After getting to the national championship game for the third time in four years last season, the expectations remain high for the University of Connecticut men's basketball program in 2026-27.

And they should, even despite losing standouts Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed Jr. to the NBA Draft. After all, even without them, the Huskies return the standout backcourt duo of Braylon Mullins and Silas Demary Jr., and they've added intriguing names via the transfer portal and on the traditional high school recruiting circuit.

As the Huskies are playing one of the toughest non-league schedules ever created, they should be fully battle-tested by the time we get to next year's version of March Madness. That experience should be another excellent factor for them as they chase another title.

While everyone seems to agree that UConn can have great success again next season, it seems that everyone has the same general question about Dan Hurley's team that we raised earlier this month: What do we make of the front court?

This is what we wrote on July 6:

The Huskies are going to be led by rising senior Silas Demary Jr. and sophomore Braylon Mullins. Both are very good players, but without a lot of help down low, teams will be able to key on them on the outside, likely making life tougher offensively.

How will these two players respond, and what contributions will they get from other perimeter and wing players on the roster, including Nils Machowski and Nik Khamenia? 

While we think of UConn as a physical and balanced team, this team appears to be more guard and wing-oriented, which could make life tougher in March.

Unless of course, Hurley gets the development from the bigs that he's banking on.

In fairness, since we wrote that, the Na'jai Hines hype machine has gotten going, and people are very excited for what he can bring to the table, but the point still stands. Is UConn deep enough in the front court to make life easier for its guards? Or, will there be a lot of strain on Mullins and Demary to carry the load?

CBS Sports echoed the same questions this week as well, saying:

Your bigs control your floor, and your guards control your ceiling. That means UConn could be a bit more mercurial in 2026-27. On the nights when UConn's new-look frontcourt isn't up to snuff, it will be vulnerable. On the nights when the frontcourt is playing well, UConn's tremendous backcourt can elevate it to a special level. 

He comes to Storrs after a season with the Seton Hall Pirates, where he averaged 6.5 ppg and 5.5 rebounds. He also blocked 2.2 shots in 18 minutes a game. He tends to be more productive the more he's on the floor, so if he can stay out of foul trouble, he has an opportunity to become that big man that the Huskies need in Reed's absence.

UConn will open its season on Nov. 2 at home against Gardner-Webb.