University of Connecticut men's basketball coach Dan Hurley seems to embody the old schoolyard adage "We'll play you any time, anywhere."

The Huskies are playing, perhaps, the most difficult schedule in college basketball history in 2026-27, with non-conference games coming against Duke, Michigan, Kansas, Arizona, Illinois, Virginia and Ohio State.

The Huskies are playing the defending national champions (Michigan), while also seeing the other two Final Four participants (Arizona and Illinois). It's a daunting task, but it's designed to help the Huskies get back to the national title game for the fourth time in five years.

But Hurley's attitude apparently extends to the preseason as well, with the Huskies also taking on Purdue and Syracuse.

That's right. Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports announced on Tuesday that UConn will host Syracuse on Oct. 13 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. 

The longtime Big East rivals have played 90 times since 1956, with the Huskies going 37-53 in those matchups. They haven't met in the regular season since 2018. New Syracuse head coach Gerry McNamara previously said that he was hoping to bring back the rivalry.

Syracuse went 15-17 last season under previous head coach Adrian Autry, who was let go in March. The Orange have missed the NCAA Tournament for five consecutive years, but they should improve under McNamara.

A former Syracuse national champion guard, McNamara returns back to helm his alma mater after a successful two-year stint at Siena. He took the Saints to the NCAA Tournament this past season, nearly upsetting No. 1 Duke in the first round.

The Orange won't be as good in October as they will be at the end of the season, but it will be an intriguing matchup, especially as Huskies fans will get a look at sophomore Kiyan Anthony, the son of Carmelo Anthony. 

The Huskies will also (likely) go through growing pains in the early portion of the year. Solo Ball is out for the season with wrist surgery, while the Huskies will have to adapt to life without Tarris Reed Jr. and Alex Karaban, who have both graduated.

Hurley's team will also have numerous transfers to integrate into the rotation, so this exhibition game will just be part of an acclimation process.

Speaking of Karaban and Reed: They are going to be drafted in this week's NBA Draft. The first round takes place on Tuesday while the second round is Wednesday.

Remember to join our UCONN on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Huskies fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!