There were just a few games on Tuesday’s college basketball preseason slate but two of them included half of the Final Four group from last season. Arizona took on San Francisco in a late west coast matchup, while former Big East rivals, UConn and Syracuse, played a game in Storrs.
While there were injuries that affected all of the teams, there were still notable results. Here’s a recap of each of the games.
UConn 72, Syracuse 52
Even without sophomore guard Braylon Mullins, the Huskies had no issues in this game. Seton Hall transfer Najai Hines was the star, producing 17 points and eight rebounds in just 20 minutes. Silas Demary (13) and Nikolas Khamenia (12) also were in double figures. Freshmen Colben Landrew and Junior Country chipped in with 17 points combined, getting an impressive win without its projected best player.
Box from UConn’s 72-52 exhibition win over Syracuse tonight
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) October 14, 2026
Seton Hall transfer Najai Hines had 17 and 8 with 2 blocks
Silas Demary Jr. - 13 pts, 5 Rebs, 2 assts, 2 stls
Duke transfer Nik Khamenia - 12 pts, 8 Rebs, 3 assts, 2 stls pic.twitter.com/eKCQvS9BRG
The Orange had an early setback when Temple transfer Aiden Tobiason suffered a hamstring injury to miss the entire game. As a result, the team shot just 31% from the field overall. Sophomore forward Sadiq White Jr. (17 points) was the lone double-digit scorer, while Kiyan Anthony struggled with six points on 2/11 FG. While Syracuse did play well on defense, scoring looks to be a concern.
Samford 71, Alabama A&M 61
After finishing second in the SoCon regular season, Samford looks to remain in the top tier of the league for 2027. They were led by 5th year senior Cooper Noard with 15 points, while forwards Ty Davis and Will Shaver each produced double-doubles. Bilal Abdur-Rahman was the lone Alabama A&M player in double figures with 15 points in the loss.
Arizona 93, San Francisco 69
Sophomore wing Bryce James got the start and hit a three to open the game for Arizona, with those being his only points. Motiejus Krivas was the star of the game with 20 points, while Ivan Krachenkov had 18 points and five rebounds. Five-star freshman guard Caleb Holt had 17 points on 6/10 FG shooting.
Final Box: Arizona 93, San Francisco 69 pic.twitter.com/2AxOWEcWAv
— Jason Scheer (@jasonscheer) October 14, 2026
It was a rough night for the Dons all around but the one bright spot was Dylan Bordon, scoring 18 points in the first half (22), along with nine turnovers. There were a couple of San Francisco players unavailable and playing against Arizona was going to be a difficult task. Time will tell if the Dons have a realistic chance of competing for a top spot in the new-look WCC this year.
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