In his homecoming, Braylon Mullins is focused on UConn bouncing back against Butler: What to know

INDIANAPOLIS – Braylon Mullins has played in Hinkle Fieldhouse once or twice in summer league-type settings growing up. He spent most of his time a half hour east at Greenfield Central, where he became a local legend as he blew high school opponents away with his jump shot and sneaky athleticism on his way to earning the cherished title of Indiana Mr. Basketball.

Now Mullins returns home as UConn’s star freshman to play the most meaningful game he ever has in the 98-year-old basketball cathedral.

The 6-foot-6 sharpshooter already had a large group of 50-60 family members and friends make the 90-minute drive to see him play when the Huskies visited Xavier in Cincinnati on New Year’s Eve. He expects the same number, if not more, to make the short trip on Wednesday night.

But they won’t get his attention until the game is finished.

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“It’s always good to see family, but I think at this point in the season, it’s just like – any away game, any home game, it’s just like we’re focused on that game, we’re focused on winning that game. So that’s just my mentality going into the game. It’s always good to see family though,” Mullins said after a tough practice on Monday.

Coach Dan Hurley isn’t worried about Mullins’ level of focus going back home.

“I don’t think that he’s the type of kid that’s like all over social media, reposting things and just screaming for attention, so I think his focus will be in a pretty good place,” Hurley said.

UConn will need the focus as it looks to right the ship after suffering its first loss in more than 11 weeks, its 18-game winning streak brought to a halt by St. John’s at Madison Square Garden on Friday night. Wednesday is only the team’s third Quad One opportunity since Big East play began.

Hinkle Fieldhouse has been a tough place to play with rowdy fans almost on top of the court, creating a pressure-packed road environment for any opponent, let alone the championship-aspiring Huskies who will be carrying their new No. 6 ranking into the Hoosier State.

UConn has never lost in the all-time series with Butler, which began in the 2011 national championship game, but it has had some close calls as a visitor. The Huskies trailed by seven at halftime during their dominant 2023-24 season before Alex Karaban and Tristen Newton got it going down the stretch to flip the score. Karaban hit the dagger from 3-point range last year that sealed a 78-74 victory as he and freshman Liam McNeeley combined for 38 points.

The Bulldogs have played in some close games this season and even took down Virginia, ranked No. 15 this week, back in November, but again find themselves in the basement of the Big East as one of five teams with a 4-9 record in the league.

“If you’re good enough to beat Virginia on a neutral and you’re coached by (Thad) Matta and you’ve got two of the best offensive players in the league. … Going to Hinkle is always a treat, because I love basketball,” Hurley said. “Indiana’s such a great basketball state and Butler’s such a great basketball institution, so yeah, a conference road game, conference home game, these games are all tough.”

UConn shot nearly 60% from the field and blocked a season-high 13 shots as Solo Ball scored a career-high 26 points to beat Butler, 79-60, in Hartford to open Big East play.

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But after hearing all about their rebounding deficiencies, interior defensive lapses and struggles at the free throw line that they relived through a tough film session over the weekend, the Huskies won’t look past any opponent. Butler, which lost guard Azavier Robinson to a season-ending wrist injury this week, has the Big East’s leading scorer, Finley Bizjack (17.9 points per game), and a powerful forward in Michael Ajayi, whose 15.8 points per game rank sixth in the league. UConn held that duo to just 15 points on 5-for-21 shooting from the field in the last matchup.

“We have those two guys eyed on the scouts,” Mullins said.

Butler will certainly have the hometown kid on its scout. Mullins has continued to show off the natural skills that have him pegged as a potential first round pick in the June NBA Draft, averaging 11.7 points and 3.3 rebounds on 47.4% shooting from the field and 38.4% from beyond the arc.

What is impressive about Mullins, other than his jump shot?

“I think the way he carries his emotions,” said point guard Silas Demary Jr., who vowed to fix the turnover problems that caused for a rollercoaster of a performance Friday night. “He’s a real steady guy, he doesn’t show the highs or the lows and he’s consistently helping us win games. In big-time moments, he steps up and I think (it’s) underrated that he’s become an even better defender. I think he’s becoming a pesky defender and it’s helping him a lot on the offensive side, because now we can get him out in transition and hit those open 3s like he does.”

Hurley is looking for a championship response from the tough loss on Friday. He needs to see a return to the fundamentals in order for the Huskies to come back to Indianapolis in April, for the Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium.

A win, potentially the team’s sixth in eight Quad One games, would certainly benefit the path to get there.

“When you experience the way that we just played that (St. John’s) game and you watch the film and you see the things that we saw, you’re not thinking about the Big East standings, you’re not thinking about Quad One, Quad Two, Quad anything,” Hurley said. “You see the things that just went on with the team that has your total attention. Obviously you’ve got the preparation for the opponent, but you’re addressing so many of these things internally.”