UConn HC Dan Hurley toasts Huskies culture after win over Ohio State
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The UConn Huskies passed their first real test of the season on Friday night, and Dan Hurley credited the program’s culture for carrying his team past Ohio State.
No. 4 UConn pulled away in the second half for an 84-68 win over the Buckeyes in Hartford, improving to 4-0. Hurley told TNT Sports’ Andy Katz that his team’s identity showed up when it mattered.
“I mean, we’re UConn. You know, like, we’re UConn, we’re dealing with some medical stuff, not just with Nik, but, you know, we just got a culture and a mindset, and I think those guys are good. You know, I liken them a lot to the Texas team that came in here last year at this time, and, you know, they got some great pieces, just take a little bit of time to gel,” Hurley said after the game.
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Dan Hurley tells @TheAndyKatz@UConnMBB's culture and mindset is what pushed them ahead against Ohio State 🔥 pic.twitter.com/tlwJwrnD9U
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) November 14, 2026
The Huskies are already playing without forward Nik Khamenia, who is expected to miss several weeks with a foot injury suffered against Wagner.
UConn led by double digits early, but the Buckeyes closed the first half on a 13-1 run and trailed just 42-40 at the break. Ohio State then grabbed its first lead early in the second half on a Justin Pippen 3-pointer.
That is when Braylon Mullins took over. With UConn down two, Mullins scored five straight points, and Jayden Ross followed with a 3-pointer with 13:57 left. The Huskies never trailed again, outscoring the Buckeyes 42-28 in the second half.
Mullins finished with a team-high 22 points and five triples before hobbling off with 6:07 remaining. Na’jai Hines added 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting, scoring 17 of them after halftime.
“Well, that’s how you make up for the [Khamenia] loss. You know, we got to get more from our bigs,” Hurley said.
He also wants more from his guards and his defense.
“We got to have our backcourt show up and play like the best backcourt in the country, and, you know, we got to turn it up at the defensive end like we did the last 12 to 15 minutes,” he added.
UConn will face a much tougher test on Wednesday when it visits No. 12 Arizona.
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