The highly anticipated Week 5 matchup of the 2025-26 NCAA season between the No. 5 UConn Huskies and the No. 21 Kansas Jayhawks will take place at Allen Fieldhouse, giving the Jayhawks a home-court advantage. However, Dan Hurley’s recent clarity on the status of two key Huskies players, freshman Braylon Mullins and big man Tarris Reed Jr., could play a major role in the outcome of the game.

As per the latest reports by Sam Calhoun of The Daily Campus (UConn’s student media organization), freshman guard Braylon Mullins, who missed over a month due to an ankle injury, is set to play against the Jayhawks. Meanwhile, forward Tarris Reed Jr. will remain a game-time decision.

The Huskies’ top freshman recruit, Mullins, finally saw the floor last week for the first time after suffering from a devastating injury. While his long-awaited debut lasted only for 10 minutes, due to limited minutes, Mullins made his first in-game jumper, which pushed the Huskies’ lead past 20, and was enough to get the UConn crowd roaring.

In his high school career, Mullins averaged 25 points per game while shooting the ball nearly 50% from deep. With his minute restriction expected to ease, the Kansas matchup could be the true beginning of his rotation role and see how well he can perform when the pressure is college level.

On the other hand, Reed is still in limbo. The Michigan transfer, who has been playing for Hurley since the last season, has already battled a hamstring issue that made him miss the season opener against New Haven and a recent ankle injury, causing him to miss two more games.

While he also returned against Illinois, he was also clearly limited, as he stayed on the court for only 15 minutes and struggled to finish around the rim. In the game, Reed dropped only 2 points, which came from four free throws, while he missed 3-out-of-3 field goal attempts.

“Tarris is probably a week ahead of where he should be, but that kid was just a warrior today,” Huskies head coach said in a post-game interview.

However, his condition will be evaluated before the game. If both Mullins and Reed take the court, the Huskies will have the depth they need and a roster strong enough to challenge or even potentially take down the Jayhawks, who themselves await a return of their star player.

Can Darryn Peterson make a return against Dan Hurley’s Huskies?

The Jayhawks’ star freshman Peterson can potentially make his return after a hamstring injury, which has kept him out of six games. In the latest updates given by Bill Self, Peterson will go through a medical check on Tuesday morning. If cleared, his addition to the Jayhawks’ rotations would give the team a major boost on both ends of the floor.

But while they are missing their key player, the team has already shown that it can take on challenges without a problem. Sophomore Flory Bidunga has stepped up to take the responsibility in the paint, while newcomers Melvin Council Jr., Tre White, and Bryson Tiller have given the much-needed balance. Elmarko Jackson is another player who has shown that he can rise to the occasion after dropping a career-high performance against Tennessee.

According to ESPN’s predictive model, the edge currently goes to the Jayhawks, who hold a narrow 52.7% chance of walking away with the win. While the margin is slim, the outcome of this game may ultimately hinge entirely on whether these key players take the court or not.