By the end of 2015, UConn will have a pretty good idea where it stands in the college basketball world.

The Huskies will play several quality men's programs, including Michigan, Maryland, Ohio State and Texas before opening their American Athletic Conference schedule in New Orleans at Tulane on Jan. 2, 2016.

"We've got to be ready," said coach Kevin Ollie when asked about the schedule earlier this summer. "We're not hiding from nobody. ... Early on, we're going to really be tested and see what this team is made out of, which is good.

"I think it will get us ready for conference play playing against those guys. We've got to win some more games out of conference. We're going to have to do that, That's our goal."

UConn released its complete 2015-16 schedule on Tuesday. Opponents had previously been announced.

The Huskies begin the season with three straight home games, hosting Maine (Nov. 13), New Hampshire (Nov. 17) and Furman (Nov. 21), all at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs.

The early-season highlight is a trip to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis during Thanksgiving week. Michigan is a first-round opponent on Nov. 25, with a matchup against either Syracuse or Charlotte in the second round.

Three other pre-New Year's Day tests come in December when UConn faces Maryland, a projected preseason top five pick, on Dec. 8 in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden and then hosts Ohio State on Dec. 12 in Storrs for a nationally-televised game. The Huskies travel to Texas for a Dec. 29 showdown in Austin.

The Huskies open their AAC home schedule in Hartford against Temple on Jan. 5.

One challenging stretch has UConn playing three of four games on the road, starting with a trip to Central Florida on Jan. 31 and ending at Temple on Feb. 11.

The regular season ends with UConn visiting Southern Methodist on March 3 in a league game that could be a major factor in determining the title race and hosting Central Florida on March 6 in Storrs.

Ollie believes the league will be stronger this season.

"I think it's going to be a great league, because we've got a lot of great players coming back," Ollie said. "We should have a lot of teams vying for NCAA tournament bids."

Counting two exhibition games, UConn has 10 games at Gampel Pavilion and nine at the XL Center in Hartford. The Huskies will not play in Bridgeport this season.

The AAC tournament is set for March 10-13 at the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla.

UConn lands star forward

The Huskies received some good news when power forward Juwan Durham, a four-star recruit in the Class of 2016, announced on Twitter that he plans to attend UConn. He made his decision after visiting Storrs last weekend.

"This was one of the hardest decisions I've ever made but I'd like to announce that I will be committing to the University of Connecticut," Durham tweeted.

Florida, Louisville, Miami and Villanova were some of the schools pursuing the 6-foot-9 Durham, who attempts Tampa Prep in Florida. He's been recovering from a knee injury suffered last February.

Durham is the third Class of 2016 recruit to commit to UConn, joining point guard Alterique Gilbert out of Miller Grove High School in Georgia and forward Mamadou Diarra of Putnam Science Academy. Virginia Commonwealth transfer Terrier Larrier is sitting out this season before becoming eligible to play.

g.keefe@theday.com

Twitter: @GavinKeefe