NEW YORK — The BIG EAST Conference announced its 2026–27 men’s basketball preseason honors prior to Media Day on Monday, with the Connecticut Huskies sweeping the league’s premier individual awards and taking the top spot in the coaches' poll.
Senior point guard Silas Demary Jr. was named the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year, while incoming five-star forward Colben Landrew earned Preseason Freshman of the Year accolades. UConn was picked as the league's overall favorite to win the conference, gathering 98 total points and eight first-place votes.
Sophomore guard Braylon Mullins snagged a unanimous selection to the Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team, and sophomore center Na'jai Hines received Second Team honors.

A Historic Conference Sweep

UConn’s sweep of the major preseason accolades marks the first time a single school has claimed both top individual honors in the BIG EAST since the 2017–18 season, when Villanova’s Jalen Brunson and Omari Spellman were named Preseason Player and Freshman of the Year, respectively.
For the Huskies, it is their first clean sweep of the league’s major preseason awards in 23 years. UConn last achieved the feat ahead of the 2003–04 season with Emeka Okafor (Player) and Charlie Villanueva (Freshman), and previously ahead of the 1999–2000 campaign behind Khalid El-Amin (Player) and Ajou Deng (Freshman).
Demary Jr. becomes the second Husky to be named BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year since UConn returned to the conference for the 2020–21 season. He joins Adama Sanogo, who earned the preseason nod in 2022 before capturing Most Outstanding Player honors during UConn's 2023 national championship run. Demary Jr. is aiming to become the program’s first overall BIG EAST Player of the Year since Hasheem Thabeet in 2009, and its first overall league Player of the Year since Shabazz Napier claimed AAC honors in 2014.

Key Player Breakdown

  • Silas Demary Jr. (Sr., Guard): The former Georgia transfer emerged as one of college basketball’s premier two-way point guards during his first year in Storrs. A late-season candidate for both the Naismith Player of the Year and Naismith Defensive Player of the Year awards, Demary Jr. led the BIG EAST with 5.9 assists per game in 2025–26 while averaging 10.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and a team-high 1.6 steals. He posted a .446/.385/.801 shooting slate en route to First Team All-BIG EAST and All-Defense selections.
  • Colben Landrew (Fr., Forward): Landrew extends UConn's streak to four consecutive seasons with the BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year award, following Stephon Castle (2023), Liam McNeeley (2024), and Braylon Mullins (2025). A consensus five-star recruit out of Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia, the McComb, Mississippi native averaged 23.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists while leading Wheeler to a Class AAAAAA state title. He was named Mr. Georgia Basketball and a Naismith High School All-American before helping Team USA at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup over the summer.
  • Braylon Mullins (So., Guard): Following a standout freshman season, Mullins earned a unanimous nod to the All-BIG EAST First Team. Mullins averaged 12.0 points and 3.5 rebounds across 33 games (29 starts). His 72 three-pointers ranked second all-time for a UConn freshman behind Khalid El-Amin’s 81 in 1996–97, highlighted by a game-winning 35-foot postseason dagger against top-seeded Duke.
  • Na'jai Hines (So., Center): Hines enters his first season at UConn after transferring from Seton Hall. As a freshman in South Orange, the 6-foot-11 big man led the BIG EAST with 2.2 blocks per game while averaging 6.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in just 18.0 minutes per contest. Hines registered four double-doubles and ranked as a top-25 defensive center nationally in Evan Miya's Bayesian Performance Rating (BPR).

Preseason Coaches' Poll

Coaches across the league voted UConn as the favorite to capture the regular-season crown for the second consecutive year. Head coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams or players.
Rank Team First-Place Votes Total Points
1 UConn 8 98
Coming off a 17–3 conference record in 2025–26—the fourth-most conference wins in a single season in league history—the Huskies head into the year holding or tied for the conference records in both regular-season titles (11) and tournament championships (8).

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