Busting Brackets
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AAC Basketball: Preseason rankings for 2019-20 season

By Pan Karalis

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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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 16: Jalen Adams #4 of the Connecticut Huskies reacts to a call in the first half against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the championship game of the 2K Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 16: Jalen Adams #4 of the Connecticut Huskies reacts to a call in the first half against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the championship game of the 2K Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

I’m a big believer in Danny Hurley after he built a relevant program at Rhode Island from the ground up, but I don’t think the rebuild in Stoors accelerates as fast as some others think it might. The Huskies finished ninth a season ago, and I don’t think just another year of Hurley is enough to bring Connecticut back into the Tournament conversation.

The loss of Jalen Adams to a knee injury last season illustrated how important he was to the Huskies’ success, when they did manage to find any in 2018-19. The team lost six in a row after Adams went down for the season, finishing out the regular season 2-7. They managed to beat a decent USF team in the conference tournament before bowing out to Houston by the tune of 39 points.

A seven place finish is a generous projection, in my opinion, for a team coming off a six-win league season and losing their best player. But the program is obviously trending in the right direction and won’t be without their weapons this year; Christian Vital and Alterique Gilbert will form a strong backcourt, and top-75 freshman Akok Akok should have an early impact for the Huskies.

I see a clear divide between the top and bottom six in the American, and I don’t think the Huskies are capable of putting up much of a fight to crack the top half of the league. They haven’t been able to figure out this conference since its inaugural season, and I don’t think the expected dividends of the Hurley hire will start to pay off until UConn is in the Big East.