UConn basketball passes first test without Nik Khamenia.
UConn basketball started out hot from the floor on a cold night in Hartford, CT, making 9 of their first 12 shots from the floor and going up 25-13 at the under-12 minute media timeout.
Braylon Mullins bounced back big after his tough 2-12 shooting performance against Wagner, going 3-4 from three during this stretch to ignite the offense.
Ohio State went on a 13-1 run towards the end of the first-half to trim the deficit to just 2 points going into halftime.
It was not an ideal close to what was such a strong start for UConn basketball as they were careless on offense which Ohio State used to their advantage with 16 points off turnovers.
A large reason for this was star point guard Silas Demary Jr. only played seven minutes due to foul issues in the first half.
In a high scoring affair, UConn basketball went into halftime up 42 to 40, while leading the entire half.
Ohio State carried that momentum into the second-half, taking their first lead 43-42 after a three-point basket.
Both teams traded shots over the first several minutes in a back-and-forth start to the half. Colben Landrew and Na’jai Hines had the crowd rocking with emphatic dunks.
Na’jai Hines played the best stretch he’s had for UConn basketball in the second half, scoring 17 points to help break the game open for UConn as they led comfortably for the closing stretch of the game.
UConn basketball secured a big non-conference win in their first game since starting forward Nik Khamenia went down with injury.
FRIDAY NIGHT DUB 🔥 https://t.co/ZDzQh9SJiz
— UConn Men’s Basketball (@UConnMBB) November 14, 2026
Colben Landrew impresses in first career start for UConn basketball.
When a team loses a player like Nik Khamenia, it is up to the rest of the team to step up while the other player is out. Colben Landrew was the most important player to fill in for Khamenia as he was thrusted into a starting role as a true freshman.
Landrew played a season-high 32 minutes in the starting role and showed why he will be playing in the NBA sooner rather than later.
His athletic ability is what is most impressive, he just moves differently than every other player on the court. He is a different player than Stephon Castle was for UConn but his pure talent is showing early on in his UConn career just like Castle did for the 2024 National Championship team.
He scored 12 important points against Ohio State and played with extreme confidence which is a great sign as UConn is beginning a gauntlet of a schedule with Arizona and Duke coming up next.
Na’jai Hines has arrived.
Na’jai Hines was one of the most important additions this offseason for UConn basketball as he transferred into the program to replace Tarris Reed Jr.
Hines has not played bad to begin the year but he has had some struggles, picking up early fouls and struggling at times to rebound.
Although some of these issues remained against Ohio State, Hines was able to overcome this and reach a career high 20 points.
Coach Dan Hurley said postgame he felt he was over-coaching Hines and made some adjustments this game. Hines said in the presser “he just told me to rock out… in a way I just felt relieved.”
This is a great example of the impact coaching can have on a player and how coaches need to be flexible in their approach to unlock the full potential of a player.
Hines is just scratching the surface of how good he can truly be and it will be excited to watch the season unfold. How far UConn basketball will go in the NCAA Tournament will largely rest on how Hines performs.
If he continues to play like he did against Ohio State, there are not many teams that will be able to slow this UConn team down.