Preview: No. 5 UConn men’s basketball vs. No. 21 Kansas | 9:00 p.m., ESPN2

UConn men’s basketball returns to action Tuesday night with another big time matchup, as the 6-1 Huskies head to historic Phog Allen Fieldhouse to take on No. 21 Kansas. The Jayhawks (6-2) are not the national title contenders that they have been in past years, but return to Lawrence after an impressive win over then No. 17 Tennessee last week on the road. That momentum combined with the potential return of highly-touted freshman Darryn Peterson, should make for a loud and rowdy Kansas crowd for this top-25 matchup of two of the best programs in all of college basketball.

Date/Time: Tuesday, Dec. 2, 9:00 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN2, streaming on WatchESPN

Radio: UConn Sports Network, Sirius XM 203, Sirius/XM online streaming

Odds: UConn -1.5; over/under 140.5

Location: Allen Fieldhouse — Lawrence, Kansas

KenPom Predicted Score: Kansas 71, UConn 70 — 49 percent win probability

Series History

On their run to a sixth national title in 2024, the UConn men’s basketball team fell to the Jayhawks, 69-65, at Allen Fieldhouse despite 31 points from Tristen Newton. The Huskies played without their freshman phenom, Stephon Castle, in the loss. UConn has never beaten Kansas in four matchups, three in the regular season and one during the 2016 NCAA Second Round in Des Moines, Iowa.

Inactives report

During his pregame call with the media on Monday (video below), UConn head coach Dan Hurley stated that Braylon Mullins is a full go. He also announced that Tarris Reed Jr. will once again be a game-time decision for Tuesday’s game. Peterson has missed the last six games for the Jayhawks due to a hamstring injury, but may be available for Bill Self and KU.

What to Watch For

There may not be a harder place to play in all of college sports than Phog Allen Fieldhouse. Self is 334-21 (94 percent) all-time at Allen Fieldhouse, and has not lost a nonconference game there since Bobby Hurley’s Arizona State Sun Devils came away with a win on Dec. 10, 2018.

Kansas returns home after an impressive showing at the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas, where the Jayhawks handily defeated Notre Dame, Syracuse and No. 17 Tennessee in three consecutive days. Kansas’ defense currently ranks ninth nationally in defensive efficiency, and is amongst the best in the country at blocking shots. The Jayhawks’ offense lags behind at No. 51 in offensive efficiency, but a return of Peterson would throw those metrics out the window.

With a stingy KU defense and a brutal road environment, UConn will have its hands full as it tries to pick up yet another Quad One win. The Huskies are digging deep for a little extra juice in this heavyweight matchup, as they announced on social that they are debuting throwback road alternates from the Jim Calhoun era.

It’s unclear if Peterson, the No. 2 player in the Class of 2025 according to the 247Sports composite rankings, will be good to for KU after missing six-straight games with a hamstring injury. Per Self, Peterson may be able to play but will need to pass a series of tests Tuesday morning before officially being clear. If Peterson does play, it presents a tremendous problem for UConn’s defense, as the freshman has already established himself as one of the top scorers in college basketball. The 6-foot-5 Peterson is shooting 50 percent (6-12) on 3-pointers in two games this season, and scored 22 points against North Carolina in his last game before his injury.

Peterson is a crafty and dangerous scorer at every level of the court, and excels at creating contact and getting to the free throw line, where he shot over 90 percent in high school and is 7-9 from so far this year. The Huskies have already had to deal with another star freshman in BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, and stopping Peterson will be an equally tough task. Silas Demary Jr., Solo Ball and Jayden Ross will probably all see time on him throughout the game, and Ross in particular will need to stay out of foul trouble against a guy who excels at getting whistles.

No matter if Reed plays Tuesday night or not, Eric Reibe will have another tough test on his hands as the star freshman deals with Kansas bigs Fiory Bidunga and Bryson Tiller. The Jayhawks’ bigs each stand taller than 6-foot-10 and are forces on the boards, combining for nearly 15 rebounds per game. Bidunga is also the team’s leading scorer (15.8 points per game) and shot blocker (2.6). Reibe held his own against Arizona’s Motiejus Krivas and was excellent against Illinois’ Ivisic twins, and will once again have his hands full at Allen Fieldhouse.

Even if Reed is available, Reibe will need to be able to rebound effectively and stay out of foul trouble if the Huskies want to walk out with a win. With Bidunga and Tiller clogging the middle, Reibe’s ability to shoot the three may force them out of the paint, allowing for more lanes for Demary Jr. and Malachi Smith to get into. While the hype around Peterson’s potential return is valid, the biggest freshman x-factor on the court Tuesday night will be Reibe.