New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Huskies slated to compete in Legends Classic in December
As the 2020-21 season gets nearer, UConn’s schedule is starting to take shape.
The Legends Classic announced on Tuesday that it will be held at Mohegan Sun Arena on Dec 2 and 3. UConn, Vanderbilt, USC and Brigham Young will be the participants.
The event was initially slated to be held Nov. 23 and 24 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. However, with the college basketball season’s start pushed back to Nov. 25, and with the opportunity to play in a “bubble” environment for two days at Mohegan Sun, the event was moved.
Originally, Notre Dame was slated to be one of the participants, but it recently backed out and was replaced by BYU.
Match-ups have yet to be announced, but UConn will obviously play two of the other three teams.
Whether fans will be allowed to attend the Legends Classic won’t be decided until closer to its start, according to a spokes
person for the Gazelle Group, which is running the event. If fans are allowed to attend, it will be at a limited capacity, with social distancing and safety protocols in place..
The Huskies, who officially begin practice on Friday, are slated to play a 20-game Big East slate that is likely to begin on Dec. 12. The league hopes for each team to get in about four or five games between Dec. 12-23, played at on-campus arenas (i.e., Gampel Pavilion). The remainder of the Big East season will likely be played after New Year’s, with hopes of continuing to play games on campus but with the possibility of some sort of bubble situation.
UConn’s non-conference slate will likely begin on Nov. 25. The Huskies are expected to play three games against local mid-majors, two of whom are expected to be Central Connecticut State and Sacred Heart. UConn could play another non-league home game at some point.
The Huskies’ early-December game at Florida still hasn’t been canceled, and athletic director David Benedict told Hearst Connecticut Media on Monday that “it’s our intent to play that game.” Obviously issues could arise regarding COVID-19 protocols, travel restrictions, etc.,. that could put that game in jeopardy.