Nik Khamenia will miss UConn's non-conference gauntlet after undergoing foot surgery

UConn is about to go through a non-conference wringer. The No. 4 Huskies (3-0) won't have sophomore forward Nik Khamenia as they navigate that slate.

Head coach Dan Hurley revealed in a statement Thursday that Khamenia will undergo surgery to address the left foot injury he suffered on Monday in a win over Wagner.

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Khamenia, who's averaging 10.7 points per game in his first season with the program, is expected to make a full recovery and will be re-evaluated in six to eight weeks, according to Hurley.

Six weeks from Thursday is Dec. 24. By that point, the Huskies will have already played Ohio State, No. 12 Arizona, No. 2 Duke, No. 3 Illinois, No. 15 Kansas and No. 6 Virginia.

That gauntlet begins on Friday, with UConn hosting the Buckeyes. But, really, the Huskies' non-conference trials started last week when they faced then-No. 16 Michigan in a national championship rematch at Boston's TD Garden.

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The 6-foot-8 Khamenia scored seven points on 3-of-5 shooting in that 85-77 UConn victory.

Before his setback in the first half Monday against Wagner, Khamenia piled up a trio of 3-pointers and 11 points overall as the Huskies authored an 83-41 blowout.

Although the Tarzana, California, native initially stayed in the game after being checked out by a trainer on the floor, it wasn't long before he exited and headed to the locker room, as reported by The Associated Press.

Khamenia was the Rivals industry rankings' No. 16 overall prospect in the 2025 recruiting class. Following his time at Harvard-Westlake in Los Angeles, he wound up at Duke, where he spent his freshman season.

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During the 2025-26 campaign, Khamenia appeared in 38 games for the Blue Devils. He recorded five starts along the way, posting 5.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per contest. Khamenia wrapped the season with 35 triples.

In Duke's Elite Eight loss to UConn, he scored seven points. Unfortunately for Khamenia, he won't get a chance to square off against his former school on Nov. 25. That's when the Huskies and Blue Devils will be going head-to-head in Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena.

Khamenia, currently UConn's third-leading scorer, will still be recovering from his foot surgery at that juncture. While Khamenia's sidelined, freshman Colben Landrew should have a bigger role.

Landrew, a 6-foot-6 forward, has been chipping in 10 points and 4.7 rebounds per game off the bench so far this season.