AUSTIN, Texas – The No. 25 UConn men’s basketball team (6-3) just picked up its first big win of the campaign and continues its December struggles when it visits Texas (7-1) on Sunday afternoon. Kickoff for UConn’s first true road test of the season is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 p.m. CT on ESPN with Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas and Kris Budden.

The Huskies and Longhorns both have impressive Conference Challenge victories, with UConn defeating No. 15 Baylor in the BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle and Texas winning at NC State in the SEC/ACC Challenge. The two teams have a long history, with Sunday’s meeting being the 11th all-time. UConn leads the series 7-3, including an 81-71 win in the 2023 Empire Classic. In that contest, the current Huskies Alex Karaban (20 points, six rebounds, 4 of 8 from 3-point range), Samson Johnson (15 points, eight rebounds, 6 of 8 from the floor) and Hassan Diarra (eight points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals, two blocks) all played key roles in helping Connecticut win its first championship of the historic season.

Karaban is leading the Huskies offensively this season with 15.9 points per game and is on track to return Sunday after missing UConn’s last two games due to a head injury in Maui. In his absence, newbie Liam McNeeley Led the team in the Baylor victory, scoring a team-high 17 points and eight rebounds. The Preseason BIG EAST Freshman of the Year is averaging 13.0 points and 5.6 rebounds per game this year. McNeeley, a native of Richardson, Texas, will return to his home state on Sunday.

Solo ballI is the only Husky to score in double figures in all nine games this season and is averaging 12.6 points per game while shooting 46.0 percent from 3-point range. Diarra leads the Huskies with 5.0 assists per game while being a big man Tarris Reed Jr. is third in the BIG EAST and first in Connecticut with 8.6 rebounds per game and 10.9 points per contest. Reed Jr. posted four double-doubles off the bench. Johnson has started to hit form in recent games, averaging double-digit goals in his last four contests and shooting 82.4 percent from the floor this season.

Texas enters Sunday’s contest with an overall record of 7-1, receiving votes in both national polls while ranking No. 53 on NET and No. 35 on Kenpom. Tre Johnson leads the Longhorns with 20.8 points per game and shoots 44.6 from 3-point range. Arthur Kaluma, known to the Huskies from his time at Creighton, averages a team-high 13.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. As a team, Texas is among the national leaders with a field goal percentage of 50.0.

Following the road tilt in Austin, UConn heads to the most famous arena in the world to face No. 7 Gonzaga in the Hall of Fame Series at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, December 14th.