UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- One day after the UConn Huskies women's basketball team toppled the Syracuse Orange in its exhibition opener, the Huskies' men's team will also take on the Orange at Mohegan Sun Arena.

It's the preseason opener for Dan Hurley's team as well, which is coming off a trip to the national title game in 2025-26. Syracuse went 15-17 and missed the NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive year. They fired previous head coach Adrian Autry, replacing him with former Syracuse star Gerry McNamara.

McNamara won a title with the Orange as a player in 2003-04 alongside superstar Carmelo Anthony. Anthony's son Kiyan is now a sophomore on this SU roster.

With all that in mind, here's three things we're looking forward to seeing from the Huskies on Tuesday:

Hines, a transfer from Seton Hall, is going to be hugely important to this version of the Huskies. Center Tarris Reed is no longer here after getting drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Draft, and backup Eric Reibe isn't here either after transferring to USC.

Hines, an excellent rebounder and shot blocker, is important on his own, but he's extra important when you consider that the depth behind him is largely unproven. He needs to be impactful and stay out of foul trouble. The frontcourt is the biggest question for this Huskies roster, and he's at the forefront of answering it.

Head coach Dan Hurley announced that star sophomore Braylon Mullins won't play on Tuesday, but he wouldn't say exactly what is ailing him. How the Huskies play without Mullins will be interesting to see given the importance he has to the team's offensive operation.

If the frontcourt is the biggest question on this roster, then the backcourt depth is No. 2. We already know that Silas Demary Jr. and Mullins are excellent, but with Solo Ball likely out for the season because of wrist surgery, who steps into that guard No. 3 spot?

Who is there to give Mullins and Demary a break? What if one of them is in foul trouble? And even worse, what if one of them gets injured like for this game? Hurley will have to have some answers on that front and those answers will begin to come into focus on Tuesday night, especially with Mullins sidelined and on the bench.