HARTFORD, Conn. (Interstat) — The defending national champion and top-ranked Connecticut Huskies host the Texas A&M-Commerce Lions in a nonconference men’s basketball game Friday at XL Center. The Huskies (7-1), whose only loss came to Arizona, are riding high after a marquee 61-56 road victory at Kansas on Tuesday. Freshman Braylon Mullins and junior Solo Ball each scored 17 points in that win, while 7-foot-2 center Eric Reibe added 12 points and two blocks. UConn has dominated at home, winning its first four games in Hartford by an average of 38.8 points. Texas A&M-Commerce (4-3), a member of the Southland Conference, enters on a two-game win streak, including an 84-67 victory at Army on Nov. 25. Damian Garcia led the Lions with 20 points in that contest, with Ronnie Harrison adding 12 points and eight rebounds. The Lions have faced a challenging early road schedule, with all three losses coming away from home against Rice, Hawaii and New Mexico. This game marks their toughest test yet against the reigning champions. For UConn, this begins a critical stretch featuring matchups against Florida and Texas next week. Texas A&M-Commerce returns home to face Central Arkansas on Sunday.