The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Men, women will play DH in Newark
The UConn men’s and women’s basketball teams will take part in the Never Forget Tribute Classic doubleheader at the Prudential Center in Newark on Saturday, Dec. 11.
The men will play St. Bonaventure at 4 p.m. (ESPN2) and the women will play UCLA at 1 p.m. (ABC). The doubleheader announcement finalizes the non-conference schedule for both teams.
The women have won all six meetings against UCLA. The seventh meeting will bring together Huskies freshman Azzi Fudd and Bruins coach Cori Close.
UCLA was among Fudd’s final choices before she committed to UConn in November 2020. Fudd and fellow freshman Amari DeBerry won Gold with Team USA, coached by Close, at the FIBA U19 World Cup in Hungary earlier this month.
In November 2018, the fourth game of the 2017-18
season, UConn defeted UCLA at Pauly Pavilion, 78-60. Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, attended that game and spoke to UConn players in the locker room afterward.
The Huskies beat UCLA in a 2019 Sweet 16 game in Albany, 69-61, the most recent meeting between the teams.
“The Never Forget Tribute Classic is going to be a great event for UConn fans,” UConn women’s coach Geno Auriemma said in a statement. “We get to face a really good opponent in UCLA and raise money for a great cause. Being able to play in a doubleheader with our men’s team is really special for our fans who haven’t seen us in person in over a year.”
The UConn men are 2-1 against St. Bonaventure. The last meeting, a 95-78 victory by the Huskies, was Jan. 2, 2003, in Hartford.
“It is an honor for us to once again be a part of the
Never Forget Tribute Classic as we play a part in supporting an important cause,” men’s coach Dan Hurley said. “We will need UConn Nation to make the trip with us to the Prudential Center as we square-off against an outstanding opponent.”
The rest of the women’s non-conference schedule includes home games against Arkansas, Notre Dame and Tennessee, and road games at Georgia Tech, Oregon and South Carolina.
The Huskies play a neutral site game against Louisville at Mohegan Sun Arena Dec. 19. Geno Auriemma’s team will also play three games at the Battle 4 Atlantis Nov. 20-22, opening against Minnesota.
Besides St. Bonaventure, the men’s non-conference schedule includes Central Connecticut, Auburn, Grambling, and West Virginia.
UConn is also playing in the Battle 4 Atlantis, with potential opponents Michigan State, Loyola Chicago, Syracuse. Baylor, VCU and Arizona State. A matchup with Arizona State would pit UConn coach Dan Hurley against brother Bobby the Sun Devils coach.
The UConn men competed in the 2018 Never Forget Tribute Classic. The fifthannual event will support a 9/11-inspired charity — the recipient of support from the 2021 game will be unveiled in the coming weeks.
Husky Athletic Fund donors and UConn basketball season ticket holders will have the opportunity to purchase tickets within a seat block provided to UConn by the event organizer. UConn donors and season ticket holders will receive information about purchasing Never Forget Classic tickets soon.
Tickets beginning at $40 go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, Sept. 10, at 10 a.m. at PruCenter.com/Events/ Never-ForgetTribute-Classic, Ticketmaster.com, and Prudential Center’s Box Office.