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UConn Basketball: 2021-22 season preview and outlook for Huskies

By Thomas Giustino

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 18: Head coach Dan Hurley of the Connecticut Huskies reacts against the Villanova Wildcats during the second half of a college basketball game at Wells Fargo Center on January 18, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Villanova defeated Connecticut 61-55. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 18: Head coach Dan Hurley of the Connecticut Huskies reacts against the Villanova Wildcats during the second half of a college basketball game at Wells Fargo Center on January 18, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Villanova defeated Connecticut 61-55. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
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UConn Basketball Tyrese Martin  Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
UConn Basketball Tyrese Martin  Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

Expectations are high as the Huskies enter their second season in the Big East. For all of the craziness of last year, one thing felt normal: UConn basketball. Last year, their first year back home, the Huskies finished in third place behind Villanova and Creighton. UConn made their first trip back to the NCAA tournament since 2016 but got dismantled by Maryland.

Making the tournament and a top 3-4 finish in the Big East should now be the minimum expectation moving forward. The next step is getting a couple of postseason wins under the belt, will this be the year?

UConn enters the season ranked 24th overall in the AP Preseason Top 25 Poll. It’s been a while since UConn had lofty expectations and was ranked in the preseason poll. The Huskies were last ranked heading into a season in 2016 when they came in at number 18.  But UConn is back home where they belong, and Dan Hurley has increased the talent level and enthusiasm surrounding UConn Men’s Basketball at the local and national level. Even Geno Auriemma is excited about the men’s team. Greener pastures lie ahead.

We all know that UConn lost leading scoring and do-it-all guard James Bouknight to the NBA. However, the Huskies also return 4 starters and 78.6% of their minutes from last season. They get back a fully healthy Akok Akok and bring in yet another talented recruiting class.

The team is as deep and talented as any UConn team in recent memory, which makes predicting the starting lineup a near-impossible task. Everyone has a clone of sorts on the bench waiting to claim their minutes. This is a good problem for Hurley to have compared to where the team stood just a few seasons ago when he took over. Let’s take a look at the probable starters.