UConn men’s basketball’s nonconference schedule for next season is taking shape.

It will feature some challenging opponents.

The most recent addition is the Big 12-Big East Battle.

Back-to-back national champion UConn will host Baylor, the 2021 national title winner, on Dec. 4. The site and time will be announced at a later date.

The Huskies are 1-2 all-time in the Big 12-Big East Battle, losing at Kansas 69-65 last season on Dec. 5 in Lawrence.

They’ve previously faced Baylor only once, winning 96-88 on Dec. 28, 1965 in Waco, Texas.

Baylor went 24-11 last season and earned an NCAA tournament bid, defeating Colgate (92-67) before losing to Clemson (72-64) in second-round action. UConn finished 37-3 overall and won six straight March Madness games by double digits capped off by beating Purdue (75-60) to capture the program’s sixth national title.

Both UConn coach Dan Hurley and Baylor coach Scott Drew were approached about the Kentucky job opening but elected to stay at their respective schools.

Baylor is just one college basketball heavyweight on UConn’s schedule for next season.

UConn will play Gonzaga on Dec. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York in the Basketball Hall of Fame series.

From Nov. 25-27, UConn will compete in the 2024 Maui Invitational in Hawaii. Other teams in the field include North Carolina, Michigan State, Auburn, Colorado, Memphis, Iowa State and Dayton.

In recruiting news, 6-foot-3 guard Aidan Mahaney, who entered the transfer portal after his sophomore season at Saint Mary’s, reportedly started a visit to UConn on Thursday.

A two-time All-West Coast Conference first team selection, Mahaney averaged a team-best 13.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists while helping the Gaels (26-8) win the WCC regular season and conference tournament titles. He scored 13 points in an NCAA tournament first-round loss to Grand Canyon.

Mahaney made a team-best 83 3-pointers overall, converting 35.5% from beyond the arc.

g.keefe@theday.com