HARTFORD — The UConn men’s basketball team’s 2026 season is officially underway.
The Huskies opened their season Monday night, walloping Gardner-Webb by 40 points in an 86-46 victory. The win, Head Coach Dan Hurley’s 200th at UConn, marked the ninth-straight season opening victory of Hurley’s tenure.
As the No. 4 Huskies prepare to head to Boston Friday to face No. 16 Michigan in their first real test of the regular season, here are four takeaways from Monday night.
Even off the bench, Landrew played starter minutes
Unsurprisingly, six Huskies played 20 minutes or more Monday.
The expected starting five of Silas Demary Jr., Braylon Mullins, Jayden Ross, Nik Khamenia and Na’jai Hines each hit that mark, as did freshman Colben Landrew.
After starting the Huskies’ first two exhibition games, Landrew entered off the bench against Purdue when Mullins returned from an undisclosed injury.
The same was true against Gardner-Webb, though that didn’t stop the Big East Preseason Freshman of the Year from finishing fourth on the team in both points and rebounds while showcasing an eye-catching blend of speed and physicality in the paint.
After the game, UConn Head Coach Dan Hurley called Landrew’s physical strength and ability to brush off defenders while driving to the rim “a special quality.” Hurley added that Landrew would have seen even more action in a closer contest.
“We’ve obviously got the six starters there,” Hurley said. “Colben played 21, almost 22 minutes tonight. If it was a close game, he’d be always in that 24 to 25 range.”
Hurley wants more from the five
UConn has been spoiled when it comes to centers over the past half a decade.
Adama Sanogo’s three-year run culminated with an NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player award. Donovan Clingan followed that up the next year by becoming an NBA Draft lottery pick. Tarris Reed Jr. developed into a first rounder two years later, while Samson Johnson helped bridge the gap.
From Clingan backing up Sanogo and so on, each center had a year to adapt to UConn’s system before becoming the full-time starter.
Sophomore transfers Hines and Oskar Giltay won’t have that same luxury. Instead, they are being immediately pressed into action in a nonconference schedule for the ages.
“The thing with those two guys is they’re 19 years old and they’re young,” Hurley said. “We need them to keep getting better.
They’re scratching the surface. We’re not where we need them to be, but we’ve got such monster games coming up that we don’t have much time to wait.”
While the pair managed a collective final line of 7-for-11, 19 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks, Hurley said that their combined numbers were better than he felt about their performances.
Hurley highlighted offensive rebounding and low-post offense as areas of needed improvement.
“I’m disappointed overall,” Hurley said. “It’s rare that you’ll see UConn miss 29 shots and only get nine of them back.
We played in a national championship game last year versus the Monstars, and we got [22] offensive rebounds [in that game] versus Michigan. So, I’m concerned about the offensive rebounding.”
Machowski’s rotation spot is in limbo
Through UConn’s three preseason games, shooting guard Nils Machowski averaged 16 minutes, playing double-digit minutes in each contest. Against Gardner-Webb, the senior saw the floor for just six minutes.
While Hurley hinted at times throughout the preseason that the team could potentially operate with a rotation as deep as 10 if forward Egor Amosov demonstrated enough to earn regular season playing time, Monday painted the picture that Machowski would be the odd man out should Hurley instead opt to shrink that pool to eight.
The reduction in minutes may be in part due to Machowski’s struggles from three-point range. Through the three exhibition games and the season opener, Machowski has gone just 2-for-9 (22.2%) from deep. Though the sample size is unquestionably small, that percentage is still a far cry from the 38.2%-mark Machowski posted from three at Wofford last season or his career percentage of 36.5%.
Hurley emptying the bench in the final minutes of the contest also partially contributed to a lower minute total but Friday’s contest against Michigan will give a clearer insight to Machowski’s role moving forward.
“We’re still kind of giving people a look,” Hurley said. “Now, whoever’s earned that top eight, top nine potentially, those will the people that play in Boston.”
Hurley’s entrance is still being fine-tuned
Maybe the right song has yet to be suggested. Perhaps it’s the blaring hockey goal horn drowning out anything else that could possibly make a sound within a one-mile radius.
That second possibility may be a tad hyperbolic.
Either way, after walking out to the court with “Many Men (Wish Death)” by 50 Cent blasting down from the loudspeakers at PeoplesBank Arena prior to tipoff, Hurley said after the game that he wasn’t sure if the elaborate entrance introduced against Purdue was working.
“I just feel like the other coach looks at me like, ‘Yo, are you serious?’” Hurley said. “There’s nothing more important to me than to have the respect of the coaches that I have respect for.”
Hurley added that he had never heard the song before, suggesting that the 2003 release was outside of his ‘80s through ‘90s musical comfort zone.
Hurley also suggested that the team poll fans to see whether they think the spectacle should continue. However, Hurley himself seems to have his opinion decided.
“It may be stupid,” Hurley said. “We may have to stop doing it.”