UConn men’s basketball (19-1, 9-0) will look to keep things rolling in Big East play as the Huskies host Providence (9-11, 2-7) in Storrs on Tuesday night at Gampel Pavilion.
The Friars rank No. 75 in KenPom, with the No. 27 offense in the country, No. 203 defense and rank 95th in the NET. The team has struggled heavily in conference play, even with showing great flashes on the offensive end. Providence has dropped five of its last six including its latest meltdown over the weekend when it led by
as many as 21 points at home against the Hoyas and Ed Cooley before surrendering 56 second half points in a loss. Kim English seems to be losing the fanbase by the game at this point, especially during the freefall that has ensued after the Friars’ big win at MSG over St. John’s.
As for UConn, the Huskies sit at No. 2 in the AP Poll, No. 10 in KenPom, and No. 8 in the NET. They have the fourth-most efficient defense in the country and peaked as high as second in that category. The Huskies had yet another comeback win on Saturday, knocking off Villanova in Hartford in an overtime thriller behind a breakthrough performance from Solo Ball and some timely scoring from Alex Karaban.
The Huskies are looking to start 10-0 in league play for the first time since their 11-0 start to Big East play in the 1998-99 season, UConn’s first national championship year.
The first time that UConn and Providence played this season provided one of the more memorable regular season bouts in recent memory for the Huskies, so what does the second round have in store?
Date/Time: Tuesday, Jan. 27, 7:30 p.m. EST
TV/Stream: TNT, truTV, HBO Max
Radio: UConn Sports Network, Sirius XM 83, Sirius/XM online streaming
Odds: UConn – 16.5, O/U 156.5
Location: Gampel Pavilion — Storrs, Connecticut
KenPom Predicted Score: UConn
Series History
The Huskies and Friars have played 83 times in their history making this matchup one of the most historic for both sides. UConn has a 52-31 series lead overall. They last faced off on Jan. 7, 2026 when UConn beat Providence, 103-98 in overtime at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Four Huskies finished with at least 20 points in the win, led by 24 from Braylon Mullins and 23 along with 15 assists from Silas Demary Jr.
Availability report
Braylon Mullins could be out for the game due to a head injury suffered during the second half of the win over Villanova. The star freshman is in “concussion protocol,” per head coach Dan Hurley. Mullins status will be revealed three hours before tip off in the Big East Injury Report.
What to Watch For
The Sequel
The game at Amica Mutual Pavilion three weeks ago is one of those games where you remember where you were when you watched it. Down by 11 points with less than three minutes to play, UConn stormed back to force overtime before pulling off a 103-98 comeback win that felt like an emotional roller coaster for fans.
Four different Huskies finished with at least 20 points and the starting lineup accounted for 100 of the 103 points in the game. Braylon Mullins scored a career-best 24 points with eight of which coming in OT. Silas Demary Jr. had a massive double-double with 23 points and 15 assists including the dagger jump shot on UConn’s last offensive possession. The Huskies hit a program record 18 threes with six from Mullins, five from Alex Karaban and four from Demary.
With all the records and career highs and breakout performances that came from that first matchup between the Huskies in Friars, here’s hoping the sequel will be just as entertaining.
A long time coming
Solo Ball has struggled since the calendar turned to 2026, shooting just 4-23 from beyond the arc in the past five games and averaging just 10.4 points per game. After shooting at an elite level last season as a sophomore, Ball just hasn’t found his stroke consistently from three as a junior and at times has turned into a liability on the floor.
Saturday against Villanova felt different. Ball scored 24 points with a season-high five made threes, including a big one in overtime. The five hits from distance marked the first time he made more than three in a game this season after doing it 10 times over the previous two seasons. After the game, Ball credited his teammates for helping him get out of this slump:
“It was definitely a good feeling to get out there.” Ball said. “When you play with great teammates, like we have
around the court, it’s really easy to find yourself in positions where guys set great screens, guys will find
you, like, you got a guy like Silas or Malachi that are able to find people on plays.“
One last chance?
The way that this season has gone for Providence, really how the past few years have gone for Providence, it feels like Kim English may be on the way out. The Friars have been horrific on the defensive end with them giving up an average of 96.1 points in their 11 losses. The talent is there offensively with guys such as Jaylin Sellers, Stefan Vaaks and Jamier Jones all balling out over the past few weeks on that side of the ball.
With Providence having a brutal week ahead of them on paper, visiting both UConn and Villanova, it feels like another winless week after what’s transpired all year in league play may be the final straw for English. Losing a 21 point lead and eventually the game against a school who your fans have grown to despise due to their head coach leaving your program for theirs isn’t exactly a good pitch to keep your job, but English has an opportunity to start to rebound this week.
Diming Demary Jr.
Through nine games in conference play, Demary Jr. has led UConn in every single game in the assist category. The Husky floor general is averaging 7.4 assists per game in league play, along with 11.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.2 steals. It could be argued that no one is more valuable both right now and in March to UConn than Demary is. The Georgia transfer is doing a little bit of everything and shooting over 52% from beyond the arc during this stretch.
With Malachi Smith continuing to struggle, the emergence of Demary has been quite welcoming for Hurley and his staff as the type of player that they felt like they were missing on last year’s roster. With Tristen Newton’s presence on the last two national title teams, it feels like Demary gives off similar vibes, especially in a role similar to that of Newton in 2023.
Grab those boards!
The past three games on the defensive glass haven’t been great for the Huskies. UConn allowed 16 offensive rebounds to Villanova, 15 to Georgetown, and a whopping 20 to Seton Hall. Granting teams second chance opportunities is one of the main reasons why these games UConn isn’t pulling away in decisive fashion as of late.
Most of the time, it’s the opposing center who does most of the damage in that department. Duke Brennan had seven offensive rebounds for the Wildcats on Saturday. Vince Iwuchukwu had six for the Hoyas last weekend and Najai Hines and Stephon Payne combined for eight for the Pirates a couple weeks ago. UConn bigs Tarris Reed Jr. and Eric Reibe need to try and limit these big men on the offensive glass, especially with Oswin Erhunmwunse coming to town Tuesday.
It’s not just on the bigs, though. Hurley mentioned after the Villanova game that he needs the guards to crash and rebound at a similar level of the great guards he’s had in the past such as Andre Jackson, Tristen Newton, Cam Spencer and Stephon Castle. Rebounding is a team effort, and Hurley needs the backcourt to pitch in and keep the Friars off the boards.
