The unthinkable happened! The third-ranked UConn Huskies suffered their first loss of the 2025-26 NCAA season, falling to Thomas Lloyd’s Arizona Wildcats in a hard-fought matchup. With key contributors Tarris Reed Jr. and Braylon Mullins sidelined from the game, head coach Dan Hurley didn’t hold back in expressing his frustration postgame.

“I’m going to wake up, and I’m going to think it was just a nightmare,” Hurley admitted in a post-game interview. “Then finally, when I’m up and just kind of starting to move around, but I’m feeling half dead at around 7:30-8:00 going to realize, yeah, that we just f**king blew a chance to beat one of the best teams down two studs and in a game that we were down 13 and wobbling. In a game where AK (Alex Karaban) didn’t have it, Solo (Ball) didn’t have it. Your backup freshman center emerges as a guy that now, when Tarris (Reed Jr.) gets back, you’re going to have some special things there.”

However, with no time to mourn the loss, Dan Hurley further added, “We got four more of these monsters in the non-conference. We got a game on Sunday that we need to take the court with a very high level of rage and pissed off, with how we show up for that. But, you know, our people got to get our guys healthy and on the court so that we could be the team that we’re all really high on. It just tonight sucked to lose like that.”

The Huskies fought hard, but the absence of Reed and Mullins had the team struggling to find their rhythm. UConn was out-rebounded by 20 and struggled to convert in the paint, a weakness Arizona exploited very well to maintain a slim lead down the stretch. Despite flashes of brilliance from Eric Reibe, who posted a career-high 15 points, and consistent contributions from Solo Ball, Silas Demary Jr., and Jaylin Stewart, the Huskies couldn’t close the game in the final minutes.

Arizona’s balanced attack, led by Jaden Bradley’s 21 points and strong rebounding from Koa Peat and Motiejus Krivas, was enough to edge out the Huskies in a tightly contested matchup. This matchup serves as an early reminder for Dan Hurley and the Huskies about areas they need to improve as the season progresses.

What’s next for Dan Hurley-led Huskies?

After a 71-67 loss to the Wildcats, the Huskies are 4-1. The team will shift their focus to rebuilding momentum as they prepare for their next game against Bryant on Sunday at XL Center. The ‘four monsters’ Hurley was talking about will come after this game:

• No. 8-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini on 27th November
• No. 24-ranked Kansas Jayhawks on 2nd December
• No. 10-ranked Florida Gators on 9th December
• And, No. 14-ranked St. John’s Red Storm on 6th February.

With four more top-ranked opponents on the non-conference slate, Hurley and his team will have multiple opportunities to test their depth, integrate returning players Tarris Reed Jr. and Braylon Mullins, who are game-to-game for now, and refine their rotations.

Do you think the Huskies can bounce back and dominate the rest of their non-conference schedule? Tell us in the comments!