Overview
- UConn’s women beat Syracuse 88-60, which took place on Monday, as freshmen Jovana Popovic and Olivia Vukosa each scored 10 points while Sarah Strong led the team despite inefficient shooting and foul trouble.
- The UConn men defeated Syracuse 72-52 on Tuesday with transfer Na’jai Hines leading the way with 17 points and eight rebounds while Nik Khamenia and Silas Demary Jr. provided supporting production.
- Key availability issues emerged: women’s sophomore Blanca Quiñonez remained sidelined while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery and men’s guard Braylon Mullins did not play as he continues to manage an undisclosed injury.
- Coaches used the non-counting games to experiment with lineups, integrate transfers and freshmen, and prioritize defensive rebounding and turnover work after UConn’s men forced 16 turnovers and the teams showed early rust offensively.
- The Hall of Fame Series revived a visible Big East-era matchup, gave both programs a regional showcase and sets up more preseason tests — including Michigan State and Purdue for the men and Texas and Army for the women — ahead of November openers.