UConn men’s basketball announced Thursday that sophomore Nik Khamenia will be out for an extended period of time after suffering a left foot injury in Monday’s win over Wagner. Khamenia, who joined the Huskies as a transfer after spending last season with Duke, will undergo surgery in the coming days and be reevaluated in 6-8 weeks.
Khamenia started off the season on a good note, posting 14 points and six rebounds in the win over Gardner-Webb. He added seven points and two
boards against Michigan, and looked primed for a big game against Wagner, scoring 11 points against the Seahawks in just seven minutes. Khamenia went down with the injury in the middle of the first half on the defensive end, got up, and played one more possession before ultimately leaving the game. He did not return in any capacity.
The timeline listed by UConn means that Khamenia will miss a revenge game against his old Duke squad the day before Thanksgiving, along with games against No. 3 Illinois, No. 12 Arizona and No. 6 Virginia. A six-to-eight week timeline means a return likely happens during Big East play, but that is a best case scenario assuming that Khamenia’s reevaluation at that time shows that his injury is healing properly.
Khamenia’s absence is a major blow to UConn’s offense. The sophomore was a key piece of the offense in the exhibition games and continued to look comfortable carrying the offense for stretches in his three regular season games. The Huskies will miss his floor-stretching ability (6-11 from three this year) and his passing skills in the high post.
Colben Landrew figures to slide into the starting lineup with Khamenia out after the freshman’s stellar start to his collegiate career. Dan Hurley won’t just rely on his star freshman to try and replace Khamenia’s skillset though — Wofford transfer Nils Machowski will likely see an uptick in minutes, and freshman Egor Amosov could see more time as the only player on the roster with a similar size and skillset, albeit a much rawer one.
