Newcomers eligible for top UConn women’s, 3 UConn men’s basketball programs

ballervisions 2026年1月18日

STORRS, Conn. — The images of the UConn men’s and women’s basketball teams walking off the court for the final time last season couldn’t be more different.

There was excitement as Paige Bueckers led the women’s squad to a record 12th national title. The men’s basketball team’s dreams of winning a third straight championship ended with a two-point loss to eventual national champion Florida in the 2025 NCAA tournament.

Both teams went into the offseason with questions to be answered.

Returning the nucleus led by Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong had the women’s program in the familiar position of being top title contenders. The defensive lapses that plagued the men’s team during the 3-peat failure need to be addressed.

So far, so good. UConn is the only program ranked in the top five in both national polls. The women’s team has won 34 games in a row. Saturday’s win over Georgetown was the men’s program’s 14th in a row.

“There’s a comfort level,” UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma said. “You also go into the program where there is a set of goals that you have, when you come here for the first time you are not sure, ‘how do we do this?’ You spend more time watching than doing. It takes a little time, a little talking to the coaches to get those kids a little more comfortable, a little stronger.

“It might be a little bit easier on the boys side because some of those guys are 18-19 years old and they’re almost men, they’ve played a lot of basketball and they have aspirations to be champions. I think there’s a purpose for them to be at UConn. For us, sometimes they know they’re going to be here for four years so there’s, ‘I’m going to wait for my chance.'”

Braylon Mullins missed six games before playing for Dan Hurley’s Huskies in a late November win over Illinois. Blanca Quinonez did not play in the first two women’s matches.

They have certainly made up for lost time. Quinonez’s stats per 40 minutes aren’t far off what reigning rookie of the year Sarah Strong did last season. Among UConn women’s basketball legends, they come close to what Nykesha Sales accomplished as a freshman on the Huskies’ national championship teams. He is averaging 10.8 points per game heading into Monday’s game against Notre Dame,

On the men’s side, Mullins and Eric Reibe combined for 35.3 points per 40 minutes. That’s the highest rating by a UConn men’s basketball freshman since Ray Allen and Doron Sheffer posted a mark of 38.9 in the 1993-94 season.

No freshman was under more pressure than the 7-foot-1 Reibe when an injury forced UConn’s starting center Tarris Reed Jr. to miss the Arizona and Kansas games. Reibe averaged 13.5 points and six rebounds in those two games. He is averaging 7.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per 16 minutes this season.

“He has an amazing spirit about him,” Hurley said. “He’s a lot like Donovan (Clingan) in the way that guy just came in and just had a big smile and a lot of joy when he was playing football, and for the most part, he saved our season.”

WE WELCOME ARRIVALS

The women’s program needs another point guard after the departures of Bueckers and Kaitlyn Chen. Getting some post defense help was another important thing.

The additions of former USC guard Kayleigh Heckel and Serah Williams, a two-time machine at Wisconsin, have proven to be a good fit for the top-ranked Huskies. Heckel is one of six UConn players with double the assists than turnovers.

Williams doesn’t come close to the numbers he put up at Wisconsin, but the former Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year keeps Strong from fighting in the low zone to protect from everything. His arrival was one of the reasons why this is considered one of the deepest Auriemma teams in recent memory.

“I’m not there yet, but I understand a lot of my teammates how they like passes, how they like ball screens, where they like to get their shots off,” said Williams. “I think that was part of the reason I came here to see what it takes to be on the other side.”

Hurley praised Georgia transfer Silas Demary Jr. by changing the way the third-ranked Huskies play defensively. The 6-foot-4 Demary had a triple-double against Bryant and had his last six games in conference play in which he averaged 12.8 points and 7.3 assists. His best game came in an overtime win at Providence when he had 23 points, 15 assists and five steals. Demary is one of five double-digit scorers for UConn. He also leads the Huskies with 116 assists and 34 steals.

“Being a security guard here, comes with a lot of work,” said Demary. “I think the coaches are giving me the opportunity to continue to trend in the right way like Shabazz (Napier), like Kemba (Walker), even Tristen (Newton), those guys who play games and win. I have to continue to make the right plays and always keep an eye on the points.