HallDec. 2 - Jimmy V (possibly No. 8 Illinois)Dec. 5 - No. 2 Gonzaga in Indy— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops)UConn and Sacred Heart have been discussing a nonconference matchup, The Courant confirmed. Pioneers coach Anthony Latina told that possible games against UConn, Rutgers and St. John’s are being discussed, but cannot be finalized until the NEC decides when to begin conference play.With no, or few fans in attendance, “guarantee games” like this would likely involve much less than the usual fee paid to mid-major opponents, probably enough to cover expenses. UConn has a game against Central Connecticut on its schedule, and it’s still a possibility.Numerous teams have been reported as having agreed, or being close to an agreement to play in multi-team events, nonconference or conference matchups staged inside a bubble environment at Mohegan Sun. Virginia, Florida, Stephen F. Austin, Baylor, Virginia Tech, Temple, Minnesota, Arizona State, Towson and Rhode Island. There could be A-10 games in the Mohegan Sun, or MAAC games. Iona, with new coach Rick Pitino, is expected to play four games in Uncasville between Nov. 30 and Dec. 4, AdvertisementSo there will be plenty of teams in the neighborhood to potentially make a side trip to Gampel.Baylor’s first 5 games: Nov. 25 - No. 43 Michigan (potentially) in Mohegan SunNov. 26 - No. 2 Villanova (likely) in Mohegan Sun Nov. 29 - at No. 30 Seton HallDec. 2 - Jimmy V (possibly No. 8 Illinois)Dec. 5 - No. 2 Gonzaga in Indy— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops)Mohegan Sun officials expect to announce a firm schedule sometime next week.UConn women’s coach Geno Auriemma , and nonconference games with Notre Dame, Baylor, South Carolina, and Tennessee are still on.The Big East still intends to play all 20 scheduled men’s and women’s basketball games, meaning each team plays each opponent twice, and start in mid-December but like most conferences it is not close to releasing a full schedule. It’s possible the Big East will release its schedule in phases, getting its early games set so its members can schedule nonconference games.At UConn, classes are to go online only on Nov 19, with the campus mostly empty until the start of the spring semester on Jan. 19. This will be a window to schedule a lot of games at Gampel, with teams getting in and out. But UConn is also waiting for guidance from the state Department of Public Health and the progress of reopening, which moves to phase three on Thursday. How many fans, if any, would be allowed in Gampel, which seats 10,000? Where would they sit? How will benches, the scorer’s table be situated? Will media be allowed? All of this, and nearly all of the 2020-21 season, is to be determined.Dom Amore can be reached at damore@courant.com Advertisement

AdvertisementBy Hartford CourantOct 07, 2020 at 4:11 pmThe UConn men’s basketball team can begin practicing next Wednesday. The Huskies can play their first game as soon as Nov. 25, according to the NCAA.Not much more is certain regarding the schedule for the upcoming season, with the coronavirus still making it difficult to impossible to plan.AdvertisementFor that reason, it is certain that there will be no UConn basketball games, men’s or women’s, nor ice hockey games at the XL Center this season, Mike Freimuth, executive director of the Capital Region Development Authority said on...

No UConn games at XL Center until fall of 2021; Sacred Heart, BYU emerge as possible nonconference opponents for men’s basketball with Big East scheduling still taking shape

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