What is UConn's X-Factor?
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The UConn Huskies have the talent to get back to championship contention. They have three returning starters, a McDonald's All-American freshman and the depth that championship teams need. But last season proved talent alone isn't enough when one position becomes a problem. The answer isn't complicated, but it's everything.
The X-factor for UConn this season is Silas Demary Jr., the 6-foot-5 transfer from Georgia who arrived in Storrs to solve the point guard problem that killed last season's three-peat hopes. Analyst Jon Rothstein recently broke it down on the CBS Sports YouTube channel, talking about how Demary fits exactly what Dan Hurley's best teams have always needed.
"If you look at the makeup of Dan Hurley's best teams as a college head coach, the common denominator has been great size at the point guard spot," Rothstein said.
The pattern goes back to Hurley's Rhode Island days. Jeff Dowtin stood 6-foot-3 and led the Rams to back-to-back NCAA tournaments. In 2017, they beat Creighton and nearly knocked off Oregon, who made the Final Four that year. The next season, Dowtin helped Rhode Island upset Trae Young and Oklahoma before losing to Duke.
Having a big guard at the point made that team tougher to defend and harder to score on.
Then came Tristen Newton at UConn. The East Carolina transfer arrived for the 2022-23 season and made an immediate impact, helping the Huskies capture their first national championship in nine years. But it was his second season, 2023-24, when Newton truly flourished.
Newton became a First Team All-American and the Most Outstanding Player at the 2024 Final Four. At 6-foot-5, he could see over defenses, finish through contact, and guard multiple positions. UConn won its second straight national championship with him running the show.
Without that kind of presence last season, everything fell apart. Hassan Diarra gave everything he had, but at 6-foot-2, he couldn't do what Newton did. Aiden Mahaney wasn't ready for the responsibility and transferred to UC Santa Barbara. The Huskies went 24-11 and lost to eventual champion Florida in the second round. The point guard spot became one of the problems that UConn couldn't solve.
That's where Demary comes in. He spent two years at Georgia building his game, and the progress is obvious. As a sophomore, he started all 33 games and averaged 13.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists while improving his three-point shooting from 30.3 percent to 37.4 percent. His 1.7 steals per game ranked seventh in the SEC. He was one of just eight players in the conference to crack the top 20 in both scoring and assists.
Rothstein made it clear that Demary doesn't need to turn into Newton to make this work.
"They don't need Silas Demary Jr. to be Tristan Newton, but they need him to be an all-Big East honorable mention caliber player. If he does that, the Huskies are again off to the races," he said.
The pieces around Demary are already in place. Tarris Reed Jr., Alex Karaban, and Solo Ball all return as All-Big East level players. McDonald's All-American Braylon Mullins takes over for Liam McNeeley. The bench has depth with Jayden Ross and Jaylen Stewart back from last year's rotation.
But the point guard determines everything. Demary has the size Hurley wants, the defensive ability from his SEC days, and the improved shooting to keep defenses at bay. He spent the summer at Chris Paul's Elite Guard Camp in Las Vegas with Solo Ball, working on his game before the real thing starts.
UConn ranks well in most preseason top-25 polls, and a strong season from Demary could boost his draft stock from late first-round projections while getting the Huskies back to the Final Four for the third time in four years.
The blueprint hasn't changed. Hurley needs a big guard to defend, facilitate, and knock down shots. Demary checks those boxes. Now he has to prove he belongs in the line of point guards who brought championships to Storrs.
Jayesh Pagar is currently pursuing Sports Journalism from the London School of Journalism and brings four years of experience in sports media coverage. He has contributed extensively to NBA, WNBA, college basketball, and college football content.