The Huskies will start their exhibition campaigns this month and then it will be time to begin the regular seasons in early November.
The UConn Huskies men's and women's basketball programs earned a familiar honor on Thursday by being picked as the preseason favorites in the Big East preseason poll.
The Huskies women are coming off a 38-1 season that saw them go unbeaten in the regular season and Big East tournament, only losing in the Final Four against South Carolina. The men's program is coming off a trip to the national title game where they were defeated by Michigan.
Both teams begin exhibition play this month, with the women hosting the Syracuse Orange on Oct. 12 and the men hosting the Orange on Oct. 13. Both games are being played at Mohegan Sun Arena.
About the women's poll
UConn received 100 points to earn the top spot while Villanova (90), Creighton (78), St. John's (68) and Seton Hall (67) rounded out the top five.
Behind them were Marquette, Providence, Georgetown, Xavier, Butler and DePaul.
It's certainly understandable why the Huskies are the favorite: They went unbeaten in league play last season and didn't win a single game by less than double-digits.
As for the men's side of things
UConn earned 98 points to garner the top spot while St. John's (90), Villanova (81), Marquette (73) and Providence (59) filled out the top five.
Beyond that? Xavier, Creighton, DePaul, Seton Hall, Georgetown and Butler.
Notes: Despite finishing fourth in this poll, Marquette has one believer at least. Rick Pitino, the head coach at St. John's is a big fan. Also, Providence has a new head coach in Bryan Hodgson, who led South Florida to the NCAA Tournament a year ago.
UConn Huskies guard Braylon Mullins (24) shoots Monday, April 6, 2026, during the NCAA men's basketball tournament national championship game against the Michigan Wolverines at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesQuestions for both programs
Even though both programs were selected to win their leagues, they are not without question marks.
On the men's side: How do they deal with the losses of Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed Jr., who went to the NBA? How about Solo Ball as well, who is expected to miss the entire season with injury?
On the women's side: How do they handle the loss of Azzi Fudd, who was the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft? And with her gone, where will backcourt scoring come from?
As for the season openers?
The women's program will open the campaign on Nov. 2 against Cornell in Storrs. The men's team will take on Gardner-Webb that same day. Both teams will play extremely challenging non-conference schedules beyond those matchups.
