UConn began its toughest seven-game stretch of the season on Friday. This is a set of games featuring five contests against power conference opponents expected to make the 2027 NCAA Tournament, four of which appear in the daily CBS Sports Top 25 and 1 college basketball rankings updated Saturday morning.
On CBS Sports HQ, just before the Huskies lost to Ohio State, I was asked how I thought UConn would fare during this stretch, a stretch we now know Dan Hurley’s team will have to get through without Nik Khamenia, the 6-foot-8 transfer from Duke who suffered a left foot injury in Monday’s win over Wagner.
I predicted a 5-2 record for UConn over the next seven games.
According to KenPom.com, that would require the Huskies to win at least one game in this stretch that they aren’t currently expected to win — either at Arizona on Wednesday, against Duke a week later, or against Illinois on Dec. 12 in Chicago. It’s a big ask, I know. But things started off well Friday thanks to an 84-68 win over Ohio State in which Elite Eight hero Braylon Mullins led all scorers with 22 points on a 7-of-13 shooting performance with five 3-pointers.
“We’re UConn,” Hurley told TNT’s Andy Katz after the 16-point victory. “We’re UConn. We deal with medical issues — (and) not just with Nik. But you know, we just have a culture and a mindset.”
As David Cobb noted in an article about Khamenia’s injury, this is the fourth straight season that UConn will have to go a long stretch without a significant newcomer. Over the previous three years, they still managed to average 31.7 wins and make two Final Four appearances, one of which resulted in a national championship. So, as Hurley said, the Huskies have a culture and a mindset, and history suggests that that culture and mindset will keep them good even in Khamenia’s absence.
UConn remains No. 2 in the daily Top 25 & 1 rankings updated Saturday morning, where Florida is still No. 1 after improving to 4-0 Friday with an 83-54 victory over Merrimack. Florida and UConn have combined to win three of the last four national championships. As a testament to their accomplishments, coaches from these schools were voted No. 1 (Hurley) and No. 4 (Florida’s Todd Golden) in CBS Sports’ latest rankings of the best coaches in college basketball.
Rankings Top 25 And 1
IN: Texas A&M | OUT: North Carolina
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