UConn basketball beat Michigan State 76-69 in a high-profile exhibition matchup in Hartford.
The Huskies have already shown some growth since their first exhibition against Boston College, where there was plenty to pick apart about their play. While things weren’t perfect in this contest, there was certainly some maturation in how UConn basketball approached the game.
The game opened with Silas Demary Jr., who stole the show right away with back-to-back threes. Unfortunately, he couldn’t stay out of foul trouble and saw some pretty limited minutes because of it. He finished the game with 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists in 20 minutes of action. Demary wasn’t the only one in foul trouble as the Huskies committed 16 fouls in the first half.
On the bright side, they did hold Michigan State to just 7 made field goals in the half, but the 17 points at the free throw line made things seem a bit closer than they actually were. UConn showed their depth, going 10 players deep in the first half with seemingly everyone having some level of positive contribution to the game as they took a 44-33 lead into the break.
The second half was a bit calmer overall, with both sides pretty even throughout the 20 minutes of play. Michigan State was able to get its fouling under control while the Huskies steamrolled ahead, committing 18 fouls in the half and 34 for the entire game. The Huskies had four different players reach 5 personal fouls, but thankfully, the two sides agreed to allow 6 personal fouls before ejection in this exhibition.
Alex Karaban and Solo Ball led the way for UConn basketball, both scoring 18 points and logging regular season level minutes (33 and 32, respectively). The pair also went a combined 13 for 13 from the free throw line, which highlights their focus to drive the paint, considering they went a combined 3 for 3 from the line in the previous exhibition.
Alex Karaban on his mindset playing exhibition games: “I wouldn’t say my mind shifted, these two games mean something and we wanted to win both of them. We treated both games as though they were real games… I guess they officially start counting on Monday.” pic.twitter.com/GMmEyuj5NZ
— Step Back Cardiac Review (@CardiacCTReview) October 29, 2025
Small lineup experiments
Dan Hurley must have felt like a mad scientist with the lineup tinkering in this contest. Still without Tarris Reed Jr., UConn basketball had the chance to figure out a way to stay strong in the front court with just one center in freshman Eric Reibe. Dwayne Koroma and Jayden Ross were the biggest beneficiaries of this as Hurley tried to find a way to fit them into a stretch-forward role.
After the game, both Hurley and Alex Karaban were asked about their feelings on the various small-ball lineups seen in the game, and both shared a similar sentiment that they expect to see them again once the regular season comes around.
The offense is finding its rhythm
This Michigan State defense is ranked 15th in the country, which is a significant step up from Boston College, which is ranked 99th, per KenPom. Considering the increase in difficulty, UConn basketball’s offense looked better.
From showing a bit more patience on perimeter shot selection to driving to the basket, everything seemed a bit more organized in this second exhibition. The team went 9 for 24 from the three-point line, which is one more make on 10 fewer attempts than in the Boston College game. Furthermore, the Huskies took 30 free throws in the game, which is nearly three times more than the 11 attempts they had a few weeks ago.
You should still expect to see some more improvements over the next week, but these two exhibition games have done wonders for getting the Huskies into shape ahead of their Nov. 3 season opener.
Dan Hurley has constructed a deep roster
UConn basketball had 10 players log significant minutes in this game, and every single one of them was legitimately playable. Once you factor in the injured starters of Tarris Reed Jr. and Braylon Mullins, there’s twelve players on this roster who could seemingly contribute this season.
Ultimately, Hurley is going to find an 8 or 9-man rotation to work with through the season, but March is far away, and it feels good knowing that there’s a serious “next man up” mentality if the need to go 10 or 11 players deep comes. It makes you think about just how hard these UConn practices are from the lofty standard that Dan Hurley has to the fact that no matter where you are in the lineup there’s another guy right behind breathing down your neck for that spot.
Next for UConn basketball: vs. University of New Haven (Mon., Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. EST)
Next for Michigan State: vs. Colgate (Mon., Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. EST)