UConn forward Nik Khamenia sidelined 6-8 weeks with foot injury as Huskies prepare for tough stretch
The Duke transfer's absence comes at a brutal time for Dan Hurley, with matchups against Ohio State, No. 12 Arizona and No. 2 Duke looming over the next two weeks
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UConn will be without starting forward Nik Khamenia for at least 6-8 weeks after the Duke transfer injured his left foot, Huskies coach Dan Hurley announced Thursday. Khamenia suffered the injury midway through the first half of the No. 4 Huskies' 83-41 win over Wagner on Monday night.
The sophomore marksman was off to a hot start as the de facto replacement for four-year starter Alex Karaban in UConn's lineup. Khamenia hit his first three 3-point attempts against Wagner and is shooting 61.9% from the floor and 54.5% from 3-point range for the season.
Hurley will have no grace period in acclimating his team to life without Khamenia. Up next for UConn is a Friday showdown with Ohio State before a Nov. 18 road game against No. 12 Arizona. After that comes a neutral-site showdown with No. 2 Duke in Las Vegas on Nov. 25.
Ranked a five-star prospect in the Class of 2025 by 247Sports, Khamenia came off the bench last season for Duke and averaged 5.7 points on 34% 3-point shooting while logging 19.8 minutes per game. He slotted as a top-40 player during the 2026 transfer cycle and profiled as a potentially perfect fit at UConn.
Khamenia led UConn with 19 points in a 78-70 exhibition win over Michigan State. Even after logging just 10 minutes against Wagner, Khamenia is averaging 10.7 points and is second on the team in made 3-pointers with six behind only Braylon Mullins.
Next man up for UConn
The next man up for UConn could be freshman forward Colben Andrew, who is averaging 22.3 minutes per game off the bench. Ranked the No. 26 prospect from the 2026 recruiting class, the 6-6 forward isn't the same caliber of perimeter shooter as Khamenia, but he does a little bit of everything.
In 23 minutes against Michigan last Friday, Landrew finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and two assists while helping the Huskies to an 85-77 win over the reigning national champions. Hurley has used a nine-man rotation so far this season.
Instead of going deep into his bench to keep that number at nine, look for Hurley to deploy an eight-man rotation in the weeks ahead. Given the caliber of opponent ahead on the Huskies' schedule, this isn't the time for experimentation.
A regular occurrence for UConn
This marks the fourth straight season in which UConn will have to navigate an extended stretch of schedule without an important newcomer. Mullins missed seven games early last season because of an ankle injury before returning and blossoming into a star.
During the 2024-25 season, one-and-done freshman guard Liam McNeeley missed eight games due to an ankle injury. Star freshman Stephon Castle also missed six games for UConn because of a knee injury during its title-winning season in 2023-24.
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