With Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed Jr. off to the NBA Draft, UConn’s next title push is starting to look like a backcourt story.
That’s the read from around the college basketball world, too. CBS Sports Insider Jon Rothstein recently pointed to transfer Na’jai Hines as the Huskies’ X-factor, and the Field of 68 has also identified UConn’s guards as the team’s biggest strength.
Rob Dauster went a step further, saying Silas Demary Jr. and Braylon Mullins could be the best backcourt in the country. He added that if they reach their ceiling, the Huskies could win a third title in the last five years.
Demary is the veteran piece of that pairing. The rising senior arrived from Georgia and wasted no time becoming a major part of Dan Hurley’s rotation.
He played in all 39 games last season, starting 38, and logged more than 28 minutes per night. He finished with 10.1 points per game and led the Big East with 5.9 assists, earning All-Big East honors in his first season in Storrs.
With Karaban gone, UConn will lean on Demary to help fill the leadership gap.
Mullins brings the star power. The McDonald’s All-American just wrapped up his freshman year and averaged 12.0 points in 33 games while shooting 33.5 percent from three and 89 percent at the foul line.
He’s widely viewed as a lottery-level prospect for the 2027 NBA Draft, and his role is set to grow even more with Solo Ball out for the season after wrist surgery. Mullins also already has one of the biggest shots in UConn history on his résumé, burying the three-pointer that knocked off Duke in the Elite 8 and sent the Huskies to the Final Four.
UConn is also making noise on the recruiting trail. The Huskies made the first cut for five-star wing Demarcus Henry, who is ranked by the 247Sports composite as the No. 1 wing and No. 5 overall player in the Class of 2027.
Henry revealed the eight schools still alive in his recruitment on The Henry Legacy podcast, which aired Monday night. UConn is still in the mix along with Arkansas, BYU, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, North Carolina and Ohio State.
Henry is the son of former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry, who died in 2009.
In Other News...
UConn Just Earned A Real Shot At An Elite 2027 Star
UConn has put itself in the mix for one of the biggest prizes in the 2027 class, with five-star wing Demarcus Henry trimming his list to eight schools. The rising senior at Arizona Compass Prep, ranked No. 1 at his position and No. 5 overall, announced the group on The Henry Legacy podcast after drawing 29 offers, a sign that his recruitment is already moving into the kind of national battle that brings bluebloods and development-heavy programs into the same conversation.
For the Huskies, the appeal is obvious. Henry said he wants a school that keeps communicating and gives him a clear path to the NBA, which is the lane UConn has sold so well in recent years with a steady run of draft success. The challenge now is turning a spot in the final eight into something more, with Arkansas, BYU, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, North Carolina and Ohio State all still in the chase. [Read more 🡒]
UConn's Biggest Question Could Decide How Far This Team Goes
UConns guard room should again give Dan Hurley plenty to work with, but the real swing factor for the Huskies is what happens around the rim. After losing Tarris Reed Jr. and Eric Reibe, the frontcourt is the area that could determine whether this team is merely good or capable of a deeper run, which is why the staff has spent the offseason adding size and options to the post.
Najai Hines is the latest piece in that effort, arriving from Seton Hall for the 2026-27 season after showing real bite as a rebounder and shot-blocker. He joins Oskar Giltay from Stanford and Elmir Dzafic from Arkansas in a group meant to answer the same question: can UConn score and defend inside well enough to match its perimeter strength when the games get tighter? [Read more 🡒]
Big 12 Message To UConn Fans Raises An Uncomfortable Question
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark spent much of his latest public appearance looking ahead, not back, and that matters for UConn fans watching the league's next chapter take shape. While he was asked about the Brendan Sorsby gambling case tied to Texas Tech, Yormark declined to get into the details, saying the focus should stay on the upcoming football season and the conference's 16 member schools.
The timing is notable because the league had been weighing what, if anything, could happen if Sorsby had taken the field after transferring, and the issue still hangs over the conversation around Big 12 governance. Yormark also used the moment to unveil a multiyear partnership with Monster Energy that will put the brand on conference-controlled football and basketball games, another sign that the league is trying to keep its attention on growth and branding even as one uncomfortable question remains unresolved. [Read more 🡒]