UConn’s men get a little more to chew on in their Oct. 13 exhibition opener against Syracuse.
A court has granted Syracuse forward Amarri Monroe a preliminary injunction, opening the door for him to play when the Orange face the Huskies at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville. Monroe is among the players pursuing a fifth year of eligibility under the new "age-based eligibility model," which the NCAA accepted this summer. The ruling does not lock him in for the full season, but it does clear him for this matchup and likely makes the exhibition a tougher test for UConn.
Monroe brings plenty of production with him. He spent one season at Wofford and three at Quinnipiac, has played in 118 career games, and was the MAAC Player of the Year in 2024-25.
Last season he led the conference in rebounding at 9.1 per game while scoring 18.1 points per game. As a traditional senior, he earned MAAC First-Team honors after averaging 15.6 points and 8.3 rebounds.
That matters for Syracuse, and it matters for UConn too. The Huskies are trying to gear up for what has been described as arguably the toughest non-conference schedule in NCAA history, so a more demanding exhibition game fits the bill.
Syracuse arrives with plenty of changes of its own. The Orange went 15-17 last season, missed the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight year, fired Adrian Autry and lost all five starters to graduation or the transfer portal. They’ve since turned to former Syracuse star Gerry McNamara, who has added a wave of talent in hopes of making the Orange more competitive in the ACC.
McNamara said shortly after taking the job that he wanted to play UConn again and revive the old Big East rivalry. He’s getting that chance here.
The men’s game is set for 7 p.m. ET on Oct. 13, while the women’s teams will meet the night before, Oct. 12, at 6 p.m.
Those women’s programs met in last season’s NCAA Tournament, with UConn rolling past the No. 9 Orange in Storrs.
The Huskies then advanced to the Final Four before losing to South Carolina and finishing 38-1. They should be among the nation’s top teams again this season.
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