Busting Brackets
Fansided

AAC Basketball: Updated 2018-19 preseason rankings for the conference

By Lukas Harkins

ORLANDO, FL - MARCH 11: during the final game of the 2018 AAC Basketball Championship against at Amway Center on March 11, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
ORLANDO, FL - MARCH 11: during the final game of the 2018 AAC Basketball Championship against at Amway Center on March 11, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /
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Are we going to see results under the new regime right away? After a stretch of poor seasons in a row, UConn fired Kevin Ollie this offseason in hopes of turning the program around under a new head coach. Now with Dan Hurley, the former top man at Rhode Island, at the helm of the Huskies, the hope is that the program can return to its former brilliance. And, with a fair amount of talent returning for this season, that turnaround might not take that long.

Leading the way this season will be the elite backcourt duo of Jalen Adams (18.1 points) and Christian Vital (14.9 points). These two led the team in scoring a year ago and they will be expected to reprise those roles once again during this upcoming campaign. However, even though both players are excellent scorers, they do more than just fill up the basket. Specifically, in the case of Adams, the senior guard is a future NBA prospect thanks to his all-around play. He averaged nearly five assists per game this past season. Then, in regards to Vital, the junior posted 5.4 rebounds per game last season as the team’s leader in that category.

With this duo leading the way, UConn should be able to stay competitive in a lot of games. After these two, though, the Huskies will need at least a couple of players to have breakout seasons in order to seriously compete for the AAC title. With five key rising sophomores on the roster, four of whom stand at 6-foot-8 or taller, UConn has plenty of youngsters on the roster with potential that Coach Hurley can hopefully tap into.