Don't expect No. 5 UConn basketball players to indulge themselves in some turkey on Thanksgiving Day this coming Thursday.
Huskies head coach Dan Hurley, known for his sheer passion and intensity, has essentially barred his team from celebrating the holiday the way it usually has been across the nation because he believes it will affect how UConn performs on the court come Friday against the No. 13 Illinois Fighting Illini.
“We’re not going to eat the f***ing tryptophan on Thursday and be sluggish as shit on Friday,” Hurley said in front of reporters on Monday (h/t The Field of 68).
Instead, Hurley and the Huskies would celebrate Thanksgiving and munch on some turkey on Wednesday. That way, they wouldn't have to worry themselves about recovering from the effects of tryptophan in time for the marquee matchup against a dangerous Fighting Illini squad, which has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last five seasons.
As for their game on Monday against the Bryant Bulldogs at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford, Connecticut, the Huskies gorged on their unranked opponent. UConn blew out the Bulldogs to the tune of a 72-49 score to immediately rebound from a 71-67 loss to then-No. 4 Arizona Wildcats at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs last week.
Eric Reibe led the scoring for UConn in the Bryant game, scoring 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the field to go with six rebounds. Meanwhile, Silas Demary Jr. stuffed the stat sheets with a triple-double of 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists with four steals for UConn, which improved to 5-1 overall in the 2025-26 college basketball season.
