Big East Basketball: Top 5 storylines heading into 2020-21 season

MILWAUKEE, WI - JANUARY 07: The Big East logo logo on the court before a college basketball game between the Marquette Golden Eagles and the Providence Friars at the Fiserv Forum on January 7, 2020 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – JANUARY 18: James Bouknight #2 of the Connecticut Huskies (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

3. UConn’s Return to the Big East

Unlike Georgetown, UConn returns to the Big East with high expectations, and a lot of people are seeing them as a contender in year 1. Dan Hurley returns a solid core from a 19-12 team a season ago, led by incoming sophomore James Bouknight (13.0 Pts, 4.1 Reb, 1.3 Ast). An added reason for excitement is the signing of the #2 freshman class in the conference and a transfer pick up in the form of Tyrese Martin from Rhode Island. Martin will need a waiver to play this season, however, and one is not expected.

Don’t get me wrong, UConn is a Big East force in the making, but despite the talent, I just don’t see how a team coming off three straight seasons finishing 5th, 9th and 8th in the underwhelming AAC translates into one of the best teams in one of the best leagues in the country in its first season. In each of the last three campaigns, the Huskies roster has either had three or four top 100 recruits on it and in two of those finished sub .500, so it’s not a matter of them previously having the wrong players and suddenly having the right ones for 2020-21.

Dan Hurley is certainly building something special in Storrs. He’s developing a roster centered around Bouknight, a sophomore, 6’9” Akok Akok (5.8 Pts, 5.5 Reb, 0.4 Ast), also a sophomore and former top-100 recruit, and a host of other players including the teams top 3-point shooter Tyler Polley (9.5 Pts, 3.2 Reb, 0.6 Ast). Arriving on campus this fall will be two more top 100 guys ready to play big minutes in Andre Jackson and Adama Sanogo, and Hurley is in the running for several major recruits in 2021. So yes, good things are to come and they are going to be ultra-talented this season, but they’ve typically got lots of talent, and in recent years the success has not been there.

UConn coming to the Big East is big news. As one of America’s premier college basketball programs, when the Huskies are relevant college hoops is better for it. But they are young, and the Big East is a bear of a league. You have to love what Hurley is doing at UConn, but let’s give them a year before a top-half Big East finish is the expectation.

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