UConn’s backcourt duo of Silas Demary Jr. and Braylon Mullins is already stacking up the preseason recognition.
Both Huskies landed on the 50-player watch list for the Naismith Trophy, putting them in the mix for one of college basketball’s top individual honors before Monday’s season-opener against Gardner-Webb. The award is handed out by the Atlanta Tip-Off Club during Final Four weekend.
That comes on top of another national nod for the pair: Demary and Mullins were also included on the 20-man watch list for the NABC Player of the Year Award.
Demary enters his second season under Dan Hurley carrying plenty of momentum. The Big East Preseason Player of the Year has also picked up preseason All-America recognition from CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, The Athletic and Field of 68.
Last season, after transferring from Georgia, he averaged 10.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and a league-high 5.9 assists per game. His work on the perimeter was a big reason UConn’s defense jumped from No. 75 in efficiency in 2025 to No. 7 last season.
Mullins arrives with a different kind of buzz, but just as much of it. He’s already got a March Madness highlight that travels everywhere: the shot that beat Duke and made him one of the sport’s most recognizable names heading into his sophomore year. He was named a Preseason First Team All-Big East selection and earned First Team All-American honors from Blue Ribbon Report after being a unanimous pick to the league’s All-Freshman team last season.
As a freshman, Mullins averaged 12.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He also knocked down 72 3-pointers, the second-most by a UConn freshman, even while working through a shooting slump that left him at 33.5% from beyond the arc.
In Other News...
UConn Let This One Slip Away In A Brutal Second Half
UConn had a chance to make a statement against Air Force, but the game slipped away in a second half that turned into a grind the Huskies could not stop. What had been a competitive matchup ended with a 35-26 loss, and the biggest issue was clear throughout the afternoon: Air Force kept leaning on the ground game and UConn never found a way to slow it down.
The Falcons kept extending drives and wearing down the defense, turning a tight contest into one that was dictated by execution and physicality. For UConn, the defeat was a frustrating reminder of how quickly things can unravel when an opponent controls the line of scrimmage, and it leaves the Huskies looking for answers after a game they had within reach. [Read more 🡒]
UConn Fans Just Got An Early Look At This Seasons Biggest Nights
UConn fans already have a clearer picture of what the 2026-27 home schedule will feel like, because the mens basketball program has released its promotional slate for the season. The lineup is built around the kind of nights that have become part of the campus atmosphere in Storrs, with t-shirt giveaways, community days, Coaches vs. Cancer and Mental Health Awareness night all among the planned themes.
There is also a long list of dates that should stand out on the calendar once the games arrive, with each home matchup carrying its own promotional angle. The schedule is designed to give every visit a little extra weight, and a few of the biggest nights already have the sort of buzz that usually gets fans circling the date before the season even starts. [Read more 🡒]
UConns Frontcourt Reset Now Rides On Two Crucial Transfer Bets
UConns frontcourt makeover has taken shape around two transfer additions who arrive with different backgrounds but similar jobs to do. Najai Hines comes over from Seton Hall, while Oskar Giltay joins from Stanford, and both were brought in as the Huskies work to replenish a group thinned by departures to the NBA and other programs. Dan Hurley has pointed to each players athleticism and defensive value as reasons they fit what UConn needs right now, especially in a rotation that has to be rebuilt without much margin for error.
Elmir Dzafic is also in the mix, though he is viewed more as a developmental piece than an immediate answer. The bigger question for UConn is how quickly the new arrivals can help stabilize the interior and give Hurley enough dependable options up front to keep the programs standard intact. With so much of the roster churn centered in the paint, the Huskies are banking on these transfer bets to do more than just fill space. [Read more 🡒]