By Paul Schott | The Register Citizen (Conn.)
Before he became a 10-time NBA All-Star and three-time Olympic gold medalist, Carmelo Anthony made his name as the star of the Syracuse team that won the national championship in 2003.
Syracuse lost only five games that season, but two of the Orange’s defeats came to the University of Connecticut: a 75-61 regular-season loss at the Hartford Civic Center (now People’s Bank Arena) and a 80-67 loss at Madison Square Garden in the semifinals of the Big East tournament. Unsurprisingly, Anthony played well — scoring 29 points in both games.
Tracy McGrady, a seven-time NBA All-Star, never faced UConn because he went straight from high school to the NBA in 1997. But he is still a big fan of the college game.
In interviews Monday at an NBA 2025-26 season preview event at NBC Sports’ headquarters in Stamford, the two Hall of Famers and NBC Sports analysts shared their thoughts about the Huskies and the upcoming college basketball season.
The following are excerpts from those conversations:
Q: How do you remember the two games that you played against UConn?
Anthony: They were battles.
At that time when we lost to UConn in the Big East tournament, it was just like, “Oh, we made it into the (NCAA) tournament, let’s see what happens, let’s just play basketball.”
I think that loss against UConn gave us a different edge because we realized we actually made it to the tournament, and we had one last shot.
Now, I can just not be so hard on UConn. I can embrace UConn now because we (Syracuse) aren’t in the Big East anymore.
Q: How did playing in rivalry games at Syracuse prepare you for the NBA?
Anthony: Syracuse-Georgetown, Syracuse-UConn, Syracuse-Villanova — these are like historical moments and historical sporting events. When you look on the sidelines and see (UConn’s) Jim Calhoun and (Syracuse’s) Jim Boeheim, this is history we’re talking about.
Q: Who do you think will make the Final Four in the men’s NCAA tournament this season?
Anthony: ‘Cuse — that’s the first team I have in there right now. I’ll let you know, as the season goes, who are the other three.
Q: How would you assess the impact of UConn’s basketball coaches, Geno Auriemma and Dan Hurley?
McGrady: Geno is one of the GOATs of college basketball. It’s not only the national championships, but the talent he’s produced out of the program. Geno has produced the greatest women’s basketball player of all time — and that’s Maya Moore.
My boy Hurley is a firecracker. I love his passion for the game and everything he’s brought to that program.
I think both of those guys are good for the program. Hopefully they’ll stick around for a few more years and win some more championships.