Tuesday’s exhibition slate gives college basketball fans a quick early look at how several programs are taking shape before the 2026-27 season gets rolling for real.
The headliner is the matchup everyone will circle first: Syracuse against UConn at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The game revives a rivalry that once sat at the center of Big East basketball, and even though this one won’t count in the standings, it still carries real value for two programs trying to answer early questions.
Syracuse is stepping into a new era under Gerry McNamara, the former Orange star who returned after leading Siena to the 2026 NCAA Tournament. He inherits a roster that includes Kiyan Anthony and Sadiq White Jr., plus several newcomers, and this exhibition should offer an early look at how the scoring responsibilities will be shared.
UConn, meanwhile, is trying to stay among the sport’s elite after reaching last season’s national championship game. Dan Hurley brings back guard Braylon Mullins, who is expected to be a key piece in the Huskies’ rotation.
That game tips at 7 p.m. ET and will be shown on NBC Sports Boston and UConn+. Syracuse also lists streaming through Cuse.com, and UConn Sports Network will carry radio coverage.
Arizona also opens its exhibition schedule Tuesday night, hosting San Francisco at 10 p.m. ET at McKale Center at ALKEME Arena in Tucson, Arizona. Tommy Lloyd’s team is coming off a stunning 36-3 season that ended with a Final Four run, and now the Wildcats are working through the challenge of adding new faces without losing their edge.
Among the names to know for Arizona are freshman Caleb Holt and returning frontcourt players Motiejus Krivas and Ivan Kharchenkov. San Francisco, under Chris Gerlufsen, enters with a roster that has changed significantly, making this a useful measuring stick for both sides. The game will stream on ESPN+.
Earlier in the night, Florida A&M hosts Warner at the Al Lawson Center in Tallahassee at 7 p.m. ET.
The Rattlers are using the exhibition to evaluate their roster before the regular season starts in November, and they also have another exhibition scheduled against Saint Leo on October 27. No broadcast has been confirmed on the official schedule.
Samford and Alabama A&M meet in Birmingham at 8 p.m. ET as part of the Ballin in Boutwell event at Boutwell Auditorium.
Samford coach Lennie Acuff has pointed to the value of playing in-state opponents during the preseason, and the Bulldogs also have exhibition games set against Jacksonville State and Auburn later this month. Samford’s schedule includes a Watch link, though no specific platform is listed in the available information.
For all four teams, the results won’t go on the record. But these games still tell a story, especially this time of year. They offer a first look at defensive communication, offensive rhythm and which players are ready for bigger roles as the 2026-27 season starts to come into focus.
In Other News...
UConn Has One Big Scoring Question Entering 2026-27
UConn still looks built to contend in 2026-27, even with some roster turnover, because the core around Silas Demary Jr. and Braylon Mullins gives the Huskies a strong base to work from. Add in transfer help from Nikolas Khamenia and Najai Hines up front, plus freshmen Egor Amosov, Colben Landrew and Junior County giving the bench more depth, and the overall talent level still projects as top-15 caliber.
The bigger issue is where the points are going to come from after the loss of starting guard Solo Ball, whose absence leaves a real gap in the backcourt scoring mix. UConn has pieces, but the unanswered question is whether the Huskies have enough proven shot-making to replace what Ball brought, or whether someone else in the rotation will have to make a major leap for the offense to stay at the level the rest of the roster suggests. [Read more 🡒]
UConn Gets Its First Real Test With A Very Different Roster
The first real look at UConns reshaped roster comes Friday night at Mohegan Sun Arena, where the Huskies will meet Syracuse in an exhibition that should say plenty about where Dan Hurleys team stands entering the season. It will air on NBC Sports Boston, and it also marks Hurleys first game against Syracuse since 2018, back when the Orange were still under Jim Boeheim and before Gerry McNamara took over the program.
UConn will have to navigate the opener without Braylon Mullins, who is out with an undisclosed injury, so the spotlight shifts to Silas Demary Jr. and a batch of newcomers who are set to make their debuts. For a roster built with transfers and freshmen as much as returning pieces, this is less about polishing the final details than getting an early read on how quickly the new faces can fit into Hurleys system. [Read more 🡒]
UConn Finally Gets First Clues On Two Big Roster Questions
The preseason opener against Syracuse at Mohegan Sun Arena arrives with a couple of the biggest early clues UConn has gotten about its new-look roster. The Huskies are still sorting out how the frontcourt will hold up after losing Tarris Reed Jr. and Eric Reibe, and transfer Na'jai Hines is expected to be a major piece in that effort. At the same time, sophomore Braylon Mullins is one of the players the staff is counting on to take a step forward as the rotation starts to come into focus.
There is still some uncertainty on the perimeter, though, and it has become a real issue for UConns depth chart. Guard Solo Ball is likely out for the season after wrist surgery, which leaves the Huskies with another backcourt question even as they begin to get answers elsewhere. The opener will not settle everything, but it should at least show how much of this teams identity can already be traced to Hines inside and Mullins on the rise. [Read more 🡒]