Report: UConn returning to Big East hoops, football affiliation unclear

UConn is on the verge of rejoining the Big East for all sports under the conference's umbrella starting in 2020, according to multiple reports.

The move would return the Huskies to the once-powerful basketball conference that it was a founding member of in 1979. However, because the Big East no longer plays football, the future of UConn's football program would be called into question.

Dropping football is not being considered, according to the Hartford Courant's Mike Anthony, who adds that the American Athletic Conference would likely be uninterested in retaining the school as a football-only member.

According to Stadium's Brett McMurphy, however, the AAC does remain an option for the Huskies, along with the MAC, Conference USA, or as an FBS independent. The program isn't expected to drop down to the FCS level.

UConn's men's team won seven Big East regular-season titles and five tournament titles during the conference's heyday. The women's basketball program won eight national championships as a member of the Big East before moving to the AAC in 2013.