No. 4 UConn opened its season with a comfortable 86-46 win over Gardner-Webb, and Dan Hurley picked up his 200th victory as the Huskies’ head coach in the process.
Braylon Mullins paced UConn with 20 points, while Nik Khamenia finished with 14 points, six rebounds and three assists. Na’jai Hines added a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds as the Huskies controlled the game from start to finish.
The numbers told the story. UConn outscored Gardner-Webb 42-10 in the paint, held the Runnin’ Bulldogs to 26% shooting, and piled up 20 assists on 31 made field goals. Against one of the lowest of the low-major teams in Division 1, that kind of control was exactly what the Huskies wanted to show.
UConn came out fast with an 8-0 burst, and four different starters got on the board in the opening stretch. The threes didn’t fall early - the Huskies started 1-for-9 from deep - but the defense stayed sharp, the shots were clean, and the size advantage inside quickly became a problem for Gardner-Webb. Khamenia, Mullins and Colben Landrew helped keep the offense moving while UConn built the margin.
With Demary Jr. in foul trouble, County gave the Huskies a steady run, handling the offense, defending at the point of attack and knocking down a three. Gardner-Webb didn’t reach double figures until the 6:50 mark of the first half, and UConn’s perimeter defense kept the visitors uncomfortable as the lead grew to 21 before halftime.
Hurley said on TV that the “missed open looks are demoralizing our defense at the end,” and the first half had the feel of a preseason game more than a regular-season opener. Even so, UConn was doing most things well.
The second half started the same way. Mullins buried two threes as the Huskies opened with a 10-0 run, and the pressure kept building. Stops kept turning into points, and by the U-16 timeout UConn had doubled up Gardner-Webb.
The Huskies then held GW without a field goal for five minutes, though they also left plenty of points on the table with a string of easy misses. Still, the game never moved out of hand, and UConn kept the foot down instead of drifting through the finish.
Afterward, Hurley was blunt about the work ahead.
“I already knew we had a lot of work to do. A lot to clean up, stuff we got away with we won’t get away with later.”
Pressed further, he added:
“Just some immature things, an inability to close the half, start the second half casual, missed assignments defensively.”
He also said he’ll be tightening up the rotation.
UConn shot 9-for-29 from three, something worth watching but not sweating just yet. For now, the opener was about getting the win, and the Huskies did that easily.
Next up is a title game rematch against Michigan. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. at Boston’s TD Garden, with the game on TNT.
In Other News...
UConns Opener Offered One Early Sign Fans Will Love
The season opener gave UConn plenty to like beyond the final score, as the Huskies handled Gardner-Webb with a comfortable 86-46 win and got an early reminder of why this roster has drawn so much attention. Dan Hurley also picked up a milestone victory in the process, continuing a run that has made his tenure in Storrs one of the most successful in program history.
What stood out most, though, was the way several newcomers fit in right away. Braylon Mullins and Nik Khamenia made their presence felt, while freshmen Colben Landrew and Junior County also turned in encouraging debuts, the kind of opening-night contributions that can matter later in the year. For a team with bigger goals ahead, seeing that kind of early depth and energy was a promising sign. [Read more 🡒]
UConns 2027 Class Just Added Another Intriguing International Piece
UConns 2027 recruiting picture got a little more international this week, with the Huskies adding another frontcourt piece to a class that is already starting to take shape. The program has commitments from Jordan Page and NaVorro Bowman Jr. for that group, and the newest addition gives Dan Hurleys staff another long-term option to develop as it continues to cast a wide net overseas.
There was more movement on the same front, too, as Serbian shooting guard Matija Luki made a campus visit. For a UConn program that has increasingly leaned into global recruiting, the combination of a commitment and a visit in the same stretch underscores how active the staff is staying in building out the next wave, even with the 2027 class still well ahead on the calendar. [Read more 🡒]
Former UConn QB Suddenly Carries Major Weight For The Ravens
Joe Fagnanos path from UConn to Baltimore has suddenly taken on real significance, with the former Huskies quarterback reportedly expected to start for the Ravens on Thursday. His rise into that role has been shaped by a wave of injuries at the position, after Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley were both unavailable and Baltimore added more quarterbacks for insurance. Fagnano also flashed enough in the preseason to stay in the conversation, and he was on the field in the Ravens previous game against the Bills.
Now the question is how much the Ravens can lean on him with another start looming so soon after he was banged up in that same game. Baltimores quarterback room has been in constant motion, and Fagnano has gone from depth option to a player carrying major weight for a team trying to keep its offense on track. The next step will say plenty about where the Ravens stand behind center, and how much trust they are willing to place in a quarterback who was not supposed to be in this spot this quickly. [Read more 🡒]