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2026 UConn Huskies Basketball Predictions and Odds to Win the National Championship

by Ryan Cobbett - 10/26/2026

UConn Huskies basketball predictions Braylon Mullins

The UConn basketball team had a legit chance to establish a dynasty. However, that window seems to shut after this season. Dan Hurley and the 2026-27 UConn Huskies will look to win their third national title in five years. They came up just short a year ago, losing in the National Championship, 69-63, to Michigan. Regardless of ending the season on a loss, they managed to win 34 games and are now more motivated than ever to be the one cutting down the nets.

The Huskies have lost a lot of talent from last year’s roster, but Hurley did a good job bringing in proven major talent along with some wild card X-Factors from mid-major programs. Hurley is undeniably one of the best coaches in the nation, he showcases a roster with some significant postseason experience, and now he is looking to firmly establish the UConn Huskies as a dynasty team.

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UConn Huskies Basketball Summary of Last Season

The Huskies had a great season but fell just short of cutting down the nets for the third time in four years. The Huskies finished the regular season with a 27-4 record and a 17-3 record in Big East play. They lost just two games against unranked opponents (Creighton and Marquette), and their other two losses came against the fourth ranked Arizona Wildcats and the 22nd ranked St. John’s Red Storm. While they did lose some tough ones to unranked opponents, they boosted their resume with wins over #7 BYU. #13 Illinois, #21 Kansas, #18 Florida, #15 St. Johns, and #25 Seton Hall. The Huskies stormed through their first two games in the Big East tournament, but they were totally humiliated by St. John’s in the conference final. UConn claimed at No. 2 Seed in March Madness, and they took down Furman and UCLA in the first two rounds, Michigan State in the Sweet 16, Duke in the Elite Eight, and Illinois in the Final Four. Unfortunately, they fell short of glory as they were beaten by Michigan 69-63 in the National Championship game.

The strength of this Huskies team was their defense. They had the 10th ranked scoring defense in the country last season as they held opponents to just 65.2 PPG. The Huskies held their opposition to just 40.3% shooting and 30.2% shooting success from deep. Offensively, they were average. They finished sixth in the Big East in scoring (76.6 PPG). They led the conference with a +7.3-APG differential and a +5.2-RPG differential. Tarris Reed Jr. was the team’s leading scorer after averaging 14.7 PPG. He also led the way with nine RPG and two BPG. He shot 60.7% from the floor and finished fourth on the team with 2.3 APG. Alex Karaban finished behind Reed with 13.2 PPG and 5.2 RPG while shooting 46.4% from the floor and 37.4% from deep. Solo Ball (12.8 PPG), Braylon Mullins (12 PPG), and Silas Demary Jr. (10.1 PPG) all averaged double-digit points as well. Demary led the team with 5.9 APG and he shot 38.5% from deep. Demary, Karaban, Mullins, and Ball all averaged 80% or better from the free throw line.

2026 UConn Huskies Basketball Key Additions/Losses

Reed was drafted 26th overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Draft. Karaban was drafted three picks later by the Sacramento Kings. In addition to losing their top two scorers, they lost some key depth pieces as well. Center Eric Reibe transferred to USC after averaging 5.9 PPG in 13.8 MPG. Forward Jaylin Stewart left for SMU after averaging 4.2 PPG in 16.2 MPG. They also lost guard Jacob Furphy, who transferred to Boston College. The Huskies will also be without Ball this season after taking a medical redshirt as he recovers from his wrist injury.

With their top three scorers from a year ago not on the roster for the ensuing campaign, Hurley had a lot of work to do this offseason in order to prepare a roster that could win the National Championship. They did bring in three four-star players in Colben Landrew, Junior County, and Egor Amosov. The Huskies brought in graduate transfer Isaiah Shaw, who averaged a career high 8.1 PPG for Northern Arizona last season. Shaw is a dangerous three-point threat who shot 46.4% from deep last season. They also brought in the high-scoring Nil Machowski, who averaged 17.2 PPG for Wofford last season. Machowski also shot 38.2% from deep and averaged 5.7 RPG. UConn added more depth pieces like Jaye Nash, who averaged 5.1 PPG for Jacksonville State, Oskar Giltay, who averaged 3.3 PPG and 4.1 RPG for Stanford, Nik Khamenia, who averaged 5.7 PPG for Duke, Na’Jai Hines, who averaged 6.5 PPG and 5.5 RPG for Seton Hall, and Elmir Dzafic, who appeared in seven games for Arkansas last season.

2026 UConn Huskies Basketball Schedule Breakdown

Home- #17 Kansas, #13 St. John’s

Away- #5 Arizona, Creighton, #13 St. John’s

Neutral- #16 Michigan, #2 Duke, #3 Illinois, #9 Virginia

2026 UConn Huskies X-Factors/Big Questions

Can UConn recover from Solo Ball’s injury?

Mullins and Demary are going to have to step up big time with Ball’s absence. The Huskies did a good job adding depth to the roster, but the newcomers may lack the offensive firepower that they could have had in Ball. The newcomers compliment Demary as some serious three-point options, but the Huskies will need to dominate on the defensive side of the ball once again this season if they want to be as dominant as they were a year ago.

2026 UConn Huskies Basketball Notable Odds:

National Championship: +1250

Big East Champion: -140

AP Top 25: 4th

Andy Katz’s Power 44: 5th  

Wooden Winner- Braylon Mullins: +2200

2026 UConn Huskies Basketball Predictions:

While the Huskies will be without their top three scorers from a season ago, there is a lot more depth on this year’s team compared to last year. Mullins has flashed elite potential and Demary is not only great at knocking down threes, but he can create opportunities for his teammates. Machowski needs to see his production stay consistent despite the increase in opposition. Shaw, Khamenia, and Hines all have an opportunity to be nice depth pieces here and take some of the pressure off of Mullins and Demary to not have to do it all. UConn is going to be another solid team this year, but the lack of a superstar may be concerning.

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