UConn Basketball: Adams, Gilbert next great dynamic backcourt duo?

Jalen Adams is headed towards a breakout year for UConn basketball, while Alterique Gilbert should have an impact from day one.

Over the past eight or so years, every successful UConn team has a clear trend: Two guards that can impact the game with one dribble of the basketball.

Under former head coach Jim Calhoun in 2010-11, the Huskies won the National Title (over the Butler Bulldogs) behind the likes of Kemba Walker and Shabazz Napier. In fact, that team won five straight games to win the Big East Tournament, and then reeled off another six straight victories to earn their first NCAA Tournament title since 2004.

With Kevin Ollie as the head man in 2014, UConn once again captured lightning in a bottle, winning the National Title (over the Kentucky Wildcats) thanks to the likes of Napier and spark plug Ryan Boatright.

More from Busting Brackets

Even this past season, the Huskies snuck into the NCAA Tournament with a backcourt that consisted of Sterling Gibbs and Rodney Purvis. They certainly weren’t as elite as the other two glorious duos but they were solid enough for the Huskies to have success in the AAC.

So who will the Huskies turn to this year if they want to be a top-25 team?

Jalen Adams and Alterique Gilbert.

And because of these two, the Huskies should have a number next to their name for the entire (if not the majority) of the 2016-17 campaign.

Adams, who is expected to make a major jump this season, came off the bench last year for the Huskies, but was very effective, showing flashes of brilliance and confidence. The 6’2″ guard from Roxbury, MA averaged 7.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, while shooting 43 percent from the field.

Even though he still needs to work on his shooting from long range (27 percent), improve his playmaking on offense and defend at a higher level, Adams can play on or off the ball and showed no fear in the big games.

He got progressively better as the season went on, including a 22-point performance against Cincinnati where he drilled a 62-foot jumper to force a fourth overtime.

Adams shot just 6-of-18 in the NCAA Tournament and failed to notch double figures in either of UConn’s two games, but he was just a freshman learning the nuances of college basketball last year.

With a year under his belt, expect Adams to be more fluent with his passes and expect him to be even more confident with the basketball in his hands.

Then there’s Gilbert, who is 30th overall on ESPN’s top 100 recruiting list for the class of 2016 and is labeled as a four-star recruit from Georgia. The 6’0″ point guard has excellent strength, athleticism, quickness, length and speed. He is elite in transition and is a solid passer off dribble drives.

Gilbert still needs to clean up his shot selection, his decision making and his overall passing ability, but he is an explosive scorer that can step in and make an impact right away.

Both players lack great size, which will obviously impact the Huskies defensively (although they do have Amida Brimah to clean up mistakes at the rim), and they certainly don’t have the experience that UConn backcourts have had in year’s past. This means there will be some growing pains and some questions during the non-conference portion of the season.

Who’s going to handle the ball more and run the offense? Is Ollie going to stagger minutes at all? Are turnover issues going to creep up for Gilbert when teams pressure him? Can they both shoot it consistently from deep to keep the defense honest? Will there be any chemistry issues or a temptation to go one-and-one too often? How does Purvis factor in?

Regardless, the talent level, the upside, the competitiveness and the scoring ability is there, and Ollie can figure things out on the fly.

Next: Breaking down Duke's starting lineup

If Adams and Gilbert can put it all together, the UConn Huskies will not only win the AAC over the Cincinnati Bearcats and others but they could be a force in the Big Dance when March rolls around.