Texas to beef up nonconference slate
After Texas completed its nonconference basketball schedule this past season, head coach Rodney Terry acknowledged that he wanted to upgrade his nonconference home slate.
He seems to be doing just that, based on a report from veteran college basketball reporter Jon Rothstein.
According to Rothstein, Texas will play back-to-back national champion Connecticut in a home-and-home series beginning this upcoming season at Moody Center. Texas officials could not yet confirm any home nonconference games for the 2024-25 season, but Texas and UConn have been engaged in discussions for home-andhome games.
This past season, Connecticut beat Texas 81-71 at the Empire Classic in New York City.
The 2023-24 nonconference schedule didn't include any home games against a marquee opponent, much to the dismay of some season-ticket holders as well as the analysts who use strength of schedule to help rate teams on a national basis.
But Terry strongly hinted in January that would change as Texas preps for its debut season in the SEC.
“I always say you play the nonconference schedule to get you ready for conference play,” Terry said last season. “Obviously, we would love to start a really good home-and-home series, and we will find a really good homeand-home series at Texas because we can.
“But we also love playing neutral and playing big-boy games on the road and in great venues. Playing the UConn game in New York (in 2023), I mean, it's like playing Kansas in Kansas City, you know? You can't put a price tag on those type of nonconference games. But at Texas, we're going to have a marquee game or two at home, always. This year, we weren't able to have one of those. But moving forward, we will always have a great home-and-home series.”