Thoughts on Solo Ball, Thomas Haugh, and Alex Condon in the UConn-Florida Game

December 16th, 2025

By Alan Lu

This time around, I took the time to watch Florida and Connecticut in a game that was played on December 9th.  It was a battle of two former past champions, and it was a very entertaining game in which Connecticut ended up grabbing the win.  The standout performers were Solo Ball, Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon, Alex Karaban, and Xaivian Lee.  Here are my thoughts on how they and other various prospects fared, as well as how their games may stack up as prospects for the NBA.

Solo Ball had a strong showing to help lead Connecticut to get the win in this game.  He did a great job of making shots.  He showed a knack for scoring quickly off the dribble as well as from the outside.  He showed a very good shooting touch, as he can hit floaters, as well as run quickly off screens to make threes. 

He also displayed some playmaking skills, as he was able to throw an interior pass to notch an assist, but he also lost a ball while handling in traffic to commit a turnover once.  He only was able to get one rebound in this game.  Defensively, he was able to contest a three-point shot to force a miss.

In general, Ball played very well to help his team get the win.  He is an athletic, skilled combo guard that can make shots in a variety of ways, and he could end up getting selected in the late first to the second round range of the 2026 draft.

Thomas Haugh also played very well in his team’s unfortunate loss to Connecticut.  He is an athletic skilled forward that excelled at making plays on both ends of the floor.  He showed a knack for making threes and scoring in transition, and he also would catch lobs to score on high-flying dunks. 

However, he struggled to handle the ball when pressured, which would lead him to commit a handful of ball-handling turnovers.  He also didn’t grab many boards in this game.  He played decent defense in this game.  Haugh was able to rotate to block a shot hard off of a drive.  Another time though, he closed out too hard and fouled a three-point shooter.

Overall, Haugh played well in his team’s loss in this game.  He is an athletic shooter that can score and defend.  He’ll need to improve his ball-handling, but his versatility, skill set, and upside could enable him to be a first round pick in the 2026 draft.

Alex Condon also had a solid showing in his team’s loss to Connecticut.  He is an agile, skilled big man that excelled at making plays on both ends of the floor.  Condon showed a solid ability to score in the post, and he would do so on drop steps and jump hooks.  He also managed to score on a couple of put backs as well as on a cut to show his ability to score on hustle plays.  Plus, he is a very skilled passer that showed a knack for making crafty, pinpoint passes to set up a variety of scores for his teammates.

He also did a decent job of rebounding the basketball.  Condon also defended well.  He showed a knack for blocking shots to his teammates to help his team protect the paint.  On the downside, sometimes he would play too physically and commit loose ball fouls.

Overall, Condon played very well as he made a lot of great plays in his team’s loss to Connecticut.  He’ll need to continue to improve his outside shot, but he is a skilled big man that has continued to improve, and he could end up being selected in the first round of the 2026 draft.

Alex Karaban also had a strong showing to help his team get a win over Florida.  He did a great job of shooting and scoring the basketball, and he also defended well.  Karaban is a sharpshooter that showed he can make deep threes, and he also was able to pull up to knock one down.  He also would get the ball on curl cuts and drive to the hoop to score in traffic.  Plus, he is an unselfish player that was able to make a sharp pass to a cutter to notch an assist.

On the other hand, he was only able to get a couple of boards when he was on the floor.  Karaban also defended well.  He was able to rotate to block a shot off of a drive to himself, and he also jumped a pass to get a steal.  He would wall off the paint and hold his ground to force misses when defending in the post, and he also contested a step-back three to force an airball.  Sometimes he would get overmatched when defending athletic opponents, but generally he would use his length, positioning, and timing to help his team frequently get stops.

Overall, Karaban played very well in his team’s win over Florida.  He is a smart, skilled forward that especially excelled on both ends of the floor, and he projects to be a solid, versatile role player at the NBA level.

Xaivian Lee also played well in his team’s loss to Connecticut, and he scored 19 points, and had 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals in this game.  He is a speedy, fleet-footed guard that showed a knack for making shots on offense.  He especially excelled at scoring on quick drives as well as on dribble, mid-range jumpers.  He struggled more to make threes, but he was able to make a deep, step-back three once.

He also did a great job of passing and handling the basketball, and he would make an array of passes off the dribble to rack up assists.  Lee also did a good job of rebounding the basketball.  He also played adequate defense.  He would get his hands on loose balls to get steals and deflections.  However, sometimes he would play too aggressively, which would lead him to commit fouls.

Overall, Xaivian Lee is a speedy point guard that played well on offense.  He’ll need to be a more consistent long-range shooter and a more disciplined defender, but his ability to score and distribute the basketball could enable him to be a solid second round pick in the 2026 draft.

Jaylin Stewart is a very athletic, skilled forward that had a great first half in his team’s win over Florida.  He did a great job of making smooth, spot-up threes off the catch.  He also drew three free throws on a pull-up three.  Stewart did a satisfactory job of rebounding the basketball.  On the other hand, he was not nearly as impactful in the second half. Still, Stewart had a fairly solid showing, and he could be a solid pick for an NBA team in the second round range of the 2026 draft.

Eric Reibe also played well in his team’s win over Florida.  He scored the basketball in a variety of ways.  He excelled at scoring on hustle plays, and he was able to score on a strong dunk early on.  He also made an open three-pointer off the catch.  Though he struggled to score consistently in the post, he was able to score on a close-range jump hook.

He only was able to get a couple of boards when he was on the floor.  He was also active defensively, but sometimes he would play too aggressively and pick up fouls.  Another time, he got caught on a screen and ended up allowing an opponent to score on a three-point shot.

Overall, Reibe is an agile, skilled big man that scored the basketball in a variety of ways, and is an intriguing prospect, especially from an offensive standpoint.  He’ll need to improve defensively, but he is a talented prospect that could end up being a solid role player in the NBA.

Malachi Smith also played well in his team’s win over Florida.  He is an athletic, speedy guard that would make tough shots off the dribble.  He didn’t take many shots, but he was able to make a tough, step-back mid-range jumper.  He also utilized a crafty Euro-step move to score on a nifty, reverse layup.  Smith also did a great job of making passes off the dribble

Plus, he did a decent job of helping his team get some boards.  He also defended well, and was able to contest a mid-range shot to force a miss.  Smith quietly had a strong showing in his team’s win over Florida, and he could project to be a solid, game-managing point guard in the NBA.

Braylon Mullins is a skilled, crafty playmaker that showed a knack for making smooth shots off the dribble, and he also is a deft ball-handler that would make savvy passes to get assists.  He showed a knack for making mid-range jumpers, and he would create separation to find open shooters. On the downside, he was quite foul prone and was prone to committing reach-in fouls, and he often would struggle to defend opponents off the dribble.  He also only was able to get one rebound in this game.

Overall, he had a decent showing, as he was able to help out offensively, and he is an agile, skilled guard that has shown promise to excel as a role player both at this level and the NBA level.  He’ll need to continue to improve as an overall player, but he is a prospect that may be worth keeping tabs on in the future.

Tarris Reed had his ups and downs in his team’s win over Florida.  Reed did a great job of rebounding the basketball.  He also was able to occasionally score out of the post, as he can use an assortment of moves such as drop steps, a shoulder fake, and he would use his strength to sometimes score on jump hooks.  However, he would also tend to miss wildly and get his shots blocked, as he would struggle to score against length and athleticism.  In addition, he would sometimes play too aggressively, which would lead him to be out of position and commit fouls and allow scores.  Overall, Reed is a very good rebounder, but he will need to add a reliable outside shot and improve defensively, which would increase his odds of succeeding at the NBA level.

Boogie Fland had his ups and downs in his team’s loss to Connecticut.  He did not shoot the ball well at all, and he was quite reluctant to take outside shots, strangely, given that that’s mostly his whole forte.  On the other hand, despite not being an explosively athletic guard, he was actually quite effective at scoring on aggressive drives to the hoop. 

However, he would tend to commit careless turnovers.  One was where he was called for pushing off when handling the ball that led him to commit an offensive foul and a turnover.  Another was where he couldn’t pass the ball in, which led his team to commit a costly five-second violation late in the game. He also was able to get only one board in this game.

Overall, Fland was able to tack on some points late in the game, but mostly, he had a disappointing showing in this game.  He will need to go back and be the shooter he used to be, and he’ll need to improve his decision-making ability and show that he can reliably run the point.  Right now, he’ll need to stay in school to hone his overall game, but he is a prospect that may be worth keeping tabs on in the future.

Rueben Chinyelu had a decent showing in this game.  Chinyelu did a great job of rebounding the basketball.  He also defended well, as he would often block shots to help his team protect the paint, and he would use his size and strength to wall off the paint and contest shots in the post to force misses.  However, he struggled more to defend out on the perimeter in situations where he would be tasked to guard quicker, smaller players.

He also was able to finish plays around the basket, as he would run the floor to score on a dunk, and he also rolled to the rim to score in traffic.  However, he was inconsistent as a scorer out of the post, but he was able to score on a jump hook once.  However, his moves tended to be mechanical, as he would tend to miss awkwardly after trying to score fro most block.

Overall, Chinyelu played fairly well in his team’s loss to Connecticut.  He will need to continue to expand his skill set offensively, but he is a strong, athletic center that is a second round prospect for the 2026 draft, and he could end up being a solid rotational big man at the NBA level.

All in all, those are my thoughts on how Solo Ball, Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon, and other various prospects fared in this game.  Thanks for reading.