UConn is chasing another run at the national title game in 2026-27, but the real hinge point for Dan Hurley’s team is easy to spot: can the Huskies get enough production inside?
That question sits at the center of a roster that has taken some major hits. Tarris Reed Jr. is gone to the NBA after being selected in the first round by the San Antonio Spurs.
Eric Reibe has transferred to Southern California. Alex Karaban, the 6-foot-8 hybrid piece who was such a huge part of the program, is now with the Sacramento Kings.
Those departures leave a clear opening - and a clear concern - for a team that lost in the national title game this past season after a physical battle with Michigan. UConn’s last championship came in 2023-24, when it beat Purdue.
The Huskies do have reinforcements, but the track record is thin. Oskar Giltay, a 6-foot-10 transfer from Stanford, arrives after playing in 32 games for the Cardinal this past season. The Belgium native is listed at 235 pounds and logged just under 15 minutes per game, putting up 3.3 points and 4.1 rebounds.
Another option is Elmir Dzafic, a 7-footer who transferred in from Arkansas. He appeared in seven games there and played 16 minutes total.
Hurley and his staff will have work to do with both bigs, and that development could decide a lot about how far this group can go. If those pieces don’t come along, the burden shifts hard to the perimeter.
That’s where Silas Demary Jr. and Braylon Mullins come in. The rising senior and sophomore are expected to lead the way, but if UConn doesn’t establish enough threat down low, opponents will be able to load up on them outside and make the offense much harder to run.
The supporting cast on the wing will matter too, with Nils Machowski and Nik Khamenia among the names to watch. But the broader shape of this team looks different from the usual UConn formula. It projects more as a guard-and-wing group than the kind of balanced, bruising outfit the Huskies are known for.
And with what’s being described as arguably the toughest non-conference schedule ever assembled, that imbalance could be tested early and often. Unless Hurley gets the frontcourt growth he’s counting on, the road back to the final weekend gets a lot steeper.
In Other News...
Dan Hurley Just Put The Final Touch On UConns Next Roster
The last piece of UConns 2026-27 roster puzzle has fallen into place with the addition of Egor Amosov, a 6-foot-7 freshman forward whose path to Storrs has already included stops with Real Madrids youth program and BC Samara in Russia. Amosov arrives with a strong international rsum, and his background gives the Huskies another long, versatile option as Dan Hurley continues shaping the next group.
Hurley has pointed to Amosovs ability to handle different roles at the forward spot, a useful trait for a roster that now has its full 15-player structure in place with 10 newcomers and five returners. The bigger question now is how quickly Amosov can translate that experience into minutes in a UConn rotation that has tended to reward players who can adapt fast, defend multiple spots and fit the wing-heavy look Hurley prefers. [Read more 🡒]
UConns 2026-27 Roster Is Set And One Huge Debate Just Grew
UConns 2026-27 roster finally has a shape to it, and the picture is as youthful as expected. The Huskies are bringing in 10 newcomers around five returners from last season, leaning hard into development after the NBA departures opened up major minutes. Silas Demary Jr. is back in the backcourt, Braylon Mullins returns as one of the offseasons bigger storylines, and the staff is clearly betting that this groups best basketball is still ahead of it.
The most interesting part now is how the pieces fit in the frontcourt, where UConn has to replace real production and experience without losing the edge that has defined recent teams. Najai Hines is expected to anchor the middle, while Nik Khamenia arrives with a chance to settle into a major role at the four. With sophomores projected to absorb a lot of the responsibility left behind, the roster is set, but the debate over how quickly this group can become a contender is just getting started. [Read more 🡒]