No. 3 UConn men are firing on all cylinders early in the season

The Associated Press No. 3 Connecticut Huskies aced their final tune-up before heading into a pivotal early-season stretch.

On Monday, the Huskies (3-0) blew out Columbia (1-1), 89-62, their third 20-point of the season after previously handling New Haven (1-3) and UMass Lowell (1-2). Connecticut has handed its business against inferior competition, and we’ll soon discover just how formidable it can be this season after a down 2024-25.

Connecticut’s upcoming schedule will determine team’s 2025-26 outlook

Over its next eight games, the Huskies play six power conference opponents, including five currently ranked in the top 25. On Saturday, Connecticut plays No. 7 BYU (2-0) in the Hall of Fame Series at TD Garden in Boston, followed on Wednesday, Nov. 19 with a home game against No. 5 Arizona (2-0). Connecticut also plays No. 14 Illinois (2-0), No. 25 Kansas (1-1) and defending-champion No. 10 Florida (1-1) during the span, all three neutral site or true road games.

Last season, the Huskies went 24-11 and fell in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament (to Florida), a disappointing end after winning back-to-back national titles. It won’t take long to learn what version of UConn the rest of men’s college basketball must contend with this season.

BYU is led by freshman AJ Dybantsa, who has gotten off to a hot collegiate start, averaging 19 points on 57.1% shooting through his first two games. Arizona already has a key non-conference win over Florida, and its star freshman, Koa Peat, has been even better than Dybantsa, averaging 24 points on 68% shooting.

Connecticut’s experience could be a separating factor. All five of the team’s starters the past two games have been upperclassmen, including seniors Alex Karajan and Tarris Reed Jr. and juniors Jaylin Stewart, Silas Demary Jr. and Solo Ball. German 7-foot-1 center Eric Reibe is the only freshman to log minutes through three games.

Despite the Huskies’ promising start, it’s unclear how much their early-season success is a byproduct of who they’ve played. With the schedule getting much more daunting in a hurry, we’ll find out over the next few games if it’s for real or simply a mirage.