AAC Preview: #1 Connecticut Huskies

2014-13 Season Results: 32-8, 12-6 conference record. T-3rd in the AAC, 60-54 win over Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament National Final.

Key Losses: Shabazz Napier (NBA draft), DeAndre Daniels (NBA draft), Niels Giffey (graduation), Lasan Kromah (graduation), Tyler Olander (graduation).

Key Returners: G Ryan Boatright, C Amida Brimah, G Terrence Samuel, F Phillip Nolan.

2014 Recruiting Class: Daniel Hamilton (ESPN 4-star, #8 SG), Rakim Lubin (ESPN 3-star, #65 PF), Sam Cassell Jr. (JuCo, SG).

What do the defending national champion Connecticut Huskies do for an encore? In only the second season as the UConn’s head coach, Kevin Ollie rallied his #7 seed Huskies to a rather improbable win over Kentucky in the national final this past April. The Huskies employed a grinding pressure defense to keep the usually prolific Kentucky Wildcats flustered, holding them to just 54 points on the night. If the Huskies’ game against Bryant last Friday night is any indication, the 2014-15 season will rely more on that same pressure defense that helped UConn grind through last season’s tournament.

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Senior guard Ryan Boatright will be, without question, the Huskies’ leader this season. He is the lone returning starter from last season’s squad and has shown already this season that he is willing and able to put the team on his back. Sophomore center Amida Brimah will also factor heavily into the Huskies’ success in 2014-15. The 7-footer has an immense amount of raw athleticism and will be Boatright’s frontcourt cohort on defense, bringing along with him an impressive 2.3 blocks per game stat line. It’s the holes in the middle of the lineup that need the most work.

Luckily for Connecticut, they have some depth at the SG, SF and PF positions thanks to three new additions to this season’s team. 4-star recruit Daniel Hamilton will be called on to start for the Huskies this season at small forward, a step away from his usual position as shooting guard. PF Rakim Lubin looks to provide some quality minutes coming off the bench and will add some size to the middle along with Brimah and F Phillip Nolan. Perhaps UConn’s best newcomer, guard Sam Cassell, Jr. joins the Huskies as a starter right out the gates, a much-needed backcourt mate for Ryan Boatright in the absence of Shabazz Napier. Helping off the bench will be G Terrence Samuel and F Phillip Nolan, both member’s of last season’s team.

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While no one is quite picking UConn to repeat as national champions just this yet, Kevin Ollie’s squad is perfectly fine with that. After all, they began last season as an unassuming – oftentimes underperforming – AAC team looking simply to make the NCAA Tournament, let alone win the whole thing. There will be plenty of bumps along the way for UConn this season, and that’s something they are going to have to get used to in a hurry. The talent and athleticism are all there for the Huskies, but the chemistry still seems to be a work in progress – but that is to be expected from a team returning only one starter from last season.

Those pieces will have time to gel, however, before AAC play starts for Connecticut on Dec. 31 against Temple. Look for UConn to stay atop the standings as the AAC has somewhat of a transitional year, adding three new teams while also losing two. The Huskies have been around the block, however, a time or two in the AAC and they know what it takes to survive the conference schedule. It may not be pretty, but the Huskies will stand alone atop the AAC standings once the dust settles this March.

Projected Finish: 1st