UConn Basketball Seize Victory 61-56 vs Kansas

UConn basketball fought hard to take down Kansas at the historic Allen Fieldhouse.

UConn head coach Dan Hurley has accomplished what few have done in the modern era of college basketball: beat Bill Self at Allen Fieldhouse. The legendary Self was hired at Kansas in 2003 and had only lost 21 times in front of the Jayhawk fans, that is, until the Huskies returned to town.

During the 2023-24 season, the Big East-Big 12 Battle paired these two schools up for an incredible contest at Allen Fieldhouse. Kevin McCullar Jr. hit two dagger threes to give the Jayhawks the win. Now, Self and Hurley have mutually agreed to the matchup, as this most recent contest was the first leg of a home-and-home series between the two programs.

Before the ball even tipped off, fans were treated to some not fun news that both Kansas’s Darryn Peterson and UConn’s Tarris Reed Jr. would miss the game. Peterson is a star freshman vying for his chance to be the first name called in the NBA Draft, and Reed Jr. is one of the best centers in the country. Despite the injuries, fans were still treated to a great game.

The Jayhawks opened the game confidently on both ends of the court. Their quick switches on defense forced 13 turnovers and gave the Huskies trouble all night long. On the other end, they attacked the paint relentlessly through both dribble drives and center Flory Bidunga. Bidunga finished with 11 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 blocks while being one of the few Kansas players to finish with a positive +/-.

The Jayhawks held the lead to close the first half and kept that momentum into the second half until UConn basketball’s offense started firing. Freshman star Braylon Mullins hit a big three, which led to a 7-point run for Alex Karaban to give the Huskies the lead.

UConn’s defense also stepped up in the second half as they held Kansas to just 23 points on 5 for 20 shooting in the half. While fouls are typically an issue, UConn committed just 10 fouls (yes, that’s low for this team) in the second half, which resulted in 17 trips to the free throw line for the Jayhawks. Unfortunately for the home team, they only converted on 12 of those attempts, which highlighted their need for an additional scorer in the game.

In 2023, the Huskies were a Cam Spencer missed three away from stealing a game at The Phog. This time, they didn’t let it come down to that moment as they kept Kansas at bay by holding their lead all the way to the finish line.

UCONN GOES ON THE ROAD AND TAKES DOWN KANSAS! pic.twitter.com/qZCXPzVFSt

— College Basketball Review (@CbbReview) December 3, 2025

The history

This marks UConn’s first-ever win against Kansas. The two programs previously faced off on four separate occasions, with one of those coming in the Round of 32 of the 2016 NCAA Tournament. To say that UConn basketball wanted to avenge those previous losses would be an understatement.

This was the 22nd home loss of Bill Self’s 23-season career at Kansas. Allen Fieldhouse is a truly special venue not just for college basketball, but for all of sports. The Jayhawk fans have created an environment that can rattle even the strongest of opponents.

The Huskies being able to take on all of this history and come out victorious gives some context as to why this victory means so much to the program.

UConn’s freshmen steal the show

Eric Reibe yet again got promoted into the starting lineup due to Reed’s absence, but this time he was more prepared. Reibe had a breakout performance in an earlier loss to Arizona and has started to come into his own lately.

Braylon Mullins started the season on the bench due to an ankle injury and only started seeing his first minutes of play time this past weekend at Madison Square Garden. Understandably, he looked both rusty and raw in his 10 minutes of limited action.

Reibe and Mullins are not normal Freshman. They took over Allen Fieldhouse tonight

— Step Back Cardiac Review (@CardiacCTReview) December 3, 2025

Now playing in front of perhaps the most hostile environment of their careers, the two Freshmen stepped up big time. Reibe finished with 12 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals while Mullins added 17 points and 5 rebounds.

Consider the fact that Reibe should be coming off the bench, plus Mullins operated under a minutes restriction (23 minutes in the contest), and it starts to paint the picture of just how impressive these 19-year-old Huskies are. It’s fair to say that UConn basketball will keep ascending as long as Eric Reibe and Braylon Mullins continue to ascend, too.

Next for UConn basketball: vs. East Texas A&M (Fri., Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m. EST)

Next for Kansas: vs. Missouri (Sun., Dec. 7 at 1 p.m. EST)