UConn men’s basketball’s vaunted non-conference schedule comes to an end on Friday night, as the Huskies take on old friend Sean Miller and the Texas Longhorns.
Other than a close loss to now No. 1 Arizona
in mid-November without star center Tarris Reed Jr., UConn’s start to the season has been about as good as anyone could reasonably expect. The Huskies already have four Quad One wins after taking down BYU, Illinois, Kansas, and Florida in ranked matchups.
With the Big East as volatile as it is this season, future Quad One opportunities may be few and far between; the Huskies’ next projected Quad One game is set for a mid-January road matchup against Seton Hall.
Before UConn can officially dive into Big East play, the Huskies will have to take on the Longhorns at Peoplesbank Arena. Texas, in its first year under Miller, comes to Hartford with a 7-3 record and just one win against teams in the top 200 in KenPom. That being said, the Longhorns’ lone top-200 win is a good one — a 102-97 win over NC State just before Thanksgiving.
Miller’s Texas squad has some Big East flavor, with former guards Dailyn Swain (Xavier) and Simeon Wilcher (St. John’s) part of the Longhorns’ rotation. Texas ranks No. 51 in KenPom overall, with an offensive efficiency ranked No. 25 and a defensive efficiency ranked No. 103 nationally.
UConn has played five games this season against opponents with defenses ranked outside of the top 25 in defensive efficiency this season, winning all five matchups by an average of over 32 points and averaging 1.27 points per offensive possession.
Date/Time: Friday, Dec. 12, 8:00 p.m. ET
TV: FOX, streaming on FoxSports.com
Radio: UConn Sports Network, Sirius XM 84, Sirius/XM online streaming
Odds: UConn -12.5, over/under 147.5
Location: PeoplesBank Arena — Hartford, Connecticut
KenPom Predicted Score: UConn 81, Texas 68 — 88 percent win probability
Series History
The Huskies own an 8-3 all-time record against Texas. They last faced off in 2024 at the Moody Center in Austin, a 76-65 Husky win. Alex Karaban led the way with 21 points while Solo Ball scored 16.
Inactives report
All 15 players dressed for the matchup against Florida at Madison Square Garden, so the assumption is that it will be the same for the Texas game with no update from the team.
What to Watch For
Training wheels coming off
UConn is finally back at full strength after the Florida game, but Braylon Mullins was robbed of contributing as the freshman was plagued with foul trouble. Could Friday night be the first game of the season where UConn gets 20 or more minutes from both Mullins and Reed? The two have only shared the court for two games this season and have a total of six offensive possessions together.
While it’s still early, Mullins and Reed together are probably the core of the best possible lineup the Huskies can roll out. Mullins’ ability as a scorer on this team is unmatched, while Reed is a proven low-post beast. Even though some of UConn’s toughest matchups are behind it, getting Mullins and Reed back up to speed with the rest of the starters is crucial as the grind of Big East play approaches.
Get the backcourt back on track
Silas Demary Jr. has struggled since his historic triple-double over Bryant, posting a total of 16 points, 10 assists, and five turnovers total in his last three games. Fortunately, Malachi Smith picked up the slack, posting 12 assists to just two turnovers in that same span. Much like Mullins and Reed together, UConn is at its best if Demary Jr. and Smith can both play at a high level. While Smith’s strong play is a testament to the team’s depth, the Huskies need both guards playing at a high level in order to make a deep run in March.
Demary Jr. has still come up big when UConn has needed him — he was huge in the BYU game and has made big baskets and good plays despite the recent low totals — and has been instrumental in breaking late-game full-court presses from opponents. But he still has room for improvement as he continues to get comfortable in Dan Hurley’s elaborate offense.
Tackling Texas
UConn should be able to do whatever it wants offensively against Texas, as the Longhorn defense is not nearly as good as the likes of Illinois, Kansas, or Florida. Texas barely forces any turnovers, fouls almost as much as UConn does, and rarely blocks shots.
Offensively, the Longhorns are a different story, with a very competent offense that thrives on drawing contact. Texas ranks 10th nationally in free-throw rate, and a UConn team that has a penchant for fouling will have to stay out of foul trouble to try and lock down the Longhorns.
Seven-footer Matas Vokietaitis leads UT with 15.9 points per game. He should be another tough test for Reed and freshman Eric Reibe to contend with. Guards Jordan Pope and Swain are the only other Longhorns averaging double figures at 12.5 and 15.7 points per game, respectively. Pope is dangerous from deep as a 37.5 3-point shooter, and Wilcher leads the team at 43.2 percent from beyond the arc.
