UConn Awaits Braylon Mullins Boost as Injuries Linger
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The UConn Huskies are sitting at a 4–0 record, yet the most intriguing part of that perfect start is who hasn’t been on the court. The Huskies have built that record without the player many expected to be their most dynamic freshman in years.
And now, as UConn prepares for its most challenging stretch of the season, the spotlight shifts to the player they hope can elevate them even higher. And that is where Dan Hurley’s responses ahead of the Wildcats matchup cut through the noise.
Hurley has coached championship teams, rebuilt rosters, and experienced nearly every kind of early-season turbulence, but he keeps circling back to one name: Braylon Mullins.
“We haven’t been healthy. We’ve not been able to get healthy or get the group together at all. And it’ll be really nice to get Braylon back. I mean, Braylon is going to have a big impact, obviously. He’s getting closer to returning. He’s making great progress. He’s been in some things in practice, so that’s positive. And yeah, he’s going to make a big impact on the team,” Hurley said.
Part of that urgency for return comes from what actually happened. Mullins, the preseason Big East Freshman of the Year and one of the most sought-after guards in the country, was hit with an ankle injury in practice early this season. To make things worse, it happened right before UConn’s unforgiving 24-day gauntlet.
The schedule for Mullin’s return has a six-week timetable projected for a return somewhere between Kansas and East Texas A&M. However, Hurley’s updates now suggest the countdown may be accelerating.
Another factor that makes Mullins’ return feel so essential is his role as a player. He is a 6-foot-6 perimeter sniper from Greenfield, Indiana. Mullins arrived at Storrs as a McDonald's All-American and Mr. Basketball of Indiana, an award previously won by names like Kyle Guy, Gary Harris, Eric Gordon, Sean May, and Cody Zeller.
"If [Braylon Mullins] is half as good as what his ranking in this freshman class would indicate that he is...I like UConn a LOT."
— Kentavious Tripleflips (@GmingClipz) November 17, 2025
That's RIGHT, Mark Titus. @MostlyHoopsShow pic.twitter.com/XXMRvwDaue
As a senior, Mullins averaged 32.9 points, shot 47% from three, and finished as Greenfield-Central’s all-time leading scorer. In fact, before injury struck him, he played 17 minutes in UConn’s exhibition against Boston and scored 12 points. It was a preview of what Mullins could do for the Huskies, and that’s exactly why Hurley keeps coming back to him.
When asked about other injuries on the roster, Hurley simply said, “Yeah, you’re just dealing with the bumps and bruises from the other night, and really you’re trying to assess the Braylon situation.”
Where Exactly Is UConn in This Brutal Stretch?
UConn just finished playing their BYU match and won. Next up, they face Arizona. This matchup isn’t like the other teams the Huskies have faced this season. It is a top-five showdown at Gampel Pavilion, the first since 2006, only the second ever in Storrs, and one of just 15 top-five matchups in UConn history.
Games like this don’t come around often, and when they do, they tend to define seasons. Especially seasons where health, timing, and identity are all still forming. However, UConn has historically held the upper hand. UConn leads the all-time series 5–2 and won the only Gampel meeting in 2000. Still, this one feels different.
Arizona rolls in with a top-15 KenPom profile and a freshman force in Koa Peat, who leads them at 16.3 points per game. Jaden Bradley and Anthony Dell’Orso add scoring and playmaking, while Tobe Awaka is nearly averaging a double-double off the bench.
This matchup will be one for the ages. Soon after the Wildcats' matchup, Bryant is on November 23.
-fd44250df32912986cc6690f0b8bfa32.png "Shivani Menon")
Shivani Menon is a sports journalist with a background in Mass Communication and a passion for storytelling. She has written for EssentiallySports, College Sports Network, and PFSN, covering Olympic sports like track and field, gymnastics, and alpine skiing, as well as college football, basketball, March Madness, and the NBL Draft. When she's not reporting, she's either on the road chasing sunsets or getting lost in the rhythms of electronic soundscapes.