UConn Basketball: Projected starting lineup and depth chart for 2021-22 season

Year four of the Hurley era is nearly upon us. The talent level has increased each year and UConn Basketball showed they can hang last season, finishing third overall in the Big East in their first year back home.

After a first-round loss to Maryland in the NCAA tournament, it’s time to see if the Huskies can take the next step and get a post-season win or two under their belt. But first, they obviously have to make the tournament. So, how do the Huskies look as they enter their second season in the Big East?

We now know the complete out-of-conference schedule, which has a mix of some great teams and some not-so-great teams, pretty standard. UConn will play against former old Big East rival, West Virginia, in the Big East-Big 12 battle. Additionally, UConn will play in the loaded Battle for Atlantis field where the Huskies will take on Auburn in the first round. It was also recently announced that UConn will face off with St. Bonaventure in the Never Forget Tribute Classic.

With the news that Corey “Rambo” Floyd Jr has reclassified and joined the Huskies this season, the roster heading into the season looks to be officially set. The Huskies will have one of their deepest teams in recent memory, which has made predicting the starting lineup an interesting task.

UConn returns 74.1% of their minutes from last season, per Bart Torvik. We all know the team lost their leading scorer, James Bouknight, to the Charlotte Hornets when he was selected 11th overall in the NBA draft. Michael Jordan loves UConn guards, interesting for a Tar Heel.

Anyways, UConn returns four starters: point guard RJ Cole, wing Tyrese Martin, forward Isaiah “The Wrench” Whaley, and center Adama Sanogo. When these four started together, they went 8-3 with James Bouknight as the 5th starter. They were just 4-3 together without Bouknight but showed flashes of potential. The most obvious starting lineup would certainly consist of these four, right? Who gets the fifth and final spot?

Regardless of who gets the final spot in the starting lineup, the Huskies can put out lineups full of mismatches this season, something Maryland did to them in the round of 64. The Huskies boast six front-court players standing in at 6’8” or taller, throw in 3 wings (Jackson, Martin, and Jordan Hawkins) hovering around 6’6” and you’re looking at a lot of blocked shots and rebounds. Let’s discuss the probable starters, the depth chart, and the overall outlook for the season.