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FAIRFIELD, Conn. The mens college basketball season for Fairfield University and Sacred Heart tips off Friday when both teams play in the Connecticut 6 Classic at Mohegan Sun. The Pioneers play Hartford at 3 p.m. and the Stags play Quinnipiac at 5:30 p.m.
Norwalks Evan Kelley and Stamfords Chris Evans figure to be key players at Sacred Heart, which finished 11-18 last year. Both players are sophomores. Kelley is slated to start at point guard while Evans started 10 games last season and was third on the team in scoring with 9.1 points per game.
Sacred Heart leads the series with Hartford, 11-6, and beat the Hawks in their last meeting, 56-55, on Dec. 11, 2010.
Fairfields storyline is the debut of head coach Sydney Johnson. The former Princeton University coach replaced Ed Cooley earlier this year after Cooley left to take the job at Providence. Fairfield has four starters back from last years 25-win team.
The final game of the Connecticut 6 Classic matches Yale against Central Connecticut. All three games will be televised on CPTV Sports.
UConn, the defending national champion, will unveil its national championship banner on Friday at 7 p.m. at Gampel Pavilion when it plays Colombia. The Huskies are the co-favorites in a preseason Big East poll.
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