The UConn Huskies men's basketball issued a pair of major injury updates on Monday in advance of Tuesday's exhibition season finale against Purdue at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford.

First, head coach Dan Hurley said that sophomore standout Braylon Mullins will play, but he will be on a minutes restriction. Mullins hasn't played yet in the preseason and is expected to be one of the top contributors on this roster. Getting him back is imperative for this team if it wants to hit its ceiling.

Then, the team's social media account put out a picture of Solo Ball, back practicing with the team, that said "shooters shoot." Considering that Ball was supposed to miss the entire season after undergoing wrist surgery, this is a big deal. We knew that Ball was taking mid-range jumpers, but this looks like a different level of intensity.

Ranked as a Top 15 recruit coming out of high school in Indiana, Mullins appeared in 33 games last season as UConn advanced to the national title game. He averaged 12.0 ppg, also pulling down 3.5 rebounds and dishing out 1.4 assists. 

An excellent shooter from deep, he shot 33.5 percent from beyond the arc and should be expected to be better this season.

Together, he and Silas Demary Jr. may form the best backcourt duo in the entire country.

A rising senior from Virginia, Ball averaged 12.8 ppg for the Huskies last year. He played in all 39 games, also pulling down three rebounds and dishing out more than one assist per game.

With Demary in the fold at point guard, Ball was able to play at the shooting guard spot, but his shooting numbers regressed. He was just 30 percent from three-point range after leading the Big East in the same category (41.4 percent) as a sophomore.

Clearly, that wrist injury led to the regression.

In addition to getting to the national title game last season, Ball helped UConn win the national title as a freshman in 2023-24.

When Ball's surgery was announced, it was also announced that he'd miss the entire season while taking a medical redshirt. However, medical redshirts no longer exist as a result of the new "age-based eligibility model." You simply get five years to play five seasons.

Ball is going to use a year of eligibility no matter what this season, so if he can come back and is healthy enough to compete, he should. Whether that's for one month or three months, it doesn't matter. He can help this team, if he's healthy.

It looks like that is becoming a possibility, which Hurley hinted at last week. 

The Huskies and Boilermakers will play on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford.