A night in the shoes of Braylon Mullins versus Florida
The No. 5 UConn men’s basketball team continued its gauntlet of an out-of-conference schedule this Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. Connecticut was tasked with No. 18 Florida, the grudge match to last year’s second-round NCAA Tournament loss. This is the second time in three years that the Huskies have participated in the Jimmy V. Classic. If UConn wishes to win its third national championship in four seasons, it will need its entire roster firing on all cylinders, including their highly touted freshman Braylon Mullins. While Mullins came off the bench against the Gators, he is a player Connecticut will rely on not only this Friday against Texas but for the rest of the 2025-2026 campaign. Given all of this, I decided to take some inspiration from James L. Edwards III’s piece published in The Athletic. I followed the 6-foot-6 guard from afar in this contest, noting all the ways that he contributed to UConn’s 77-73 win.
First Half
While Mullins did not start Tuesday night, it did not take him long to join in on the action, coming off the bench at the 14:53 point in the first half.
13:14: If you blinked, you might have missed the freshman being on the floor at all. Mullins picked up a pair of quick fouls. After being beaten defensively by Xaivian Lee, he picked up his second whistle, hooking the Gator guard on the arm. While his second foul on Lee was undisciplined, he was hardly the only offender.
Fouling was a significant theme in the first half, taking Florida less than 10 minutes to get into the bonus. The whistle tonight was unusually loose, with both sides complaining about some of the calls, which, in most cases, aren’t called at all.
While Mullins never returned to the floor in the first half, he is still adjusting to college. The freshman had a difficult situation; playing his third college game at Madison Square Garden against Florida, and a hard-nosed defender in Lee, is not an easy task. Being guarded so tightly will give anyone fits and can throw off the rhythm of even the most seasoned players in the country, let alone a freshman. Despite him struggling for the first 20 minutes, Mullins reflected on his first half and told the media what his mindset was.
“The second half, it was just kind of just find a rhythm. Do anything to help the team,” Mullins said. “I’ll be honest with you, I just wanted to win the game. That’s how I came in with, that mentality.”
Second Half
The first half was one that the freshman will not want to keep in the memory bank for too long. However, he wasn’t afforded much time to dwell on his performance, checking in early in the second half after Connecticut’s lead shrunk to just one point, 43-42.
14:45: Mullins made his second-half debut, checking in for Jaylin Stewart. His start was not the most encouraging, as he picked up his third foul immediately. However, after a quick chat with his teammates, he was good to go.
14:04: Mullins got the ball at the top of the key. He dribbled to the left block and attempted his first field goal. While he missed it, he created a lot of space thanks to a great step back. This was a high percentage look, and that is the exact shot that the UConn coaching staff wants him to take.
12:40: After getting yet another open look, Mullins lets it fly a few steps behind the three-point line. It almost fell for him, but there is no doubt that the Connecticut coaching staff is trying to get him more involved after sitting on the bench for so long. For the past two and a half minutes, he has touched the ball on nearly every possession and taken more than one screen.
11:29: After much perseverance, the freshman gets his first shot to fall. Like his first shot attempt, Mullins lost his man, creating much space on a lethal step back. Similar to what he displayed on Dec. 2nd at Kansas, his fadeaway jumper is no joke.
8:57: While Mullins is known to be a shot creator, the freshman also possesses a quick first step, allowing him to beat his defender for a chance at the rim. After a switch, he had a mismatch and exploited it. Mullins hesitated, then blew by Alex Condon for an easy layup; a perfect display of his scoring versatility.
7:40: Down one possession, Mullins did an excellent job using the screen at the top of the key; he shimmied down and nailed a jump shot at the free throw line. The UConn offense often uses screens, whether the screener immediately stays, peels back, or rolls out; this facet of the Huskies’ offense pairs well with Mullins’ shooting ability and will be a significant theme throughout the season.
5:57: After many screens and switching, Mullins picked up Condon, along with Eric Riebe. The freshman was out of position guarding the Florida big man and hacked him; Condon made his layup. This was Mullins’ fourth foul, and Jayden Ross subbed in for the freshman.
2:40: Mullins’ night ended after fouling Rueben Chinyelu; the freshman fouled him after falling behind the Gator center, a recurring theme for Mullins on Tuesday night.
The good and the bad
Final line: 6 pts (3-5), 2 ast, 1 reb
All in all, Tuesday night was an encouraging performance for Mullins. While some fans may be quick to judge him for scoring only six points and fouling out, there were many positive takeaways. Tuesday night was only the freshmen’s third game all season, and playing Florida at the Garden isn’t exactly a tune-up game. Mullins showed resilience, putting his poor first half behind him and making tough buckets down the stretch when Connecticut needed it most. After tonight, the guard’s character and toughness cannot be questioned, and he performed when the pressure was greatest, a key green flag with postseason basketball looming. Alex Karaban told the media that he has been impressed so far with his teammate’s performance.
“And then Braylon, what he gave us in the second half changed the game for us, and he’s only a freshman playing. Basically got thrown into the fire with these type of games,” Karaban said.
Postgame, Connecticut head coach Dan Hurley was similarly not afraid to give Mullins credit for his play.
“He’s a confident guy,” Hurley said. “For a young player to be able to put the first half behind him that was a mess, and for him to do what he did in the second half, it shows his quality. He’s a beast.”
