No. 5 UConn will continue to navigate its way through a formidable stretch of the season when it visits Kansas on Tuesday in Lawrence.The game features two programs responsible for winning three of the last four national championships. The Jayhawks won the title in 2022 before the Huskies overcame a 69-65 setback to Kansas in the Big East-Big 12 Battle on Dec. 1, 2023, en route to capturing their second of back-to-back championships.UConn (6-1) has faced three ranked foes already this season heading into Tuesday’s encounter with Kansas (6-2). Next week, the Huskies will square off against No. 10 Florida, the reigning national champion.Tuesday’s encounter also marks the first official road game for UConn, which has won a pair of neutral-site contests. Silas Demary Jr. scored 21 points in the Huskies’ 86-84 victory over then No. 7 BYU in the Hall of Fame Series in Boston on Nov. 15, and Solo Ball had 15 in a 74-61 win over No. 13 Illinois on Friday in New York.Dayton transfer Malachi Smith collected 14 points and nine assists off the bench for the Huskies. Alex Karaban recorded 12 points and nine rebounds, and Eric Reibe added eight and seven, respectively.”The depth’s crazy on this team,” Karaban said, per the Hartford Courant. “The two years we won the national championship when I’ve been here, depth really was the key to everything. When someone’s not playing as well as they should be, or injuries, whatnot, next man steps up.”Eric’s been getting way more comfortable out there,” Karaban said of Reibe, a 7-foot-1 freshman center. “He’s played through big-time games, and he’s really showed out for us when we needed him.”UConn also welcomed back senior center Tarris Reed Jr. and five-star freshman guard Braylon Mullins from their respective ankle injuries.Reed, who averaged 20.0 points and 9.3 rebounds in his previous three games, had five rebounds in 15 minutes in his return from a two-game absence.Mullins had two points in 10 minutes in his season debut.