UConn HC Says Freshman Guard Not Ready for Heavy Minutes

At 8–1, the UConn Huskies are riding a four-game streak, and the last win was against East Texas A&M. One of the reasons the streak is alive is because of the emergence of freshman guard Braylon Mullins.

Mullins started the season with 12 points in an exhibition game against Boston College. Soon after, he was sidelined for 6 weeks due to an ankle injury. And now, as UConn prepares for its most brutal stretch yet, the question becomes not if he’ll matter, but how much UConn can actually ask of him.

That’s where Dan Hurley stepped in with clarity and caution, because while Mullins’ return has been absolutely brilliant, the Huskies aren’t ready to push him into the fire full-time.

“I don't know that that’s the role I necessarily envision for him," Hurley said. "But like anything else, he’s still working his way back. That was just… and I know he was awesome at Kansas, but those were the most minutes."

"I don’t know what he ended up playing the other night, 22 minutes? I just don’t know that he’s quite at the point where that 28 to 30-minute-a-game range, potentially as a starter, is where we wanted to go tonight.”

BRAYLON. MULLINS.

Have a feeling we'll be seeing a LOT of this, this season at Gampel

😏😏pic.twitter.com/0rsmtURNUx
— TorresonUConn (@TorresOnUConn) December 6, 2025

Since returning to the hardcourts, Mullins has proven that the hype wasn’t all chatter. He had 17 points on the road at Kansas and 10 more against ETAM. Through his first three games, he’s averaged 9.7 points, shot 40% from the field, hit four threes, and logged minutes that have jumped from 10 to 23 to 17.

While everything screams that Mullins is starter material, let's not forget he is a freshman. And perhaps that is precisely why Hurley pumped the brakes without dampening the belief.

“But again, we’re going to play the guys, and I think Braylon’s going to be a guy, once he catches his rhythm, that’s going to be really hard to take off the court," Hurley said. "We’ve got a lot of guys who do a lot of things to help us win."

There is no doubt that Mullins has barely tapped his ceiling. And making 17 points at Allen Fieldhouse is something even seasoned pros fumble. The Huskies simply need to pace the climb, and Mullins will be quite the player in March.

What’s Next for UConn and Braylon Mullins?

The gauntlet has begun, and next up, the Huskies face Florida at Madison Square Garden. The Huskies lead the all-time series, sitting at 5–2. Last season, the Huskies faced the Gators twice. While the Huskies won the regular season game, the Gators took the March win.

This season with Mullins, the match might look very different. Soon after facing the Gators, the Huskies face Texas, Butler, DePaul, and Xavier to close out the year. It is the kind of gauntlet that will test the roster and its depth.

UConn freshman Braylon Mullins just played in his second college game and put up a career-high off the bench 🔥

17 PTS | 6-12 FG | 5 REB | 23 MINS pic.twitter.com/7LqNYOVTC1
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) December 3, 2025

That’s where Mullins reenters the picture, because Hurley has been hinting for weeks that the freshman guard could shift UConn’s ceiling.

“He’s going to be a major difference-maker for us… he’s going to take a lot of pressure off the other guys… he just needs some grace,” Hurley said before Mullins had even delivered the Kansas explosion.

Now Mullins has delivered it, and expectations are brewing. But the minutes and the responsibility will rise only when his body agrees. For UConn, that balancing act might define the next month.

Don't forget to bookmark UConn Huskies on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage and more!