Huskies set to take on Zags in final nonconference game

The Uconn men’s basketball team will wrap up its nonconference slate on the west coast in a not-so-neutral site game in Seattle against Gonzaga on Friday night.

The game against the No. 10 Zags will be the third top-10 matchup in the last two weeks of Uconn’s schedule. The Huskies lost a close game in one of college basketball’s most hostile environments at Kansas’ Allen Fieldhouse, 68-64, before returning to Madison Square Garden for an 87-76 win over North Carolina.

Gonzaga, 8-2, had quality wins over UCLA and USC after dropping its first game of the year to then-no. 2 Purdue, 73-63, in a loaded Maui Invitational tournament. The Bulldogs then lost a road game to Washington, 78-73 at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle, the first time that has happened since 2005.

Friday’s game is a rematch of last year’s Elite Eight matchup in Las Vegas, which

Uconn won, 82-54, and cut down its first set of nets before winning the national championship. Since then, both teams have retooled their rosters.

Gonzaga returned just two starters after losing Drew Timme, Julian Strawther to the pros and Rasir Bolton to graduation. Head coach Mark Few and his staff brought in six newcomers – former Creighton point guard Ryan Nembhard and former Wyoming center Graham Ike, along with four freshmen.

Uconn found itself in a similar spot after the championship game, losing three starters in Jordan Hawkins, Andre Jackson Jr. and Adama Sanogo – all who played major roles in the matchup last spring. Dan Hurley and staff also brought in six newcomers including Rutgers transfer Cam Spencer and a five-man freshman class highlighted by Stephon Castle and Solo Ball.

Here is everything you need to know to watch from home:

Site: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle

Time: 10 p.m. ET

Records: No. 5 Uconn: 9-1, No. 10 Gonzaga: 8-2

Series history: Uconn leads, 4-2

Last meeting: March 25, 2023 – Uconn 82, Gonzaga 54 in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight in Las Vegas

TV: ESPN2 – Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas

Radio: Uconn Sports Network on 97.9 ESPN – Mike Crispino, Wayne Norman

How Uconn freshman Jaylin Stewart earned trust of coaches, teammates ahead of return home to Seattle

Uconn men hold at No. 5 in AP poll as Solo Ball, Alex Karaban earn Big East honors

Why has former Uconn star Jordan Hawkins been benched with New Orleans Pelicans?

A look at Uconn men’s basketball history vs. Gonzaga

Uconn men’s basketball uses break to recover, hone in on weaknesses before clash with Gonzaga