19. Connecticut Huskies
Less than two months ago these Huskies were playing for a national championship, but Dan Hurley’s squad fell just short of a third title in four seasons, falling to Michigan in early April. Alex Karaban’s fantastic career came to an end and the Huskies saw a few other prominent pieces leaving or graduating. It’s far from an empty cupboard in Storrs with Solo Ball and Braylon Mullins among the notable returners as UConn yearns for even more national glory.
There are currently six names in the Huskies’ transfer class, though two of those players really rise to the top. 6-10 center Najai Hines is a familiar face, having put up decent production as a freshman at Seton Hall now arriving at this Big East rival. Similarly, UConn is betting on another prominent freshman in Nik Khamenia, a highly-regarded wing from Duke who has a chance for more consistent minutes with the Huskies.
There’s actually another notable freshman by way of Stanford in Oskar Giltay, though the 6-10 forward didn’t see a ton of opportunities this past season in the ACC. It’s not just the frontcourt getting reinforcements with Wofford guard Nils Machowski heading to town after averaging 17.2 points per game as a junior last year. Solid shooter Isaiah Shaw comes from Northern Arizona while Jaye Nash adds another guard in the backcourt after his work at Jacksonville State.
Consider also that Silas Demary Jr. will be back for the Huskies and you can understand why there’s still a buzz of excitement for this program. They came up short this time in the title game but have now bolstered a very talented lineup that can compete with nearly anyone. Hurley is leaning on those young new pieces to take big steps forward in their early careers but if that happens we could see another deep postseason run out of Connecticut.
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