UConn men’s basketball is heading into the preseason with a familiar kind of hardware haul.
At the Big East’s preseason Media Day, the Huskies matched the women’s program by sweeping the conference’s individual honors. Senior guard Silas Demary Jr. was voted the Big East Preseason Player of the Year, and freshman Colben Landrew took Preseason Freshman of the Year.
It’s the first time UConn has pulled off that double since the 2003-04 season, when Emeka Okafor earned Preseason Player of the Year and Charlie Villanueva was picked as Preseason Freshman of the Year. Both went on to play major roles in UConn’s second national championship in 2004. The Huskies also did it before the 1999-2000 season, when Khalid El-Amin was named Player of the Year and Ajou Deng was Freshman of the Year.
Demary Jr.’s return is a big reason the Huskies enter the season with so much buzz. He passed on what looked like a likely NBA Draft opportunity to come back to Storrs for another run at a national title.
Last season, the Georgia transfer was central to UConn’s run to the championship game, making an impact at both ends and leading the Big East with 5.9 assists per game. He also averaged 10.1 points and 4.9 rebounds, and he picked up First Team All-Big East and Big East All-Defense honors.
With another year in Dan Hurley’s system, Demary Jr. is shaping up as one of the nation’s premier point guards and a preseason All-American type.
Landrew’s award keeps a strong run going for the Huskies at this spot. He follows Braylon Mullins (2025), Liam McNeeley (2024) and Stephon Castle (2023), giving UConn four straight Preseason Freshman of the Year winners.
The Marietta, Georgia native arrived as a five-star recruit and the headliner of Hurley’s class, after being named Georgia’s Gatorade Player of the Year and Mr. Basketball.
Whether he starts or comes off the bench, Landrew is expected to be a major part of the rotation right away.
UConn’s preseason recognition didn’t stop there. Braylon Mullins landed on the Preseason All-Big East First Team as one of three unanimous selections, while Na’jai Hines was named to the second team.
Mullins fought through early-season injuries and still delivered on the expectations that followed him into college. The Greenville, Indiana native averaged 12 points and 3.5 rebounds in 33 games last season. He didn’t shoot it especially well from three, but he still authored one of the biggest shots in program history, burying the winner against Duke to send UConn to its eighth Final Four.
Hines arrives in Storrs after one season at Seton Hall, so he’s new to the Huskies but not to the league. As a freshman with the Pirates, he averaged 6.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. He should be one of the Big East’s better big men, and while he isn’t a direct stand-in for Tarris Reed Jr., his physical play and shot-blocking give UConn a chance to stay nasty on defense.
In Other News...
UConn Fans Turned One Dan Hurley Moment Into A Must-See Scarecrow
Wethersfields annual Scarecrows Along Main display has become a fall draw for thousands of visitors, and this years edition features more than 170 creations lining the towns streets. Among the most talked-about entries is a UConn-themed display put together by Ryan Lawlor and Jeff Bottaro, a nod to the basketball program that is impossible to miss for anyone who follows the Huskies closely.
The piece has already gotten plenty of attention well beyond central Connecticut, giving the event a little extra shine in a season when UConn fans are always tuned in to whatever happens around Dan Hurley. Visitors can vote on their favorite scarecrows, and this one has turned a local community tradition into a reminder of how deeply the Huskies can still shape the conversation, even in the most unexpected places. [Read more 🡒]
UConn Syracuse Could Hinge On One Frustrating Problem Saturday
Saturdays meeting in East Hartford has the feel of a game where the cleanest team could be the one that gets the early edge. UConn enters at 2-2 with a few more questions than answers after a start defined in part by discipline issues, and Syracuse brings the same kind of baggage into noon ET kickoff. Both sides have been fighting flags all season, and for the Huskies, that makes this one less about style points and more about who can avoid shooting itself in the foot.
Syracuse comes in with quarterback decisions adding another layer to the matchup. Fran Brown is sticking with Steve Angeli to start despite recent interceptions, while Amari Odom is also expected to see the field, leaving the Orange with some uncertainty under center as they try to steady a team already battling through mistakes. For UConn, the opportunity is obvious: if the Huskies can play a cleaner game than they have for much of the fall, they may be able to turn a frustrating problem into a very real advantage. [Read more 🡒]
UConn Could Land A Rare National Spotlight For A High Stakes Game
UMasss strong start has given the upcoming meeting with UConn a little more juice than a typical fall nonconference game, and it now has the kind of buzz that can pull in an outside audience. The Huskies have had a mixed run so far, but the matchup is drawing attention beyond the usual campus circles because of the stage it could create in Hartford.
Dave Portnoy, who fronts the Barstool College Football Show, has shown interest in taking the show to Hartford for the UMass-UConn game, and UConn athletic director David Benedict has already welcomed the idea publicly. For a program still trying to build momentum and visibility, the possibility of a national pregame spotlight adds another layer to a game that already carries some intrigue. [Read more 🡒]