6. UConn Huskies
Projected starting lineup:
- G Hassan Diarra
- G Aidan Mahaney
- Wing Liam McNeeley
- F Alex Karaban
- C Samson Johnson
Top bench options: C Tarris Reed, G Ahmad Nowell, G Solo Ball, Wing Jayden Ross
The scoop: On paper, UConn does not have a roster that instills trepidation into the rest of the country, but it might have the best coaching staff in the country. Dan Hurley kept ace assistants Kimani Young, Luke Murray and Tom Moore in the fold, and that continuity is enormous. If UConn wants to defend its three-peat, the coaching staff has to get this young group humming. If one of the young sophomores like Jayden Ross, Solo Ball or Jaylin Stewart erupt into a dude, you’ll know why. Those dudes on the bench know what’s cooking.
This roster is talent-laden and unproven as ever. No one on this roster has ever had a 25% usage rate in their respective careers. And yet, maybe it doesn’t matter.
There are high-level processors up and down this group, and Hurley has earned the benefit of the doubt. He won’t ask anyone to do something they aren’t more than equipped to handle. Hurley will do his best to cover up flaws, and the UConn staff is an elite game-planning unit.
The return of Alex Karaban is enormous. The 6-foot-8 forward has cobbled together off-the-charts efficiency at a low-usage role the last few years. With extra volume, that efficiency will dip a bit. By how much is the bigger question? But five-star Liam McNeeley is as close to a plug-and-play freshman as you’ll find in the Class of 2024, behind Cooper Flagg.
UConn didn’t have to go nuts in the portal, but Tarris Reed (from Michigan) has a chance to be a major sleeper. He’s got all the tools to be a monster, but he won’t be asked to do too much thanks to the return of bouncy, high-flying big man Samson Johnson. Saint Mary’s transfer Aidan Mahaney couldn’t have picked a better destination than UConn. Hurley should get him more opportunities to play without the ball (where he’s awesome) and less on the ball (where he struggled last year).
UConn is losing four starters to the NBA, and they’re still considered the odds-on favorite to win the title.
That’s far too rich for our blood, but fading Hurley the last two years hasn’t ended well. Despite checking in sixth, UConn is still in the top tier of national championship contenders. It’s just a hefty group of loaded rosters this season.