Remember me
After suffering a disappointing defeat at home to the Creighton Bluejays, the UConn Huskies achieved a strong bounce-back win over the Villanova Wildcats.
They'll now have a tough Big East matchup on the way against the No. 15 St. John's Red Storm as they look to build momentum for the NCAA Tournament. St. John's previously defeated UConn in a clash at Madison Square Garden and has seemingly locked down the Huskies since last season.
Ahead of their battle with the Red Storm, UConn made a significant announcement regarding standout Braylon Mullins, also known as "Mr. Basketball" in the state of Indiana, in his first college season.
Read more: UConn Coach Dan Hurley Shares Concerning Alex Karaban Update After Loss
On Monday, the UConn Huskies shared an update on X (formerly Twitter), announcing that Mullins has been named Big East Freshman of the Week for his key contributions in recent games.
According to their post, Mullins was the star performer in his team’s loss to Creighton, scoring 25 points on 6-of-11 shooting and grabbing six rebounds. Additionally, Mullins scored 10 points in the Villanova win, going 4-for-7 from the floor and hitting 2 of 3 from the line.
There had been concerns about Mullins's status heading into the game against Villanova, as both he and teammate Alex Karaban were dealing with physical ailments. However, both players played, with Mullins wearing a black knee brace throughout.
Although he played, he was limited by foul trouble. Head coach Dan Hurley was forced to pull Mullins from the game several times, but key contributions from bench players Jaylin Stewart and Jayden Ross helped the Huskies pull away from Villanova.
Mullins is averaging 12.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.1 steals per game in his freshman campaign. He’s the latest freshman star to join Hurley’s talented roster, featuring top recruits and savvy transfers.
UConn is hoping for big things from Mullins against St. John’s on Wednesday, as well as in the Big East Tournament and NCAA Tournament. Fans saw several other freshmen become stars at UConn in the past few seasons, including Liam McNeeley and Stephon Castle.
Read more: UConn Gets Alex Karaban and Braylon Mullins Injury Updates for Villanova
For more about NCAA basketball, visit Newsweek Sports.