MOHEGAN - With a lineup that looked plenty unfamiliar, UConn still found enough new pieces to handle Syracuse on Tuesday night.
The Huskies opened their exhibition season with a 72-52 win over the Orange in the Hall of Fame Series at Mohegan Sun Arena, and one of the clearest themes of the night was just how different this UConn team already feels. Ten newcomers took the floor in the game, and sophomore transfer Nik Khamenia was right in the middle of it all.
Khamenia, who spent his freshman season at Duke last year, supplied a little of everything for UConn. The 6-foot-8 forward finished with 12 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals, while also knocking down three 3-pointers. At one point early in the second half, after teammate Silas Demary Jr. had fallen near the endline, Khamenia even grabbed a towel from an employee and wiped the floor himself.
His best play came with 7 minutes, 50 seconds left, when a steal by Khamenia turned into a fast-break layup for Na’Jai Hnes and drew the loudest reaction of the night from the heavily UConn crowd.
UConn’s first starting five of the season featured Demary Jr., who was the Big East Preseason Player of the Year, along with Jayden Ross, freshman Colben Landrew, Khamenia and Stanford transfer Oskar Giltay.
The Huskies were without Braylon Mullins, who is rehabbing an undisclosed injury after hitting the last-second 3-pointer that beat Duke in last year’s NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, and without Solo Ball, who is out for the season after surgery to repair a left wrist injury.
Hnes led UConn with 17 points and eight rebounds, while Demary added 13 points and five boards despite going 3-for-12 from the field. Freshman guard Junior County chipped in three 3s and finished with nine points.
Sadi White Jr. scored 17 for Syracuse, which is now guided by Gerry McNamara in his first season as head coach. The Orange also have sophomore Kiyan Anthony on the roster, the son of former Syracuse and NBA star Carmelo Anthony.
The game was also a rare meeting between two programs with deep ties to the old Big East. UConn and Syracuse, charter members of the conference, first played each other in 1956 and had not met since Nov. 15, 2018, when they faced off in the 2K Classic at Madison Square Garden.
UConn led 31-26 at the break after a 3-pointer from Demary and an offensive rebound at the buzzer by Nils Machowski. The Huskies took over the lead after Syracuse had used an 8-0 run to pull even at 26-26.
Hnes had nine points and six rebounds in the first half, though UConn shot just 11-for-31 from the field, a 35.5% clip, and committed seven turnovers. White Jr. scored 10 in the opening half for Syracuse.
The Huskies came out with more pop after halftime. Khamenia hit a 3, then Landrew and Hnes combined for three free throws to push the lead to 37-28. UConn then created its first double-digit cushion when Hnes finished inside and Landrew scored on a fast break set up by Khamenia, Ross and Landrew to make it 41-30.
UConn, which went 34-6 last season and reached the national championship game against eventual champion Michigan, has two more exhibition dates ahead: at Michigan State on Oct. 20 and at home against Purdue in Hartford on Oct. 27. The regular season begins Nov. 2 against Gardner-Webb in Hartford.
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Dan Hurley Is Pushing To Bring Back A Rivalry UConn Misses
Dan Hurley and Gerry McNamara have tapped into something college basketball has been missing for UConn and Syracuse fans: a rivalry with real bite. Both coaches expressed mutual interest in bringing the series back as a regular-season fixture, and both made clear this is about more than nostalgia. The old Big East edge still matters, and Hurley was quick to credit the competitiveness and coaching on the other side as part of what made the matchup meaningful in the first place.
The next step, though, is where this gets interesting for UConn supporters who have long wanted the old flavor back on the schedule. Hurley has been pushing for a format that would make the rivalry feel like an event again, not just a one-off. McNamara sounded just as invested in turning it into something annual, which leaves the two sides aligned on the idea and still working through the path to make it stick. [Read more 🡒]
UConns New-Look Roster Showed Something Big After A Shaky Start
After a shaky start to its first look with a retooled roster, UConn settled in and showed the kind of depth Dan Hurley has been looking for in a 72-52 win over Syracuse at Mohegan Sun Arena. Najai Hines sparked the turnaround with 17 points off the bench, while Nik Khamenia and Silas Demary Jr. gave the Huskies steady support as the game tilted firmly in their direction.
For a team still sorting out roles and chemistry, it was the kind of performance that can matter early in the season even beyond the final margin. It also came against a Syracuse program with a familiar connection through Gerry McNamara, and the matchup had enough energy around it that both sides left open the idea of making it a regular-season fixture down the road. [Read more 🡒]
UConn Has One Big Scoring Question Entering 2026-27
UConn is still being viewed as a top-15 caliber group heading into 2026-27, even with a major piece gone from the backcourt. The Huskies bring back Silas Demary Jr. and Braylon Mullins, and they have added transfers Nikolas Khamenia and Najai Hines to help shore up the frontcourt, while freshmen Egor Amosov, Colben Landrew and Junior County give the roster more depth and more ways to play.
The bigger concern is how the offense replaces the scoring and spacing that came from Solo Ball, whose absence leaves a real hole on the perimeter. One answer could come from Wofford transfer Nils Machowski, who arrives after a productive season and the kind of three-point shooting that should translate well, but UConn still has to prove it has enough reliable shot-making to match its talent level when the games get tighter. [Read more 🡒]