HARTFORD – The No. 3 UConn men's basketball team (1-0) returns to action on Saturday night when it makes it XL Center debut in downtown Hartford. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. and the contest will air at 8 p.m. on FS2 with Dave Sims and Bill Raftery on the call.

Prior to the contest, the Huskies will recognize the 2024 National Championship banner going into the XL Center rafters. Fans are asked to arrive by 7:35 to catch the banner unveiling. Limited tickets remain at UConntickets.com.

UConn opened the 2024-25 regular season on Wednesday, sprinting past Sacred Heart by a score of 92-56 on Banner Night at Gampel Pavilion.  Alex Karaban led the way for Connecticut with one of the more dominant performances in recent memory; Karaban scored a game-high 20 points, blocked a career-high seven shots, dished out a career-high seven assists, grabbed six rebounds and was 5-of-7 from 3-point range.

Karaban is the first player with a 20-7-7-6 line of such since Michael Sweetney for Georgetown in 2003. He is the only power conference player with a game of 20 points, five assists, five blocks, five made 3-pointers and five rebounds since at least 2005-06 and the only BIG EAST player to post that line since at least 1996-97.

The Huskies also got a pair of double-doubles from players making their UConn debuts on Wednesday night. Liam McNeeley dropped 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in his first collegiate action, becoming the first freshman to post a double-double in their first game at Connecticut since Emeka Okafor in 2001. Tarris Reed Jr. went for 15 and 11 off the bench, becoming the first transfer to double up in his UConn debut since Shonn Miller in 2015.

Solo Ball was the fourth Husky in double-figures in the opener, scoring a career-high 16 points and knocking down four 3-pointers. As a team the Huskies shot 51.6 percent from the floor, 41.9 percent from distance and dished out 25 assists.

UConn and New Hampshire have met 120 times in the history of each program, dating back to the 1906-07 season. That mark makes UNH the second-most played opponent of anyone on UConn's ledger. The Huskies lead the all-time series 95-25 and have won the last 12 meetings. Last season the Huskies took an 84-64 victory over the Wildcats at Gampel Pavilion behind a career-high 29 points from Donovan Clingan.

New Hampshire is off to a 1-1 start to the season, falling at UMass on Monday before a win over UMass Boston on Wednesday. Anthony McComb III and Sami Pissis are tied for the team lead with 16.5 points per game, while Pissis adds a team-high 8.0 rebounds per contest.

Following the Saturday night contest in Hartford, UConn will return to action on Wednesday, Nov. 13 back at the XL Center against Le Moyne.