College basketball rankings: Braylon Mullins leads UConn past Ohio State as Huskies begin tough stretch

UConn remains at No. 2 in Saturday's updated Top 25 And 1 rankings, while Texas A&M moves in and North Carolina drops out Nov 14, 2026 at 11:00 am ET • 1 min read CBS Sports Graphic UConn began its toughest seven-game stretch of the season Friday. It's a set of games featuring five contests against power-conference opponents projected to make the 2027 NCAA Tournament, four of which are in Saturday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings.On CBS Sports HQ, just before the Huskies tipped against Ohio State, I was asked how I thought UConn would do over this span, one we now know Dan Hurley's team will have to get through without Nik Khamenia, the 6-foot-8 transfer from Duke who suffered a left-foot injury in Monday's win over Wagner.I predicted a 5-2 record for UConn over the next seven games.According to KenPom.com, that would require the Huskies to win at least one contest in this stretch that they're not currently projected to win -- either at Arizona on Wednesday or against Duke a week later or against Illinois on Dec. 12 in Chicago. It's a big ask, I know. But things did get off to a nice start Friday thanks to an 84-68 win over Ohio State in which Elite Eight hero Braylon Mullins led all scorers with 22 points on a 7-of-13 shooting performance featuring five made 3-pointers. "We're UConn," Hurley told TNT's Andy Katz after the 16-point victory. "We're UConn. We're dealing with some medical stuff -- [and] not just with Nik. But, you know, we've just got a culture and a mindset."As David Cobb noted in a piece about Khamenia's injury, this is the fourth straight season UConn will have to navigate an extended stretch without an important newcomer. In the previous three years, they've still managed to average 31.7 wins and make two trips to the Final Four, one of which resulted in a national championship. So, as Hurley said, the Huskies have a culture and a mindset, and history suggests that culture and mindset will keep them good even in Khamenia's absence.UConn remains No. 2 in Saturday morning's updated Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Florida is still No. 1 after improving to 4-0 Friday with an 83-54 win over Merrimack. Florida and UConn have combined to win three of the past four national championships. In a testament to their accomplishments, those schools' coaches were voted No. 1 (Hurley) and No. 4 (Florida's Todd Golden) in CBS Sports' latest ranking of college basketball's best coaches. Top 25 And 1 rankingsIN: Texas A&M | OUT: North Carolina