NEW YORK – The No. 18 UConn men’s basketball team (7-3) concludes its non-conference regular season with a big test Saturday night, taking on No. 8 Gonzaga (7-2). Basketball Hall of Fame Series New York City at Madison Square Garden. Kickoff from the world’s most famous arena is scheduled for 8 p.m. with a FOX Primetime Hoops showdown with Jason Benetti and Jim Jackson.

UConn will make its debut at 4 Penn Plaza this season, a year after a 7-0 loss at MSG. The trip to the basketball mecca will be one of three this season, with Connecticut returning to St. John’s on Feb. 23 in St. John’s and, of course, the BIG EAST Tournament in March.

Saturday night’s Top 20 matchup is part of the Basketball Hall of Fame Series, a “rematch” after the Huskies and Bulldogs faced off in Seattle last season. UConn won that contest 76-63, increasing its all-time series record to 5-2. New York City will be the seventh destination in the series, which dates back to the 1999 Elite Eight. In fact, the teams met twice in the 2023 calendar year, with UConn also defeating Gonzaga in the 2023 West Regional Final in Las Vegas.

The Huskies are on a three-game winning streak in Manhattan and rebounded again last week with quality victories over then-No. 15 Baylor and at Texas. Gonzaga lost its last contest in a heartbreaking overtime loss to Kentucky, but has already posted quality wins against Baylor, Arizona State, San Diego State and Indiana this season.

UConn was named a preseason All-American and captain Alex Karaban He returned to Texas on Sunday and didn’t miss a chance, recording his first career double-double with 21 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals. This season, Karaban leads the Huskies with 16.5 points per game while filling the stat sheet with 5.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.0 blocks per game. His 48.1 percent mark from 3-point range is one of the best in the country.

Connecticut is also at the top of the scoring charts Solo ball, amid a breakout sophomore season in which he averaged 12.9 points per game and scored in double figures in all 10 contests. Last season, Ball averaged 3.3 per game and only reached double figures twice. Reigning BIG EAST Freshman of the Week Liam McNeeley adds 12.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game as big man Tarris Reed Jr. is the fourth Husky in double figures with 11.0 points per game and has a team-best 8.2 rebounds per game.

Connecticut boasts a consensus top-five offense in all key metrics, shooting 50.4 percent from the floor and averaging 20.2 assists per contest. Samson Johnson is averaging double figures in his last five contests and shooting an incredible 82.9 percent from the floor. Hassan Diarra moved into the starting lineup at the end of November and has thrived as a distributor, dishing out 6.8 assists per game as a starter.

Gonzaga is one of the best teams in the country this season, ranking No. 8 in the AP poll and top 5 in Kenpom, NET and Torvik. Graham Ike leads a balanced Gonzaga offense (No. 2 in Kenpom offensive efficiency) with 15.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, one of five averaging double figures. Ryan Nembhard, who has played six games against UConn in his career, including his time at Creighton, is averaging 10.9 points and an NCAA-best 10.7 assists per game.

The Huskies will have little rest after ending their non-conference battle, opening BIG EAST play on Wednesday, December 18th against Xavier at the XL Center.