UConn may have found its next breakout star in freshman Colben Landrew

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UConn’s final exhibition came with a useful reminder for the rest of college basketball: Braylon Mullins is back, but the Huskies may have another young player ready to grab attention.

Freshman forward Colben Landrew led all scorers with 15 points in UConn’s 76-53 win over Purdue on Tuesday. He came off the bench and scored in different ways, while the Huskies finished a 3-0 exhibition run that also included wins over Syracuse and Michigan State.

Big time game on big day

Landrew’s performance arrived on the same day the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame named him to the 20-player preseason watch list for the Julius Erving Award, which recognizes the nation’s top small forward. That doesn’t guarantee an award, but it puts a freshman in the same early conversation as established college players before his first regular-season game.

Colben Landrew, welcome to watch list season 🤝 https://t.co/QDrwcguhOm

— UConn Men's Basketball (@UConnMBB) October 28, 2026

The Purdue exhibition showed why he earned that attention. UConn held the Boilermakers to 33 percent shooting and 2-for-25 from three-point range, while Landrew helped spark a second-half run after Purdue briefly trimmed the margin. Coach Dan Hurley praised the freshman’s physicality and instincts, calling him “a real talent.”

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Real talent at UConn

The performance also eased pressure on Mullins, whose return from an undisclosed injury was another major development. He had seven points and four assists in his first game action since April’s national championship loss. UConn doesn’t need him to carry every scoring possession if players such as Landrew can make defenses pay for focusing on the sophomore guard.

Exhibition numbers can flatter a team, and Landrew will have to show he can produce once opponents are playing for real. Still, a 15-point showing against Purdue, a spot on a national award watch list and a strong team performance make him one of UConn’s most intriguing players to track when the season begins. The Huskies open against Gardner-Webb on Nov. 2.