UNCASVILLE – Any and all judgment on the UConn men’s basketball team’s performance in its exhibition opener needs to be taken with two large grains of salt.

A 6-foot-11 grain of salt and a 6-foot-4 grain of salt, to be exact.

The Huskies were without two projected starters and potential all-Big East selections against Boston College on Monday night at Mohegan Sun Arena. Tarris Reed Jr., the 6-11 senior center, and Silas Demary Jr., the 6-4 point guard, watched the game from the bench with leg injuries. Demary (calf) is considered day-to-day and warmed up a bit prior to the game. Reed (hamstring) may be out a bit longer.

“Tarris, when he’s not fouling, efficiency-wise is one of the best defensive centers,” Dan Hurley said. “And Silas is our best perimeter defensive player.”

Their absence was felt in the Huskies’ 71-52 win over the Eagles. Still, while some of the familiar bugaboos from a year ago (too much fouling, not enough rebounding, long shooting skeins) reared their heads, UConn can take solace in the fact that the two players expected to back up Reed and Demary this season looked pretty good.

Eric Reibe, the 7-foot freshman center, finished with eight points and six rebounds, and Malachi Smith, the transfer point guard from Dayton, had seven points, five assists, a block and just one turnover.

“I thought Eric handled himself well,” Hurley said. “He didn’t finish everything, but I thought he functioned well, got himself to the right spots. He’s gonna be an awesome player.”

Alex Karaban led UConn with 17 points (despite 3-for-10 3-point shooting) and 11 rebounds. Solo Ball added 12 (just 1-for-8 from 3), as did freshman Braylon Mullins.

While UConn’s defense was pretty strong in the first half, keyed largely by the energy of Smith, the Huskies struggled in other areas. They shot just 5-for-21 from 3-point range and sent BC to the foul line 15 times, while traipsing to the line just twice themselves.

Still, UConn led the entire half, including 35-27 at the break. In the latter half, however, the Huskies’ shooting struggles continued, missing their first five attempts from 3. But the defense followed suit, as BC got several UConn players in foul trouble and took its first lead of the game, 38-37, just over five minutes into the half.

However, the Huskies regained the lead for good on a Dwayne Koroma putback with 12 minutes left.

“We showed flashes, offensively and defensively,” Karaban said. “We’ve got a long way to go. It’s a long season. I thought we battled through adversity.”

Added Hurley: “It was good to have a little bit of adversity with the group, missing some key players. I thought it was a good experience for everybody. And it makes me more of a believer in the team.”

Here’s a breakdown of each players’ contributions on Monday night:

Alex Karaban: His shooting woes from last season surfaced again early, missing his first four 3-point attempts. Then, he started scoring on strong drives to the hoop. In the second half, he knocked down a couple of key treys down the stretch to extend UConn’s lead. The key for Karaban this season is not to lose confidence when the 3’s aren’t falling and to do what he did on Monday: take it to the hole and contribute in many other ways (11 rebounds, four assists, two blocks).

Solo Ball: Hit just one of eight 3-pointers, but that’s not a major concern. He’ll be one of the best long-range shooters in the country this season, he just needs to improve in other areas, particularly on defense. Hurley wasn’t about to throw Ball too many flowers (“I’ll have to watch the tape”) but believed the “eye test” revealed Ball improved on defense.

Malachi Smith: Starting in place of injured Silas Demary Jr., he provided an infusion of energy, particularly on defense. Smith finished with seven points, five assists, a block and just one turnover, and Hurley noted his assist total should have been just about doubled if not for his teammates’ poor shooting. The coach also said that, while Smith seems ticketed to be Demary’s back-up, he’ll share the floor with him plenty this season and be “a major factor, playing starters’ minutes.”

Braylon Mullins: Fab freshman started, which is telling on how well he’s played in the preseason and how much faith the staff has in the 6-6 shooter. Limited to just 16 minutes while picking up four fouls and shot just 2-for-7 from 3. But his length, athleticism and floor presence all look the part. Could be the Big East’s best frosh this season. By far.

Eric Reibe: The 7-footer got the start in lieu of Tarris Reed Jr.’s injury and was strong, with eight points and six boards. He picked up two first-half fouls but didn’t commit another the rest of the way. His footwork and mobility is impressive, and while he didn’t attempt a 3, Reibe’s got guard-like skills as both a shooter and distributor. 

Jaylin Stewart: While it appears he’s lost out the starting wing job to Mullins, the 6-7 junior had flashes of excellence on Monday. He shot just 3-for-9 overall (1-for-5 from 3) and grabbed three boards in 20 minutes but looked more assertive (and stronger) than he did a year ago.

Jayden Ross: Once again, the stat line appeared a bit empty for the 6-6 junior wing: Four points on 2-for-3 shooting (one of them on a questionable goaltending call) and four rebounds in 17 minutes. Then you look at Ross’s team-best plus-26 plus/minus, and that changes everything.

“We need him to be a guy whose minutes are in the 15-17-20 (minute range), making 3’s,” Hurley said of Ross. “The roster is screaming for those wings, Jaylin and Jayden, to emerge as guys who can lock up on defense and be productive, big wings.”

Dwayne Koroma: Well-traveled grad transfer played 12 minutes, which is more than he’s likely to play when Reed and Reibe are both healthy. But he contributed five rebounds, and his one basket put the Huskies ahead for good, 41-40, eight minutes into the latter half.

Alec Millender: As with Koroma, the IU-Indy grad transfer got more run (14 minutes) than he’ll likely get when Demary and Smith are healthy. But he doled out four assists, hit both his free throws and did nothing to diffuse the praise he’s received from the coaching staff since joining the program.

Jacob Furphy: Freshman from Tasmania missed his only field goal attempt (a reverse layup in transition) and played just five minutes, mostly in garbage time. It will be tough for the “Tazzy” to crack the rotation this season, but he’s likely to have some moments.

Rim rattlings

• Hurley seemed a bit frustrated by the injuries to Demary and Reed, noting that in his 15 years as a head coach, he’s “never had a player miss time with these types of (soft-tissue) injuries.”

He noted that Reed missed about two weeks of practice last month, returned for a couple of days, then aggravated his hamstring again. Hurley said Reed probably won’t be ready for an exhibition against Michigan State on Oct. 28 in Hartford, but possibly for the season-opener the following week.

“We’ve just got to make sure the guy his health,” Hurley said.

• Hurley opened his postgame press conference by offering his deepest condolences to the family of Mary Sohon Volz, a huge UConn fan who lost her battle with cancer on Sept. 30. Hurley said Sohon Volz was diagnosed just before the 2023 Final Four in Houston but still made the trip, and continued to go to games last season while battling her illness.

“She was the ultimate UConn fan … and her whole family. Incredible people. We’ll be giving everything that we’ve got, as a team and a program, to deliver a championship for that great family.”

This article originally published at Alex Karaban leads UConn men’s basketball over Boston College. What we learned from preseason win.