It’s no secret the UConn men’s basketball program isn’t performing at a championship level these days. Following a shocking 91-84 home loss against Creighton, it might as well be doomsday for Huskies fans who support a program with national championship or bust expectations.
This current iteration of the Connecticut Huskies is undoubtedly talented, but not without weakness. On Wednesday night, UConn lacked the resistance needed to keep Josh Dix and Nik Graves in front of them as the duo combined for 39 points. The Huskies also didn’t rebound up to par against a gritty Bluejays team that seemed to just find ways to win possessions, which elicited praise from head coach Greg McDermott in his postgame remarks. Creighton also added 30 paint points, exposing Tarris Reed’s lack of rim protection in the process.
When asked about their clear shortcomings on Wednesday night, UConn head coach Dan Hurley wouldn’t buy into the excuse of his players being tired at this stage of the season. However, he did point to Alex Karaban dealing with a nagging leg injury and Braylon Mullins also getting banged up during the 40 minutes of physical and mental warfare against Creighton. Hurley wants both of those player situations, especially Karaban’s, to heal fast.
“He was moving around out there like a cargo ship… and cargo ships move slow.”
Dan Hurley on Alex Karaban’s performance tonight ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/1ImtS8reqW
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 19, 2026
“Maybe I shouldn’t have played Alex today,” Hurley said. “He wasn’t moving well physically and was a shell of himself. He was like a cargo ship out there.”
What Hurley also needs is for someone not named Silas Demary Jr. to step up defensively. Right now, the Huskies have limited options in that category.
“That first group is lacking a perimeter defender and that’s why you saw J-Ross play 27 minutes,” Hurley said. “Just having a guy out there who can be disruptive and potentially shut people down.”
Also, the remarkable thing about Wednesday night’s game is that UConn received 15 bench points in the first half before the substitutes had minimal chances to contribute in the second half. Eric Reibe and Malachi Smith didn’t see enough run in the second half to come close to replicating the first-half production, which was a vital boost for the Huskies while Mullins was still searching for his magic. On a night where Ball was plagued with foul trouble and Karaban floundered himself, this felt like the perfect opportunity to get more out of the bench. Instead, Hurley opted for more of Ball down the stretch and Karaban still logged 25 minutes in total.
The offense went cold late and were unable to offer Braylon Mullins and his career-high 25 points much help against the Bluejays. UConn hit 11 threes with a career-best matching six triples from Mullins, although none of the other threes came with much rhythm or momentum effects. This loss could pretty much be chalked up to getting edged on both sides of the ball.
“I’ve got so much respect for Creighton, for Mac, for their program, and for the way they came in here to an awesome environment,” Hurley said. “The fans were everything you hoped they would be and it just sucks to let them down.”
On Wednesday night, more cracks were shown in the 24-3 Huskies. If the attention to detail and lack of defensive pride drag on any further, UConn may have trouble winning any championships this season.
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