NEW YORK – UConn. Madison Square Garden. A trophy on the line.

It will be a familiar refrain for the No. 5 UConn men’s basketball team (4-0) on Monday night inside The World’s Most Famous Arena. The Huskies are set to tangle with No. 15 Texas (4-0) in the Championship game of the Saatva Empire Classic at 7 p.m. on ESPNU. Karl Ravech, Jay Williams and Myron Medcalf will have the call of the top-20 showdown. 

UConn is seeking to win its 11th championship at Madison Square Garden, a building they have played in more than any other outside of Hartford and Storrs. The Huskies are also in the mix to win their in-season MTE for the second-straight season.

UConn advanced to the Championship of the Empire Classic by way of a dominant semifinal victory over Indiana, taking down the Hoosiers 77-57. Tristen Newton (El Paso, Texas) dazzled on the big stage once again with 23 points, 11 rebounds and six assists – the first double-double for a Husky this season and Newton’s first since the 2023 National Championship. As a team, UConn out-rebounded Indiana 44-22 and out-scored the Hoosiers 16-0 in second-chance points.

Newton leads the Huskies with 17.3 points,  8.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game through four contests. He is joined in double-figure scoring this year by Alex Karaban (Southborough, Mass.) at 16.0 per game, Cam Spencer (Davidsonville, Md.) at 15.8 per game and Donovan Clingan (Bristol, Conn.) with 13.0 per contest. As a team the Huskies average over 91 points per game and are shooting 52.3 percent from the floor. 

Texas advanced to the title game of the Empire Classic with a last second win over Louisville on Sunday. Max Abmas leads the undefeated Longhorns with 14.5 points per game, one of four averaging double-figures. UConn is 6-3 all-time against Texas in a series dating back to 1991.