University of Connecticut
Michigan
11/5/2026 1:51:00โฏPM | Men's Basketball
BOSTON โย The No. 4 UConn men's basketball team is shipping up for a top-20 showdown and national championship rematch on Friday night, heading to the TD Garden to take on No. 16 Michigan (1-0) in the TNT Sports Hall of Fame Series Boston presented by Amica Insurance. The contest with air on TNT, truTV and HBO Max with tip-off set for 8 p.m. and Brian Anderson, Grant Hill and Lauren Jbara on the call.ย
Seven months to the day of the National Championship setback in Indianapolis, a new-look UConn squad heads to Boston on Friday riding a three-game winning streak in 'Storrs North.' Connecticut has had great success at the home of the Celtics, Bruins and Beanpot the last few years, winning the 2024 East Regional in the building before returning last season for a top-10 win in the Hall of Fame Series Boston.ย
UConn has met Michigan five times in the past, with the Wolverines holding a 3-2 lead in a series dating all the way back to December 1939. The two sides didn't square off again for nearly 70 years when they began a home and home in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons, with each team winning on its home floor. The next match-up came early in the 2015-16 season, a 74-60 win for the Huskies in the 2015 Battle 4 Atlantis. They did not meet again for over a decade, when the Wolverines took a 69-63 decision in the 2026 National Championship game.ย
UConn opened the season on Monday night, commanding Gardner-Webb in an 86-46 rout at PeoplesBank Arena.ย Braylon Mullinsย led all scorers with 20 points, the fourth 20-point outing of the sophomore's career. The Huskies turned in a dominant defensive performance against the Runnin' Bulldogs, holding GWU to 25.5 percent shooting and posting a +18 rebounding margin.
Joiningย Mullinsย atop the scoresheet wereย Nik Khameniaย with 14 points, six rebounds and three assists,ย Na'Jai Hinesย with 12 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks andย Colben Landrewย with 11 points, five rebounds and three assists. Bothย Hinesย andKhameniaย tied their career scoring highs set last year as freshman at Seton Hall and Duke, respectively, whileย Hinesย notched the fifth double-double of his career.ย
Silas Demary Jr.,ย the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year and a consensus Preseason All-American, was quiet on the scoring front with five points on three shots but dished out eight assists without a turnover, grabbed eight rebounds and snared three steals.ย Jayden Rossย scored seven with a pair of thunderous dunks and was a team-best +41 in a team-high 29 minutes.ย
Michigan opened the season on Monday as well with an 84-68 home victory over Oakland. Roddy Gayle Jr. and Trey McKenney tied for the team-high with 17 points apiece, while J.P. Estrella posted a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double. The Wolverines were tabbed No. 16 in the AP Top 25 Preseason Poll and are ranked in the top-30 of most major metrics.ย
The Michigan contest is the first major test in an absolutely loaded non-conference slate the Huskies have embarked upon. The Wolverines are the first of seven opponents between now and Dec. 20 that are currently ranked in the Kenpom top-30. The national championship rematch marks the 11thย time in the last 30 years that the previous title game participants have met in the following regular season.ย
After the contest in Boston, UConn returns home for its debut at M&T Bank Center at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion when it hosts Wagner on Monday, Nov. 9.ย
