The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
NC State emerging as a potential UConn opponent
As the wild and unwieldy process of scheduling games for the 2020-21 college basketball season continues, another potential opponent has emerged for UConn.
The Huskies could face NC State on Dec. 5 at Mohegan Sun, according to sources. No contracts have been signed yet and the situation remains very fluid. In fact, a day earlier, the game appeared as though it might not happen. Now, it appears it may essentially replace UConn’s slated game at Florida.
According to its 2020-21 schedule released on Wednesday, Florida is supposed to host UConn on Dec. 6. But for an abundance of reasons — travel restrictions, COVID-19 protocols, etc. — that game could be canceled.
Of course, as with all scheduling for 2020-21, things could change rapidly.
NC State went 20-12 overall last season and 10-10 in the ACC. It will be led by redshirt senior D. J. Funderburk, who averaged 12.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game last season.
NC State was originally slated to play in the Legends Classic, along with UConn, but wound up pulling out long before the
event announced its participants. UConn is still slated to play in the Legends Classic at Mohegan Sun on Dec. 2 and 3, along with USC, Vanderbilt and BYU.
The Huskies are expected to play three non-conference games at Gampel Pavilion, with Sacred Heart and Central Connecticut State likely to be two of the opponents.
The Big East season is currently scheduled to
begin on Dec. 11. The league hopes each team gets in four or five games over about a two-week stretch, at respective home arenas (Gampel Pavilion, etc.). It is possible the league could go into a bubble-type situation in January, when students return to campus from semester break.
Big East Media Day is on Wednesday, and the conference hopes to have at least its December schedule announced by then.