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UConn Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Huskies

By Brian Rauf

PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 17: Head coach Dan Hurley of the Rhode Island Rams reacts against the Duke Blue Devils during the first half in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 17, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 17: Head coach Dan Hurley of the Rhode Island Rams reacts against the Duke Blue Devils during the first half in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 17, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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HARTFORD, CT – MARCH 11: Jalen Adams #2 of the Connecticut Huskies dribbles against the Cincinnati Bearcats during the semifinal round of the AAC Basketball Tournament at the XL Center on March 11, 2017 in Hartford, Connecticut. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
HARTFORD, CT – MARCH 11: Jalen Adams #2 of the Connecticut Huskies dribbles against the Cincinnati Bearcats during the semifinal round of the AAC Basketball Tournament at the XL Center on March 11, 2017 in Hartford, Connecticut. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

UConn Basketball decided to part with Kevin Ollie after two straight losing seasons and hired Dan Hurley to replace him. Can he get the Huskies back on track?

The UConn Huskies largely fell out of the national college basketball landscape last season during their second consecutive losing season, causing the program to fire former head coach Kevin Ollie just four years after winning the program’s fourth national championship.

Now, UConn has brought in one of the most well-respected coaches in the nation in Dan Hurley, who turned around a downtrodden Rhode Island program and turned them into a consistent winner. The hire of Hurley has fans optimistic about the future but no one is quite sure what to expect for the season ahead.

The Huskies return all but two players from last year’s rotation (Terry Larrier and Antwoine Anderson), meaning that they will be one of the more experienced teams in the American. Of course, these are the same players that went 14-18 a year ago. They also suffered a number of injuries throughout the course of the season, keeping UConn from ever coming close to their full potential.

Was the program’s recent downturn a mark of a major regression in talent, or was it poor coaching? We’ll find out that answer this season, but that lingering question still hangs over the program.

No one knows what direction this season will go for UConn, but we have an idea on what to expect. Here’s a full preview for the Huskies, including their projected lineup and a look at their non-conference schedule.