UConn will open the season with two players already showing up on Jay Bilas’ preseason All-America lists, and one of them managed to crack more than one of the ESPN analyst’s teams.
Braylon Mullins earned second-team honors, while Silas Demary Jr. was placed on the third team. Demary also landed on Bilas’ preseason All-Defensive team, giving the Huskies a bit of early national recognition on multiple fronts before their first game Nov. 2 in Hartford against Gardner-Webb.
Mullins, a sophomore who has missed nearly a month because of an undisclosed injury but is close to returning, was the Big East All-Freshman team pick last season after averaging 12 points per game. His spot on the second team puts him just behind a first group that features Jeremy Fears Jr. of Michigan State, Tyler Tanner of Vanderbilt, Tyran Stokes of Kansas, Thomas Haugh of Florida and Flory Bidunga of Louisville.
Demary’s third-team selection came with Elliot Cadeau of Michigan, Duke's John Blackwell, Tennessee's Juke Harris and Nebraska's Pryce Sandfort. The UConn guard backed up the preseason praise with a big statistical line last season, averaging 10.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. Big East Conference coaches voted him preseason player of the year, and he was one of only six players nationally to earn spots on both the Naismith Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year late-season teams.
He led the Big East with 229 assists and shot 44.6% from the floor, 38.5% from 3-point range and 80.1% from the foul line.
Demary’s defensive reputation also showed up on Bilas’ preseason All-Defensive team, where he was joined by Houston's Joseph Tugler, Arizona's Ivan Kharchenkov, Louisville's Flory Bidunga, Duke's Dame Sarr, Florida's Rueben Chinyelu and Iowa State's Killyan Toure.
Bilas’ wider list reflected a crowded national field. Honorable mentions included Illinois' David Mirkovic, Michigan's Trey McKenney, Virginia's Thijs De Ridder, Houston's Joseph Tugler, Mississippi State's Josh Hubbard, Arizona's Motiejus Krivas, Arkansas' Jordan Smith Jr., Marquette's Nigel James Jr. and Gonzaga's Braden Huff.
The All-Transfer team featured Kentucky's Milan Momcilovic, Blackwell, Haggerty, Bidunga, Harris, St. John's Tounde Yessoufou and North Carolina's Terrence Brown.
In Other News...
UConn Football Just Put One Big Idea Back In Play
Barstool Sports personalities, including Dave Portnoy, made the trip to Rentschler Field for UConns game against UMass and spent time mingling with fans while taking in the scene around the program. Portnoy also used the stop to celebrate New Haven-style pizza and talk up the energy around Huskies football, a reminder that the program still has a way of drawing attention when the setting and the stakes line up.
The bigger takeaway was the conversation he wanted to have about what UConn football could become if the right pieces fall into place. The event also had a bit of a novelty hook attached to it, thanks to the Southwick Jug trophy created in 2024, which the group planned to present to the winning team. [Read more 🡒]
UConn Just Took Control Of A Rivalry Fans Care About
UMass was back on the schedule with a familiar kind of edge, and UConn handled it at Rentschler Field with a 35-16 win that pushed the Huskies into the lead in the all-time rivalry. The result gave UConn a little extra bragging rights in a series that has been tight for years, while also giving the Huskies another solid showing from the offense. Cyncir Bowers ran for 131 yards and a touchdown, and Kalieb Osborne added 173 passing yards with two scores.
UMass had some stability back at quarterback with William "Pop" Watson III returning from injury, and he finished with 205 passing yards and a touchdown on 22 completions. But the Minutemen never found enough answers to keep pace once UConn started piling up plays on both sides of the ball. For a game that carried more history than the average nonconference meeting, the Huskies left with the kind of result their fan base will remember when this rivalry comes up again. [Read more 🡒]
UConn Just Gave Huskies Fans A Rivalry Win Worth Celebrating
The scoreline at Rentschler Field was the sort UConn fans have been waiting to see in this matchup, a comfortable 35-16 win over UMass that came with a little more meaning than your average nonconference result. The Huskies controlled the game behind a strong day on the ground from Cyncir Bowers, who ran for 131 yards and a touchdown, while Kalieb Osborne kept the offense moving with 173 passing yards and two scores.
UMass did get quarterback William Watson III back from injury, and he finished 22 of 38 for 205 yards and a touchdown, but the Minutemen never found enough rhythm to threaten the outcome after another uneven offensive showing. For UConn, the win was the kind that matters beyond one afternoon, the latest reminder that this rivalry has been tight for years and that every meeting still carries a little extra weight. [Read more 🡒]