UConn’s final exhibition before the games count for real brings a familiar name back to Hartford and a few lineup questions that still need answers.
The Huskies close out preseason play Tuesday night at PeoplesBank Arena against Purdue, a rematch of the 2024 national championship game. Both teams are unbeaten in exhibition play at 2-0.
Purdue has handled Ball State and Purdue Fort Wayne, while UConn has already knocked off Syracuse and No. 6 Michigan State.
Purdue arrives ranked No. 24 in KenPom and getting votes in the preseason AP poll, but Matt Painter is navigating a different kind of roster than the one most fans remember. Braden Smith is gone, leaving Purdue without one of the top point guards in recent college basketball history. The Boilermakers also stayed out of the transfer portal, though they did add Caden Pierce, the former Princeton forward who sat out last season and picked Purdue over UConn.
For fans in Connecticut, WFSB will carry the game with tipoff set for 7:00 p.m. It can also be streamed on UConn+ for $9.99. Randy Brochu will handle play-by-play, with former assistant coach and general manager Tom Moore on color.
The biggest UConn storyline is the return of Braylon Mullins. Dan Hurley said the sophomore guard will make his season debut in the exhibition finale, though he’ll be on a minutes restriction as he works back from an undisclosed injury. Even so, UConn should be able to line up Mullins with Silas Demary Jr., Nik Khamenia, Na’jai Hines and either Jayden Ross or Colben Landrew, offering a look at a group that could shape the early-season rotation.
That final starting spot looks like the most interesting battle on the roster right now. The call between Ross and Landrew likely won’t come until next Tuesday, when UConn opens the season against Gardner-Webb, but Tuesday night should give Hurley another chance to study the matchup.
Landrew brings size and physicality. Ross brings experience and defense.
Both are expected to play meaningful minutes no matter who gets the nod.
Mullins is worth watching for more than just his return. The Greenfield, Indiana native spent the offseason getting bigger and stronger, and his stock has climbed on 2027 NBA Draft boards.
He’s viewed as one of the top shooters in that class, even though the production last season lagged behind the promise - he shot just over 30 percent from three. With a larger offensive role, a better shooting year seems likely.
If he adds improved defense and some ability to create off the dribble, the arrow points even higher.
Inside, UConn gets a different kind of challenge after passing its first frontcourt test against Anton Bonke and Michigan State. Purdue can throw a much bigger group at the Huskies, starting with Daniel Jacobsen, who at 7-foot-4 may be the tallest player UConn sees all season. He isn’t Zach Edey, but he’s plenty capable, as shown by his 11 points, three assists, a block and no fouls in 15 minutes against Purdue Fort Wayne.
Jacobsen figures to spend time on Hines and Giltay in one-on-one situations, and UConn’s bigs will have to answer with rebounding and rim protection while avoiding being pushed out of the paint. Purdue can also mix in 6-foot-11 Raleigh Burgess and 7-foot-1 Sinan Huan, giving the Boilermakers even more size and length. Their minutes may be limited, but the overall wall of length is a different look than UConn has seen so far.
Since neither Hines nor Giltay is really a floor-stretching big, how Hurley uses them in the post will be a key detail to watch. The spacing they create, or fail to create, will matter for the Huskies’ guards and wings when they look to attack downhill.
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Colben Landrew was the loudest of those second-unit sparks, finishing with 15 points in just 18 minutes, while Jayden Ross, Oskar Giltay and Silas Demary Jr. also reached double figures. Just as encouraging for Dan Hurleys group was the defensive edge, as UConn held Purdue to 32.8 percent shooting overall and barely gave the Boilermakers anything from outside, a reminder that the Huskies may already be close to their regular-season form. [Read more 🡒]
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Braylon Mullins also returned from injury and logged his first extended run of the preseason, another encouraging sign as UConn turns to games that will say much more about where it stands. Gardner-Webb is next, but the real measuring stick comes soon after, when the Huskies start seeing a string of Power Four opponents early in the schedule and the questions about their frontcourt rotation and overall ceiling get a lot harder to avoid. [Read more 🡒]