HARTFORD, Conn. — Fans in this basketball-crazed state were treated to a rare, high-profile exhibition game on Tuesday night as fourth-ranked UConn faced 22nd-ranked Michigan State in a final tune-up for both teams. More than 15,000 fans filled PeoplesBank Arena to watch two programs known for the way they perform in March, when games matter most, do battle in late October, when neither squad resembled anything close to a finished product.
Behind 18 points apiece from power forward Alex Karaban and shooting guard Solo Ball, the Huskies enjoyed a wire-to-wire, 76-69 victory. A blemished defensive effort on both sides resulted in 56 total fouls and 74 combined free-throws on a night largely devoid of rhythm or flow. Both coaches — Tom Izzo of Michigan State; Dan Hurley of UConn — have plenty of things to fix between now and their respective openers next week.
Here are my takeaways:
1. UConn exploring lineup combinations after Braylon Mullins injury
The presumptive and preferred flow of UConn’s rotation was thrown into flux last Friday when the school announced that freshman shooting guard Braylon Mullins, a likely day-one starter, suffered an ankle injury in practice that would sideline him for approximately six weeks. And while the exact nature of the injury is unclear — Hurley swatted aside the suggestion that Mullins is dealing with a high ankle sprain when asked for an update earlier this week — the Huskies are breathing a sigh of relief after harboring early concerns about the severity of the ailment.
“We were very nervous that it could have been far worse for him,” Hurley said. “We count our blessings and we thank God. We thank God that the injury is what it is.”
A native of Greenfield, Indiana, roughly 25 miles east of Indianapolis, Mullins was a five-star prospect and the No. 15 overall player in the 2025 recruiting cycle. He headlined a four-man UConn class that included coveted center Eric Reibe (No. 28 overall), Australian combo guard Jacob Furphy (No. 148 overall) and developmental wing Jacob Ross (No. 250 overall), the younger brother of Huskies’ small forward Jayden Ross. Mullins, who was named Big East Freshman of the Year at the league’s media day event last week, was expected to slide into the starting backcourt alongside point guard Silas Demary Jr., a transfer from Georgia, and fellow shooting guard Solo Ball.
Solo Ball #1 of the Connecticut Huskies reacts while defending Kur Teng #2 of the Michigan State Spartans during the second half of an NCAA men’s basketball exhibition. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images)
With Mullins unavailable for Tuesday’s game, Hurley awarded more minutes to the elder Ross, Furphy and incoming transfers Malachi Smith (Dayton) and Alec Millender (IU Indianapolis) as the Huskies navigate the final week before their season opener against New Haven.
Ross, who scored 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, did the most to stake a claim for increased playing time. He was deemed a potential breakout player by Hurley last summer only to fall out of the rotation in conference play. Any scoring punch Ross can provide after averaging just 2.4 points per game would be a welcome boost for an offense that expected significant production from Mullins.
2. Inexperienced Michigan State backcourt needs time to grow
One of the thoughts that UConn head coach Dan Hurley shared with reporters during his media session on Monday afternoon, the day before facing Michigan State, was the uneasiness he felt regarding how freshman center Eric Reibe would handle the ruggedly experienced Spartans’ front court. That the Huskies would be without starter Tarris Reed Jr., still bothered by a hamstring problem, meant Reibe was the only true center available to tangle with seniors Jaxon Kohler (6-10, 245 pounds) and Carson Cooper (6-11, 245 pounds). Those fears proved legitimate as Michigan State’s big men combined to score 22 points and grab 22 rebounds, anchoring the visitors on both ends of the floor.
Cam Ward #3 and Jaxon Kohler #0 of the Michigan State Spartans react during the second half of an NCAA men’s basketball exhibition. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images)
What Hurley had been less concerned about, and understandably so, was a Spartans’ backcourt that is going to need more time to find itself after bidding farewell to the team’s three leading scorers from last season: Jaden Akins (12.8 points per game); Jase Richardson (12.1 points per game); Tre Holloman (9.1 points per game). That left redshirt sophomore Jeremy Fears Jr. (7.2 points per game) as the only returning guard who averaged more than two minutes of playing time last season.
Izzo reinforced his roster by adding former Samford and Mississippi State guard Trey Fort (No. 18 shooting guard, No. 83 overall transfer) and former Miami guard Divine Ugochukwu (No. 78 point guard, No. 453 overall transfer). Both players came off the bench on Tuesday night as Fears was joined by sophomore Kur Teng, a former four-star prospect and the No. 53 overall recruit from 2024, in the starting lineup.
The bulk of the scoring responsibility fell to Fears, who played 32 minutes and led Michigan State with 14 points, most of which came at the free-throw line. He seemed, for large stretches, like the only Spartan willing to attack UConn’s defense off the dribble, especially late in the shot clock. With 9:25 remaining in the second half, Fears was still the only player on Izzo’s roster to tally an assist. That he finished with as many turnovers (six) as assists (six) underscored how difficult this game was for Michigan State’s offense, which shot 39.1% from the floor.
Fears will need much more help from his fellow guards in the months to come.
Eric Reibe #12 of the Connecticut Huskies and Jeremy Fears Jr. #1 of the Michigan State Spartans go for the loose ball during the second half of an NCAA men’s basketball exhibition. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images)
3. Uneven debut for new UConn point guard Silas Demary Jr.
Aside from the nagging, team-wide defensive issues that led to UConn finishing 75th nationally in defensive efficiency — a seismic drop from the Huskies’ two national championship-winning seasons, in 2023 and 2024, when they ranked seventh and fourth, respectively — the biggest issue plaguing Hurley’s squad was inconsistency at point guard. The high-profile transfer portal addition of Aidan Mahaney, formerly of Saint Mary’s, flopped in spectacular fashion, which left projected sixth man Hassan Diarra as the team’s only reliable ball handler, a proposition exacerbated by the knee injury that plagued Diarra most of the season.
Hurley and his staff quickly recognized that not only was UConn undermanned and talent-deficient at that position, they were also undersized relative to the 6-foot-5 frame of former point guard Tristen Newton, who was part of both national championship teams and was a consensus first-team All-American in 2024. So when the transfer portal kicked into gear last spring, after UConn was dropped by eventual national champion Florida in the Round of 32, the Huskies quickly prioritized former Georgia guard Silas Demary Jr., a tall and lengthy guard in the mold of Newton. Demary was rated the No. 13 overall player and No. 3 combo guard in the portal.
A minor calf injury precluded Demary, now a junior, from playing in UConn’s first exhibition game against Boston College two weeks ago. But he was in the starting lineup on Tuesday night and wasted little time igniting a near-sellout crowd. Demary connected on back-to-back 3-pointers before three minutes had elapsed in the opening half, flashing the scoring ability that saw him average 13.5 points per game last season. Were it not for a pair of early fouls that sent Demary to the bench by the 16:25 mark, he might have broken loose for more.
Though Demary has been described by Hurley as the team’s best perimeter defender, foul trouble continued to plague him for much of the evening. He picked up his third with 6:10 remaining in the first half and was saddled with his fourth by the 10:50 mark of the second half. Demary finished with nine points, four rebounds and three assists in 20 minutes.
4. Foul problems plague both teams in sloppy defensive showing
Given the bruising reputations of both head coaches and both programs, it was little surprise that Tuesday’s game unfolded with a level of physicality normally reserved for mid-winter conference battles. Cooper, the Michigan State center, needed a plug in his nose less than halfway through the opening period. Guards careened across the floor for loose balls. Hurley and Izzo both took turns hurling profanity at the referees before apologizing shortly thereafter, since the result technically didn’t count. As far as quality competition goes, the game certainly achieved its purpose.
But almost as soon as the second half began, it became increasingly clear that both teams were running out of players. Cooper was called for his fourth with 18:03 remaining. Reibe, the starting center for UConn, was dinged for his fourth a minute prior. And when Hurley’s reserve big man, Dwayne Koroma, picked up his fourth at the 16:57 mark, the possibility that neither team would have any post players left by the final buzzer seemed quite real.
Jeremy Fears Jr. #1 of the Michigan State Spartans and Silas Demary Jr. #2 of the Connecticut Huskies go for the loose ball during the second half of an NCAA men’s basketball exhibition. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images)
It was in that moment — perhaps spontaneously, perhaps not — that the public address announcer at PeoplesBank Arena announced the two teams had agreed to allow six fouls per player rather than the traditional five. And with that spectacular news, the crowd of 15,495 offered something of a Bronx cheer on a night that had, for the most part, devolved into a foul fest. The Huskies were called for 16 fouls in the first half alone; the Spartans for 11. By game’s end, they’d combined for 74 free-throw attempts and 56 fouls.
Defending without fouling will be a point of emphasis for both coaches between now and their respective season openers.
4 ½: What’s next?
The competitive nature of Tuesday’s game offered these teams a glimpse of what they can expect come November and December, when both head coaches will navigate brutal non-conference schedules against some of the sport’s elite.
Izzo’s group, which opens against Colgate on Nov. 3, has four games against top-25 teams in the span of four weeks. Michigan State faces No. 14 Arkansas, No. 9 Kentucky, No. 25 North Carolina and No. 6 Duke between Nov. 8 and Dec. 6, with two of those games at home and two at neutral sites. The Spartans will have a good idea of where they stand relative to some of the best teams in the country well before their Christmas break.
UConn, meanwhile, is set to embark on arguably the toughest non-conference slate in the country, something that Hurley wanted when he and his staff designed the schedule. The Huskies will face No. 8 BYU, No. 13 Arizona, No. 17 Illinois, No. 9 Kansas, No. 3 Florida and Texas between Nov. 15 and Dec. 9, with only three of those games on neutral floors. Hurley’s team should be as battle-tested as any come Big East play.
Michael Cohen covers college football and college basketball for FOX Sports. Follow him at @Michael_Cohen13.
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