UConn pulls away late to defeat BC in exhibition opener

Braylon Mullins puts finishing touches on UConn debut as fourth-ranked Huskies overcame adversity to defeat Boston College in first of two exhibition games this season. (Photo by UConn Men’s Basketball)

By Connor Wilson (@Conman_815)

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Exhibition games can be a coach’s nightmare.

You work behind closed doors with the same 15 players going against each other every day, and all of a sudden, you have them going against another school. Sure, the game doesn’t count for anything resume or standings-wise, but what if your team comes out and lays an egg? They also could very easily blow the doors off their opponent. You just don’t know.

Fortunately for Dan Hurley and his UConn team — recently anointed as the fourth-ranked team in the preseason AP Top 25 poll — they ended up victorious on Monday against Boston College, knocking off the Eagles, 71-52, in front of a great crowd at Mohegan Sun Arena.

“Opening night jitters,” Hurley said. “(We) ended the first half shitty and they went on a run, but it was good to have that kind of adversity for the group missing some key players.”

The biggest story pregame was two notable injuries on the Huskies’ side. Georgia transfer guard Silas Demary, Jr., the projected starting point guard for Hurley this season, was sidelined with a calf injury. Demary went through pregame warmups and looked the part, so his absence seemed precautionary with the season still a few weeks away.

More concerningly, Tarris Reed, Jr. was also out Monday with a hamstring injury, with the team saying the senior big man would “continue to be evaluated in the coming weeks.” This isn’t great news for the starting center that many outlets project will have a breakout campaign in 2025-26, especially if the injury lurks into the regular season with a key matchup against BYU in Boston less than five weeks away.

“Tarris, when he’s not fouling, is one of the best defensive centers in the country,” Hurley said. “We have to get these guys healthy.”

Hurley also said that Reed, Jr. is unlikely to suit up in two weeks against Michigan State in the Huskies’ second exhibition matchup, with the team being hopeful he’ll be back for the November 3 opener against New Haven.

Back to the play on the court Monday, UConn saw right away a great glimpse into what the future holds. Braylon Mullins and Eric Reibe each had a bucket before the first media timeout in their debuts, with Reibe putting up eight points and six rebounds and Mullins finishing with 12 after a late surge near the end of the game.

“Going in as a freshman is a different type of situation and I thought they handled it well,” Solo Ball said. “Great start for all of the freshmen tonight.”

The veterans had up-and-down nights as well for UConn. Alex Karaban scored a team-high 17 points, but only went 3-for-10 from distance. Similarly, Ball had 12 points on 1-of-8 shooting from deep. The two returning perimeter stars had off nights, but it didn’t matter in the long run.

Early on, it looked like the Huskies were going to do what most people expected coming in, that being easily taking care of an Eagles squad picked near the bottom of the ACC. UConn led 32-16 at one point in the first half, but that dwindled quickly as Boston College took the lead early in the second.

“We showed great flashes, but at the end of the day, we have a long way to go,” Karaban said. “I feel like we battled through adversity and fought well at times.”

After a Hurley timeout, it was pretty much smooth sailing the rest of the way. Jayden Ross started to hit his stride off the bench and had some winning plays, as did Malachi Smith and Jaylin Stewart. The role players for UConn this year are going to be crucial for how far the team can go in March, so seeing their performances tonight has to be a positive.

“My job is to bring a lot of energy to the team and I do that normally,” Smith said. “That’s one of my roles.”

“What the team is dying for is someone who is going to defend on the wing,” Hurley said. “The roster is urging for Jaylin and Jayden to take that next step.”

It stems even deeper, too. Alec Millender and Dwayne Koroma, two transfers who came in a bit under the radar as players who weren’t expected to contribute much, had solid performances in rotation roles off the bench. This could be because of Demary and Reed’s absences, but getting players reps in games will be beneficial in the long run.

“I think we want to go nine, ten-deep when fully healthy,” Hurley said. “I truly believe we can do that.”

Did Karaban and Ball struggle shooting? Yes. Did the freshmen struggle with foul trouble? Yes. Did UConn blow a 16-point lead in less than a 10-minute span of game action? Yes. 

However, It’s October 13.

All of the above is true, yet the Huskies beat a Power 5 opponent by 19 points. If anything, that’s the biggest positive of all to take from a somewhat sloppy night.

At the end of the day, none of this matters or interferes with the Huskies’ ultimate goal: winning a third national championship in four seasons.

“Last year, we had no discipline and fouled a lot while being a soft team,” Hurley said. “Now we’re making opponents uncomfortable and have to learn how to do it without fouling.”