The UConn Huskies will face the Indiana Hoosiers in the 1^st round of the Empire Classic on Sunday afternoon in New York, New York at Madison Square Garden with tip-off scheduled for 1:00 PM ET and the game will air on ESPN.

The UConn Huskies are the reigning National Champions in college basketball and have carried the momentum from last season over to this year as they enter this game ranked 5^th in the AP Poll and 4^th in the Coaches Poll with a record of 3-0 following wins at home against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks by a score of 95-52, a 107-67 win at home against the Stonehill College Skyhawks by a score of 107-67 and the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils by a score of 87-53 while covering the spread in two of their three games to start the season. The Huskies won the National Championship last season after finishing with a record of 31-8 and a record of 13-7 in the Big East which led to a tie for 4^th place in the conference during the regular season. UConn won in the Quarterfinals of the Big East Conference Tournament against the Providence Friars by a score of 73-66 before losing in the Semifinals against the Marquette Golden Eagles by a score of 68-70, however, the UConn Huskies would receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and won the National Championship by defeating the Iona Gaels in the 1^st round by a score of 87-63, the Saint Mary’s Gaels by a score of 70-55 in the 2^nd round, the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Sweet 16 by a score of 88-65, the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the Elite Eight by a score of 82-54, the Miami Hurricanes in the Final Four by a score of 72-56 before defeating the San Diego State Aztecs in the Championship game by a score of 76-59.

Indiana made the NCAA Tournament last season, however, they lost in the 2^nd round against the Miami Hurricanes by a score of 69-85 after winning in the 1^st round against the Kent State Golden Flashes by a score of 71-60. The Hoosiers have started the season off with a record of 3-0 following wins at home against the FGCU Eagles by a score of 69-63, the Army Black Knights by a score of 72-64, and the Wright State Raiders by a score of 89-80, however, they have not covered the spread in any of their games this season as they are 0-3 ATS overall and will have a tough test in the 1^st round of the Empire Classic when the face the UConn Huskies on Sunday afternoon.

BookMaker has the UConn Huskies listed as 12-point favorites against the Indiana Hoosiers in the 1^st round of the Empire Classic on Sunday afternoon. UConn has won four of the last six and two of the last three meetings while the Hoosiers are 4-2 ATS in the last six and 2-1 ATS in the last three games in the series. The UConn Huskies are 2-1 ATS overall this season while the Indiana Hoosiers are 0-3 ATS overall.

Despite having a record of 3-0, the Indiana Hoosiers have struggled against inferior opponents and have yet to cover the spread this season as they are 0-3 ATS overall while the UConn Huskies are one of the best teams in college basketball this season and are 2-1 ATS overall while having won four of the last six games in the series. Lay the points with the UConn Huskies when they face the Indiana Hoosiers in the 1^st round of the Empire Classic on Sunday afternoon.