None of us can know what it’s like to be 19, from a small town in Indiana, and have to choose between playing basketball for millions and millions of dollars, or playing it for millions and millions and millions of dollars. There is no bad choice here only the one that’s right for him.

“Just being in the present right now, trying to get over this hump,” Mullins said in the emotional moments following UConn’s loss to Michigan in the national championship game. “I don’t know what my future holds, I’ll do whatever makes me a better person or player.”

Dom Amore: Braylon Mullins’ shot shook the world, from UConn to all the way back home in Indiana

This is a more interesting, fascinating decision than it would have been only a few years ago. Of course, Mullins is not ready for the NBA, no debate there. This is not the least bit relevant, however. If an NBA team is willing to draft a player high enough, invest millions in him, then it’s the franchise’s concern whether or not he is ready and to develop him until he is. This is why they like to draft younger players, and take their development into their own hands.

In the days before name-image-and-likeness opportunities and revenue sharing, it would have been unwise for any player confident of being picked in the first round to go back to school. Let’s be real, if someone offered you, say, $5 million to play basketball, would you say, “Oh, no, I’m sorry, sir, I’m just not ready. I can’t take your money.”

More likely, you’d have your pen out quicker than the split second it takes Mullins to catch it and get off a shot.

But that was the old days. The present day makes it more complicated, maybe close to even-money odds and closer to a dollar-to-dollar proposition.

“I would just say now in college, unless it absolutely makes total sense for you to go in the draft, unless you know you’re going to be a lottery pick or guaranteed to go top-15 or 18, the biggest mistake you can make right now as a college basketball player is going to the draft too early,” Dan Hurley said on The Dan Patrick Show this week. “Not staying long enough in college, because obviously the money situation.

“I think what I’ll tell Braylon and his family is number one, ‘Do you like college?’ Some players are in a rush to get to the NBA because they don’t like being a student. They don’t like being in a college program. College programs are run way differently than NBA teams, in terms of how we practice and how rigorous study hall and going to class and the coach being in charge of the operation. The world has changed. There’s not a pressure to go to the NBA now because of the money situation.

“Players like Braylon would probably make more money at UConn next year than if he was the No. 15 pick. Those are the things you have to weigh. How badly do I want to get out of college and get to the NBA?”

So there’s the pitch. Hurley once promised Mullins that if he left Indiana and came to UConn, he would play in  the Final Four some 25 miles from his hometown of Greenfield. It happened. What can he promise now?

Incidently, the 15th pick, give or take one or two, is about where I am hearing Mullins would go if he entered the NBA Draft as a one-and-done. UConn has the resources to offer Mullins life-changing money to come back as a sophomore, certainly in the millions. But there is still more to this, thanks to Mullins’ forever shining moment in the NCAA Tournament.

NBA teams don’t draft players based on one shot, or one game, so his stock in the draft didn’t go up when he hit that 35-foot game-winner in the East Regional Final against Duke, nor did it go down with shots he missed in the NCAA Tournament. But Mullins’ earning potential as a college sophomore has changed … drastically.

Mullins was the name that rolled off everyone’s lips during the Final Four. If he were to come back and play for UConn next year, he would have the unique potential to be the face of college basketball, not just the face of UConn — of course, he would be that — but the face of the sport, coast-to-coast. We are not talking billboards on I-91 here. We are talking national endorsements of all kinds: Shoes, sports drinks, apparel. Who can begin to calculate how many millions would be involved in that?

Dom Amore: For Final Four-bound UConn men, Braylon Mullins’ miracle moment was 2 years in the making

This is a business decision, and Braylon Mullins might be the first test case of this type in the modern era. He could be the first player to wait on the NBA and return to college because it is actually a good business decision. This could mean leverage. If an NBA team really wants him, it might behoove them to make sure to draft and pay him enough to take a return to college off the table, and let him know of their intention to do so.

The face-of-the-sport endorsement opportunities will grow if UConn is back in the national championship picture next year. Right now, there’s no way of knowing who would be surrounding him on the team. There will be good players, but no Alex Karaban or Tarris Reed Jr., so if Mullins comes back he will have to do more for the Huskies to win. In the meantime, he will have a year to make his 6-foot-6, 196-pound frame get bigger and stronger, which he obviously needs to do.

One year ago, Liam McNeeley was faced with the decision and he went to the NBA. Drafted 29th, he spent much of his rookie year in the G League, which might lead some to say he should regret that decision. The Hornets signed him to a four-year rookie deal for $14 million, with $5.7 million guaranteed, so one can imagine he has few, if any regrets.

If Mullins is picked in the middle of the first round, he’d make in the neighborhood of $6 million as a rookie, maybe $10-12 million guaranteed on his first contract. If he comes back to college, there is risk. If he gets hurt, or does not make the big freshman-to-sophomore year leap, his stock could fall as he turns a year older. The influx of overseas talent will be different next year, which could push him lower in the draft. And if he does make a splash in the league, it would push his first mega-contract a year down the road.

Dom Amore: How Braylon Mullins’ pretty jump shot became the ‘bringer of rain’ for UConn men

So the financials are as complicated as Mullins and his family choose to see them. If he is told by a team picking in the top 10 it will take him, it’s probably not complicated. He goes. If he’s in that sweet spot, or no-man’s land midway through the first round or later, it’s a legit conversation.

Does Braylon Mullins like playing college basketball? Does he love UConn? Is he anxious to bet on his ability to get the Huskies back to the Final Four? If his answers are no, then he should reserve a table and start suit-shopping for the draft.

But herein lies the age-old battle of head vs. heart. If he uses his head, the millions-counters would say to move on to the pros. If he is happy and doesn’t want to mess with it, sees a one-in-a-lifetime chance at UConn in 2026-27 vs. another that will most likely still be there a year from now, then he’ll be back wearing No. 24 in blue and white and have his face on cereal boxes and sports drink bottles.

No one can make this decision for Braylon Mullins. One can only offer this advice: He should live his dream, not yours or mine, and do what makes him happy.

It was announced Friday afternoon that 7-foot-1 freshman center Eric Reibe, a former McDonald’s High School All-American, has entered the transfer portal. News came out earlier on Friday that Rrezon Elezaj, the 7-2 practice player from Kosovo, also entered the portal. With starter Tarris Reed Jr. and Dwayne Koroma’s eligibility expiring, the Huskies do not have any centers in place for the 2026-27 season.

Reibe started a handful of games early in his freshman campaign as Reed dealt with injuries and played well, helping the Huskies to wins over Illinois at Madison Square Garden and at Kansas, among others.

Why Hurley says UConn men are ‘at a crossroads’ deciding how to construct future rosters

He averaged 5.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per game over the course of the season and struggled behind Reed in the NCAA Tournament, where he accumulated just six points, three rebounds and 10 fouls in six games, averaging just 6.7 minutes per contest.

“To Coach Hurley and the entire UConn staff, thank you for holding me to a high standard every single day. You didn’t just develop me as a basketball player, but as a man. To my teammates, thank you for competing with me, pushing me, and building relationships that will last far beyond basketball. And to the UConn fans, thank you for welcoming me and supporting me throughout my time in Storrs. It truly meant a lot,” Reibe wrote, in part, in an Instagram post.

Elezaj only appeared in four games in garbage time, finishing the season with three rebounds and a block on 0-for-2 shooting.

UConn has reportedly been in contact with multiple centers in the transfer portal, including Seton Hall’s 6-10, 265-pound freshman Najai Hines. Hines had 10 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in the first matchup with the Huskies this past season and followed that up with 11 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks in Storrs. He averaged 6.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in only 18 minutes per game for the Pirates.

Andrew McKeever, a 7-2 big from Saint Mary’s, has also been reported as a target. He averaged 8.2 points and 9.2 rebounds in 23.2 minutes per game as a sophomore for the Gaels this season.

As of Thursday morning, none have been Huskies.

Though, coach Dan Hurley said on the Dan Patrick Show Thursday, that doesn’t really change much.

“There’s tampering that goes on the entire year, so even players that aren’t in the portal, I mean, everyone’s in the portal,” he said, revealing that there are only four or five players that he knows will remain on his roster heading into the 2026-27 season.

The Huskies are only certain to lose the two main figures in their NCAA Tournament run in captain Alex Karaban and center Tarris Reed Jr., along with bench players Malachi Smith, Alec Millender and Dwayne Koroma, who have all used up their eligibility. Freshman Braylon Mullins is certainly a candidate to be an early entrant into the NBA Draft, where he could hear his name called somewhere in the first round.

Hurley’s philosophy when it comes to advising players in Mullins’ situation is: “Unless it absolutely makes total sense for you to go in the draft, unless you know you’re gonna be a lottery pick or guaranteed to go top-15, top-18, the biggest mistake you can make right now as a college basketball player is going to the draft too early and not staying long enough in college because of obviously the money situation.”

UConn Notes: Braylon Mullins finished freshman season ‘like a man,’ now has tough decision to make

He said the first thing he’ll ask Mullins and his family is whether he likes everything that goes into being a college player: The balance of going to study halls and classes with the rigorous practices that are much different from the NBA, and the coach being in charge of the whole operation.

As for the money situation, he said a player in Mullins’ situation “could probably make more money at UConn next year than he would if he was the 15th pick.”

Who could stay at UConn for 2026-27?

It would seem to be mutually beneficial for UConn to keep its backcourt intact with point guard Silas Demary Jr. and Solo Ball. Both could return and continue their development to get onto the NBA radar as seniors next season after dealing with their own respective injuries throughout the year.

Demary could use another year in the Huskies’ system to show all that he can do now that he’s comfortable and knows what it takes. Ball was dealing with a wrist sprain for most of the year and a foot sprain to end it, and saw his numbers take a hit as a result. He could prove himself as a shooter and see a significant rise in his draft stock after another year in college.

Center Eric Reibe could return and potentially compete for a starting spot as a sophomore, though the Huskies will need to bolster the center position through the transfer portal. As for Jayden Ross and Jaylin Stewart, they’ve been loyal to the program this far, but their respective roles could be more of a factor heading into their senior seasons.

It isn’t clear what the rest of the Huskies’ bench might end up choosing. Freshman Jacob Furphy was thought to be in position to fight for minutes, but he dealt with an injury early in the year and never got much of a chance. Minutes could remain hard to come by for Jacob Ross, who redshirted this season, and little-used international players Rrezon Elezaj and Uros Paunovic.

Which approach will the Huskies take?

Hurley described the position UConn is in as a “crossroads.”

“We’ve got to decide, who do we want to be? Do we want to try to hold the line and just go retention, high school recruiting and maybe cherry pick a need in the portal? Or are we at a point where it’s like, wipe the board every year and try to put together the most talented team that you can? We have our first national champion that was comprised of (almost) all transfers in Michigan,” he said. “Right now we’re processing the best way for us to move forward because you’ve got players on your team that are obviously right now weighing what they want to do.

“But also, from a program standpoint, you also have all these players that have entered the portal who are also reaching out to UConn that would like to potentially play here, too.”

UConn has two four-star freshmen set to join the program in big-bodied 6-foot-6 wing Colben Landrew and 6-4 guard Junior County. Landrew, a national high school player of the year candidate this past season, figures to be further along as a contender for immediate playing time.

Where are UConn men’s basketball stars being projected to go in NBA Draft?

Potential portal targets

The Huskies will have to “cherry pick” at some level in the portal to maintain a roster that has a chance at another championship run. They have already reportedly been in contact with a handful of players as they look to fill some key roles, like Ohio State forward Devin Royal, St. Mary’s center Andrew McKeever, Seton Hall center Najai Hines, Furman guard Alex Wilkins and Charleston Southern guard (and Waterbury native) A’Lahn Sumler, among others.

Royal, a 6-6 power forward, has already picked up a 247Sports “Crystal Ball” prediction to join the Huskies as a potential replacement for Karaban. He’s averaged 13.7 points per game in back-to-back seasons and is a capable rebounder, though 3-point shooting is an area of his game that has improved steadily, up to 31% from beyond the arc this past season.

McKeever, a 7-2, 285-pound rising junior, averaged 8.2 points and 9.2 rebounds in just over 23 minutes per game this past season and could add even more height to the center position with Reibe. Hines is more similar in size to Reed at 6-foot-10, 265 pounds, and just missed out on a Big East all-Freshman Team nod averaging 6.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in just 18 minutes per game off the bench for the Pirates.

UConn was well aware of Wilkins’ game in scouting Furman ahead of their matchup in the first round of this year’s NCAA Tournament. A 6-5 guard from the Boston area, it was clear that Wilkins would be getting high-major interest as he went for 21 points on 4 of 8 shooting from beyond the arc in that tournament game. He averaged 17.8 points and 4.7 assists per game on 32.8% shooting from beyond the arc as a freshman.

Sumler attended Buford High in Georgia before beginning his college career at Northern Kentucky and transferring to spend the last two seasons at Charleston Southern. He averaged 18.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game this year while shooting 39.6% from beyond the arc.

UConn, with a third trip to the national championship game in four years and a coach in Hurley who is viewed as one of, if not the best in the sport, finds itself as a desirable transfer destination. The next few weeks will be all about who will stick around and which direction the staff decides to head in.

But the Huskies, if they can return Demary, Ball, Stewart, Ross and Reibe, maybe Mullins, should be well-positioned to address their needs in the portal and be a contender again in 2026-27.

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Husky of Honor Alex Karaban has played his last game in a UConn uniform, as has fellow senior Tarris Reed Jr.

Freshman Braylon Mullins, who will forever be remembered for his last-second 35-footer against Duke, could follow them out the door too, though his decision hasn’t been made yet.

If Mullins does decide to enter the draft, where might we see these now-former Huskies balling next?

Here’s a look at where they’re being projected in the latest mock drafts.

Braylon Mullins

Bleacher Report: No. 9, Bulls

USA Today: No. 15, Hornets

SB Nation: No. 18, Thunder

Ringer: No. 28, Timberwolves

CBS Sports: No. 30, Mavericks

Mullins projections vary widely, with some having him as a Top-10 pick, and others at the very end of the first round. The swings in opinion make sense– he had a freshman season filled with highs (the Mullins miracle) and lows (injuries, some poor shooting nights). His numbers were good– 12 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1 steal in 28.3 minutes over 33 games. But considering his biggest strength is his shooting ability, Mullins didn’t actually have a great shooting season (42.1% FG, 33.5% from 3-point range). At 6-6, he’s big and has plenty of upside, but injuries and inconsistency have some questioning whether he’d be better served coming back to UConn and developing his body and game for another year.

If he does declare for the draft, where Mullins ultimately goes will depend on how much a team falls in love with his potential. This year’s draft class is notoriously stacked– in a way that had NBA teams tanking before the ball was even tipped this season– so it could serve Mullins to hang back and try his luck as a bigger, stronger, less-injury prone 20-year-old next year. He would also have the chance to prove he can lead the Huskies as one of the team’s main options, and put any concerns about consistency to bed. If Mullins gets intel that he’ll go in the lottery or even mid-first round, you’d have to think he’ll be gone. Otherwise, it could be a tough decision.

UConn Notes: Braylon Mullins finished freshman season ‘like a man,’ now has tough decision to make

Alex Karaban

NBADraft.net: No. 38, Mavericks

Sports Illustrated: No. 39, Rockets

Bleacher Report: No. 41, Heat

He’s one of the great winners in college basketball history, and after deciding against leaving early twice, Karaban will now find out how much NBA teams value his game. At 6-8, he’s got the requisite size to be an NBA wing. He’s also shown the ability to be a terrific 3-point shooter, though like Mullins, he struggled a bit more with his shot than would have been ideal.

Karaban shot 37.4% from 3 this season, and his best shooting season actually came as a freshman (40.2%). He went through slumps as his role increased, and as he was keyed in on by opponents defensively. Still, his shooting ability isn’t the main question NBA teams will have– that will be his athleticism, lateral quickness and ability to playmake and defend. NBA athletes are on a different level, and Karaban will have to prove he can guard both on the perimeter and inside. He also struggled to get open at times, which could be another major issue against NBA defenders, though floor spacing and the gravity of playmakers he’s on the court with could help him there.

Regardless, there’s a spot for tough, smart leaders who know how to win, and Karaban is certainly one of those. Most projections have him coming off the board in the early-to-mid second round, and if he lands with the right team, he could make an impact.

Dom Amore: For Alex Karaban, UConn men, pride showed through pain of losing championship game

Tarris Reed Jr.

SB Nation: No. 30, Mavericks

NBADraft.net: No. 32, Pacers

Bleacher Report: No. 33, Nets

CBS Sports: No. 38, Mavericks

Much like former UConn great Adama Sanogo, Reed’s issue is– as ridiculous as this is to say about someone listed as 6-11– that he’s going to be perceived as undersized. Sure, Reed has a few inches on Sanogo, who was listed at 6-9, but the two have similar games that reflect that of a classic, post-up big-man. Both were monsters on the boards and couldn’t be stopped at times inside. Sanogo was the Most Outstanding Player in the ’23 Final Four, and Reed carried these Huskies to the Final Four on his back. UConn might have lost in the first round without him (who could forget his record-breaking 31 points and 27 rebounds against Furman) and likely would have been run out of the gym without his 26 points and 9 rebounds against Duke.

Reed proved to be one of the best big men in the country this season, and he improved greatly during his time in Storrs, eventually developing into one of the better bigs the Huskies have ever had.

Still, today’s NBA values bigs who can either shoot from the perimeter, or have crazy length and can defend, rebound and block shots, and run in transition. Reed’s numbers (14.7 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks in 27.3 minutes per game) suggest he may have a chance to make an impact at the next level, which is why he’s trending towards the late-first or early second round.

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The Wolverines (37-3) claimed all 57 votes in Tuesday’s poll in the third year the AP has released its final rankings after the completion of the NCAA Tournament. Michigan beat UConn 69-63 in Indianapolis on Monday night to complete the winningest season in program history, along with winning its first NCAA title since 1989 and the Big Ten’s first since 2000.

Michigan spent a week at No. 1 in mid-February and didn’t rank lower than fourth after November in its second season under Dusty May.

Yaxel Lendeborg, an AP first-team All-American, had said before the Final Four that this could go down as the best team in program history, including the famed “Fab Five” freshman teams that reached the NCAA title game in 1992 and 1993. Standing amid the confetti on the court after Monday night’s win, Lendeborg figured this year’s group had done enough to earn that distinction.

“I think we are, man,” said Lendeborg, who battled through ankle and knee injuries suffered in the win against Arizona in the national semifinals. “I’m waiting for the Fab Five to give us the approval. But if they do, then I’ll let it be said that we’re the best team ever.”

UConn (34-6) jumped five spots to No. 2 after its March Madness run, including an incredible comeback from 19 down to stun Duke in the Elite Eight and keep alive its chances for a third national title in four seasons. Arizona was third, followed by Duke, which held the No. 1 ranking before March Madness and was the tournament’s top overall seed before a loss to UConn in the Elite Eight.

Illinois was next, climbing eight spots to No. 5 after the program’s first trip to the Final Four since 2005. That marked the second time that a team went from being ranked outside the top 10 to cracking the top five after a Final Four run, the other being Alabama jumping 16 spots to No. 3 to end the 2024 season.

Purdue, Houston, Iowa State, Florida and St. John’s rounded out the top 10.

Tennessee finished at No. 12 after reaching the Elite Eight for the third straight year. The Volunteers’ postseason push vaulted them 11 spots, making them the biggest climber from the March 16 poll before the NCAA Tournament.

In all, nine teams ranked from the previous poll moved up in the season’s final rankings. Meanwhile, Virginia had the poll’s biggest tumble, falling eight spots to No. 17 after falling in the second round to the Volunteers as a 3-seed.

Michigan is No. 1 in the final Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll for the 2025-26 season after winning the program’s first national championship in 37 years.

The Wolverines (37-3) claimed all 57 votes in Tuesday’s poll in the third year the AP has released its final rankings after the completion of the NCAA Tournament. Michigan beat UConn 69-63 in Indianapolis on Monday night to complete the winningest season in program history, along with winning its first NCAA title since 1989 and the Big Ten’s first since 2000.

Michigan spent a week at No. 1 in mid-February and didn’t rank lower than fourth after November in its second season under Dusty May.

Yaxel Lendeborg, an AP first-team All-American, had said before the Final Four that this could go down as the best team in program history, including the famed “Fab Five” freshman teams that reached the NCAA title game in 1992 and 1993. Standing amid the confetti on the court after Monday night’s win, Lendeborg figured this year’s group had done enough to earn that distinction.

“I think we are, man,” said Lendeborg, who battled through ankle and knee injuries suffered in the win against Arizona in the national semifinals. “I’m waiting for the Fab Five to give us the approval. But if they do, then I’ll let it be said that we’re the best team ever.”

The top tier

UConn (34-6) jumped five spots to No. 2 after its March Madness run, including an incredible comeback from 19 down to stun Duke in the Elite Eight and keep alive its chances for a third national title in four seasons. Arizona was third, followed by Duke, which held the No. 1 ranking before March Madness and was the tournament’s top overall seed before a loss to UConn in the Elite Eight.

Illinois was next, climbing eight spots to No. 5 after the program’s first trip to the Final Four since 2005. That marked the second time that a team went from being ranked outside the top 10 to cracking the top five after a Final Four run, the other being Alabama jumping 16 spots to No. 3 to end the 2024 season.

Purdue, Houston, Iowa State, Florida and St. John’s rounded out the top 10.

Climbing to final position

Tennessee finished at No. 12 after reaching the Elite Eight for the third straight year. The Volunteers’ postseason push vaulted them 11 spots, making them the biggest climber from the March 16 poll before the NCAA Tournament.

In all, nine teams ranked from the previous poll moved up in the season’s final rankings.

Last slide

Virginia had the poll’s biggest tumble, falling eight spots to No. 17 after falling in the second round to the Volunteers as a 3-seed.

No. 18 Gonzaga and No. 25 Wisconsin both fell six spots after failing to make the second weekend. The Cavaliers, Zags and Badgers were among 11 ranked teams from March 16 to tumble while still remaining inside the final poll.

In and out

Iowa and Texas both jumped into the poll after being unranked heading into March Madness. The Hawkeyes finished the season ranked No. 15 after reaching the Elite Eight in a run that included a second-round upset of top-seeded Florida.

Iowa’s jump marked the third time a team that was unranked going into the NCAAs hopped into the top 15 in the post-tournament AP poll. The other two came in 2024, with N.C. State sitting at No. 10 after its improbable Final Four run and Clemson at No. 14 after reaching the Elite Eight.

The 22nd-ranked Longhorns entered the poll after going from the First Four to the Sweet 16.

Iowa and Texas replaced North Carolina (No. 21) and St. Mary’s (No. 22) from the previous poll.

Conference watch

The Big Ten dominated this year’s tournament, first by getting a league-record six teams into the Sweet 16 then tying the tournament’s overall record with four teams in the Elite Eight before ultimately sending Michigan and Illinois to Indianapolis. The league finished with a national-best seven teams in the final AP Top 25 of the season.

The Southeastern Conference was next with six ranked teams, followed by the Big 12 with five, the Atlantic Coast Conference with four and the Big East with two. The West Coast Conference with Gonzaga was the only league from outside the power conferences to have a Top 25 team.

___

AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

On Tuesday, the transfer portal opened and it would be time for some tough decisions to be considered.

“I imagine I’ll be in meetings tomorrow,” coach Dan Hurley said, laughing at the reality. “There won’t be a quick two-day vacation with the wife… No, we’ll be – (general manager) Tom Moore time.”

For freshman Braylon Mullins, the decision will be whether he decides to enter the NBA Draft. Mullins is projected to be a mid-first round pick and could potentially hear his name called in the lottery. Bleacher Report had him at No. 9 overall to the Chicago Bulls in its mock draft on Tuesday, and USA Today pegged him at No. 15 to join the Huskies’ last one-and-done, Liam McNeeley, with the Charlotte Hornets.

“I think just being in the present right now, trying to get over this hump and have the rest, it’s gonna feel good, I think the body definitely needs that,” Mullins said, fighting through tears at his locker after the championship game. “I don’t know what my future holds. I’ll do whatever makes me a better person and a player.”

Mullins will forever be known for his last-second, game-winning shot from 35 feet to complete the 19-point comeback and beat Duke in the Elite Eight, sending the Huskies back to his home state for the Final Four.

He had 15 points and four 3-pointers in the win over Illinois when he got there and scored 11 with seven rebounds as the Huskies kept the game close with Michigan Monday night. Mullins finished his freshman season averaging 12.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game and shooting 33.5% from beyond the arc – a number that took a serious hit with a shooting slump that lasted until the Final Four.

“He played like a man,” Hurley said. “Braylon shouldered a lot of what we needed on offense, as a perimeter defender, just a lot of responsibilities for such a young player. So much was asked of him and he handled it like a champ. Like a humble kid who’s got great parents and came from a great high school coach, so yeah, he’s a special guy.”

“He’s been one of my favorite teammates,” Alex Karaban said. “Just the maturity that he has as a freshman, just who he is as a person, it’s just fun being around Braylon Mullins. I know it’s gonna sting right now for him, but it’s a memory he’s going to have forever, being in the Final Four in his home state. He’s gonna look back at it in 30 years and be proud of it. There’s always going to be this moment that stings, but regardless I’m always proud of Braylon, just what he’s done this whole year.”

Hurley gives his thoughts on the officiating

Hurley wasn’t going to bring it up, but it had to be asked.

There were 11 fouls called on the Huskies in the first half on Monday night to just five on Michigan. The Wolverines shot 12 free throws before the break and made 11, while UConn went 4 of 6 from the line.

The disparity, Michigan finishing the game plus-13 from the charity stripe, was the difference in the game, and it also forced the Huskies to manage early foul trouble to lead guards Silas Demary Jr. and Solo Ball, as well as center Tarris Reed Jr.

“It’s not the reason why we lost the game. Obviously plus-13 at the free-throw line, plus-12 in attempts. I just thought that the first-half foul trouble really — I thought we were positioned if we didn’t have that foul trouble to potentially go into halftime with a lead,” Hurley said. “You go in with a lead and they make a run, you’re down five instead of 11. But we also, too, a problem for our team has been undisciplined fouling at times. But it’s hard to ref that game. We both played so hard. That’s not an easy game to officiate. If I could have those three guys ref every game the rest of my career, I would sleep well at night.”

“What I’m gonna do is I’m gonna go back to the hotel and I’m going to watch the game,” he said. “It’s part of it. Sometimes you get a good whistle, sometimes you don’t … Solo was the one guy that was shooting well along with AK, so that foul trouble hurt. And then obviously not having Tarris in there to deal with those guys was tough.”

Bidding farewell to Luke Murray

Hurley almost got emotional talking about assistant coach Luke Murray as he was introduced as the new head coach at Boston College before the Huskies left for the Final Four. Murray, 41, began his college coaching career in 2007 as the director of basketball operations at Quinnipiac under Tom Moore, and was hired by Hurley at Wagner in 2010, when he was just 24 years old. The two coached together at Rhode Island and reunited at UConn in 2021.

“Luke is like a brother. We’re both very similar. We’re both hard to work with,” Hurley said Monday night, laughing. “No, we’re very similar though. We’re like the same person, and we’re both bald. He’s a brother. He’s worked with me at every place I’ve been. We’ve made each other better. We’ve got a deep friendship. Boston College is about to have a renaissance in basketball.”

By the time the game ended and his players shed their own tears back in the locker room at the realization of the loss to Michigan and the end of the season, he wasn’t feeling the sadness.

“Last year he was crying. This year he definitely didn’t cry and it just meant more,” said senior center Tarris Reed Jr. “Just the fight that we had to go out there and just to give it our all.”

Michigan had been a dominant team all season long. The Wolverines had the No. 1-ranked defense and No. 4 offense in the nation, they’d lost only three games all season and dominated worthy tournament opponents by an average of 21.6 points along their road to the title game. UConn held them to 69 points on Monday night, which was the third-fewest they’ve scored in a game all season, and never trailed by more than 11 before cutting the deficit to just four in the final minute.

“It’s a team I’ll never forget,” Hurley said. “Just grew to love them. Your heart breaks for them. Your heart breaks for how far the group came and what they were able to deliver for our fans, for the staff, for the students, for the state. Your heart breaks. But that’s the risk you’ve got to be willing to take. You’ve got to be willing to commit everything you have to your purpose or your passion or what you do, and when you have the highest of goals, sometimes you’re gonna have your heart broken. And it’s heartbreaking that we weren’t able to find a way there. Credit Michigan, they’re an excellent team and a worthy champion.”

Dom Amore: For Alex Karaban, UConn men, pride showed through pain of losing championship game

“I’ll take how we went out,” he said. “It was a soldier’s death and we all went out on our shield tonight.”

UConn finished the season with a 34-6 overall record, tying Jim Calhoun’s 1998-99 first national championship team with the second-highest win total in program history. It was the third 30-win season – and the third championship game appearance – in the last four years.

“If we would’ve went out in the Sweet 16 or something, with our inability to get the Big East hardware that we wanted, I think I’d be crying more and I’d be more emotionally disappointed and distraught,” Hurley said. “But we were able to validate our season by getting to the championship game and really making Michigan have to fight and earn it tonight. They hadn’t really had to fight that hard in an NCAA Tournament game here.”

Hurley came into Indianapolis saying the Huskies came for rings, not watches, which everyone in the program received once they got off the plane for reaching the Final Four.

“We didn’t come for second place, we didn’t come here for watches – I’ll accept my watch, it’s a nice watch too. It is, it’s a nice watch. I don’t want to diminish the value of the watch, but we came here to hang a banner, we came here to win a ring. The difference between what (Michigan) is gonna experience now and what we’re gonna experience now is night and day, and they’ve earned that. They deserve it. But (our) team couldn’t have given more. Our 2026 team is gonna be one that our fans are gonna remember for a long time just because of the ride that they gave them this time of year, especially,” Hurley said.

What will next season’s UConn men’s basketball roster look like?

“We’re gonna be in this position a lot,” he continued. “I’m not minimizing it, this is a heck of an accomplishment to be able to get here three out of four years, to be in the national championship game. I’m not that arrogant of a guy that’s gonna say, ‘Hey, we’ll see you here next year for the championship game.’ I mean, this thing’s hard. This is a hard, hard tournament. There’s some great teams that didn’t get to this last night. But just the culture and the commitment, I’m confident in the roster we’ll be able to put together and obviously now the portal’s open. I don’t know, did anyone go in yet?”

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — UConn executed coach Dan Hurley’s game plan in Monday night’s national championship slugfest against Michigan.

The Huskies were physical, controlled the pace and held the Wolverines’ potent offense in check. But this time, the big shots that propelled them to the cusp of a third national championship in four seasons simply didn’t fall.

Not for fabulous freshman Braylon Mullins, not for record-breaking forward Alex Karaban, not even for Malachi Smith, who missed a layup with 7 seconds left that might have kept hope alive in Storrs, Connecticut. Instead, UConn came up short in a 69-63 loss, its first in seven title game appearances, thwarting its chance to become the first team since the UCLA dynasty of the 1960s and 1970s to win three crowns in such quick succession.

“This is where you wanted to be. It hasn’t set in yet,” Hurley said. “On the flight (Monday) it’ll set in, on the bus ride back. Eventually it’ll hit you that you were close to pulling off what would have been a historic third championship. But this team just gave us so much this year — just didn’t make enough shots.”

Karaban also had a shot to become the first player to win three titles since UCLA captured eight during a nine-season span from 1967-75. He played all 40 minutes in his finale and leaves UConn as the school’s leader in games played (151), wins (126) and 3-pointers (292).

UConn picked the wrong night to shoot a season-low 30.9% from the field and a dismal 27.3% from 3-point range. The Huskies were even worse in the second half: 28.9% from the field and 4 of 18 from beyond the arc.

Maybe UConn didn’t have enough fight left after it survived the tourney’s top seed, Duke, with a 19-point comeback in the regional semifinals and after winning a 71-62 bruiser against Illinois on Saturday night.

This loss was UConn’s first after the second round of an NCAA Tournament since 2011, ending a 19-game winning streak in the toughest parts of the bracket.

Michigan, which won its second national title and first since 1989, also brought plenty of physicality to the matchup. The Wolverines held each of their last four opponents to season-low shooting percentages.

They relied on the Big Ten’s brand of bully ball to get UConn into foul trouble, win the wrestling matches for loose balls and eventually wear down the perimeter shooters who had saved UConn in its incredible 19-point comeback against Duke.

This time, it was the Huskies’ shooters who came up empty.

Mullins scored 11 points on 4-of-17 shooting, including 3 of 10 on 3s. After opening the game by making his first two shots, Karaban made three of his next 12 and converted only one of his last eight 3-point attempts to finish with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Nobody else was much better. Big man Tarris Reed Jr. finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds but was 4 of 12 from the field. And while Mullins and Karaban combined for six 3s, the rest of the team was 3 of 13 beyond the arc.

“We came up short, missed some shots we normally make, but we gave it our all,” Karaban said.

The shooting woes were compounded by UConn’s foul trouble.

Reed, Solo Ball and Silas Demary Jr. all finished the first half on the bench with two fouls. Ball picked up his third just 29 seconds into the second half and his fourth with 16:20 remaining.

He finished with 11 points but had no assists while playing on a sprained left foot.

“It’s definitely frustrating not being on the court for that long, and it hurts my team at the moment,” Ball sad. “But this has been the most fun year of my life with this group of guys, and I just cherish this team.”

Even though UConn held Michigan to its worst shooting of the tournament — 38.2% — the Huskies came up just short too many times.

“I’m not real emotional. Players are crying a lot more than I am,” Hurley said. “It’s hard to be upset with your team. We lost the game because we missed. We missed — we didn’t make enough shots.”

___

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

And that’s how it ended, the national championship game on April 6 the ultimate expiration date. Karaban’s four years at UConn, during which he grew from freshman with fledgling social skills to become the winningest player and face of the most successful team in college basketball, ended painfully.

He faced the end, faced down the pain with a fierce pride. There would be no tears this year, he’d fight them back at the podium at Lucas Oil Stadium, and he’d fight them back at his locker before taking off the jersey for the last time. Just the grimace of a grown man suppressing the tears, even a smile breaking through as he thought about all that has happened, all he has done.

“I feel blessed that I’ve been able to wear this jersey for the longest amount of time possible,” Karaban said, following the Huskies’ 69-63 loss to Michigan on Monday night, “the max amount, the max amount of minutes, the max amount of games this season. I came back ultimately to win, fell short. So it hurts right now. It hurts a lot right now. I’m just reminding myself right now that when I came into UConn how much I’ve grown, and I’m ultimately leaving UConn in a better place right now from where I started. I gave it everything I’ve got. I gave it my heart. I gave everything. All I thought about was UConn basketball every single day. For it now, now that I’m leaving and for UConn to be one of the best brands in college basketball and to be at the top, I left it better than when it started. I’m most proud of that.”

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The max amount, right to the last seconds. Coach Dan Hurley determined before the game that, if at all possible, his senior and captain would play the whole 40 minutes. The Huskies went down to defeat against a team that was favored to win, but they went down the way champions and athletic warriors should — they “fell in their shields,” Hurley said, in the last moments of the last possible battle.

“(Karaban) has put UConn in that rarefied place in college basketball,” Hurley said. “Everyone owes everything to that guy, and I figure, let me just play him, let me play him into the ground one more time, just one more 40-minute game for Alex. Let me just play that guy into the ground one more night like I have throughout his career. He deserved to play 40 minutes.”

Michigan (37-3) scored more than 90 points in each of the previous five NCAA Tournament games, blowing everybody out until Hurley’s Huskies forced the Wolverines to play at the pace UConn wanted. They shot 38 percent and scored 69 points, giving UConn a chance. There was a wide discrepancy in fouls called, 22 against UConn to 13, and Michigan made 25 of 28 at the line, UConn 12 of 16. The Huskies had to play long stretches without point guard Silas Demary Jr., who fouled out, center Tarris Reed Jr. and Solo Ball, all in foul trouble. But Hurley did not make a postgame issue of the officiating. The Huskies fought the bigger Wolverines for 22 offensive rebounds, and got off 13 more shots from the floor, 68 to 55, yet made the same number of field goals, 21, and therein hung the defeat.

This is the game, the life, Alex Karaban chose. He went 5-for-14 from the floor, scored 17 points and had 11 rebounds, but sometimes the shots don’t fall. The Huskies missed 12 shots in a row from 3-point range, many of them open looks, and fell 11 points behind in the second half, then just couldn’t catch up. Karaban’s last shot could have made it a one-point game, though, that’s how close the Huskies were to trying for another miracle finish.

“You’ve got to have that level of belief,” Karaban said, “you’ve got to believe in yourself, especially when you’re playing a team like that. If you have 99 percent belief, you don’t win. You’ve got to have 100 percent belief and do everything in your power to help win.”

Karaban’s four years at UConn were about 100 percent belief, in his coach, in the teammates who helped win championships his first two years and get so close to a third. The goals were great, off-the-charts. Not since the 1970s has any player played on three championship teams, and Karaban needed only one win to do it.

UConn men’s basketball falls to Michigan in national championship game, 69-63

That Karaban did not get there will, in time, become irrelevant. That he came so close, returned to college for third and fourth years rather than take his chances with the NBA Draft, and spent himself so completely in the quest for title No. 3 will make him a Huskies icon.

“He made me grow as a person, as a player,” said freshman Braylon Mullins, whose winning shot against Duke vaulted the Huskies back to the Final Four. “He’s basically another coach on the floor. To learn how he operates on the floor, taking that for myself, it made me a better player. I can’t thank him enough. He’s a special person.”

Mullins was emotional and a few tears dampened his cheeks. The older guys held it together, barely.

“I might cry up here just talking about just the impact he’s had,” Solo Ball said, “in the locker room, throughout every single practice, every single game. He’s just always there, and he’s the same person every single day. He doesn’t change. Incredibly smart, great guy off the court. I’m going to miss this guy so much. He’s going to make so much noise, and I know he’s deserving of everything that’s coming his way because of how hard he works.”

What will next season’s UConn men’s basketball roster look like?

And Reed: “He’s like the most passionate, competitive, loyal person I’ve ever met. Just the love he has for the game, the love he has for us, just a leader. I’ve never met a person like AK that shows up every day despite good game, bad game, bad day, good day. Getting yelled at by Coach, getting yelled at by us. But he’s an everyday guy, honest guy who’s going to show up whenever for his team. Like it showed tonight. He gave it his all and just a true heart of a champion.”

Now, the NBA team willing to forget he is 23, and not 19 or 21, and give him a chance will get the best version of Alex Karaban, he said. When the Huskies were eliminated by Florida a year ago, a tearful Karaban said he didn’t want to take the jersey off. He had to take it off for good on Monday night, but the U-C-O-N-N and No. 11 will somehow remain underneath. He won’t have three championship rings to show for four years at UConn, where he arrived a shy kid from Central Mass., and walked out of the arena for the last time as a grown man. The end had come, the last ounce of effort expended, and the pride was slowly overtaking the pain.

“I care about winning; I have done everything in my power to help this program win,” Karaban said. “I want to do everything every time I step out at night and give it my all. For Coach to play me 40 minutes, I can’t thank him enough. That’s all I wanted. That’s all I wanted, is to give everything I got, leave everything I’ve got out there and try to do everything to help us win.”