The title defense continues for another season as UConn basketball pursues the three-peat!
The tradition continues! CBB Review is again ranking the top 100 teams heading into the new college basketball season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: UConn basketball.
The Huskies are on top of the basketball world following back-to-back national championships and are in position for another great season. This year, the Huskies are also on top of the Big East preseason poll and will be led by Junior forward Alex Karaban, one of the top players in the country.
The Huskies lost a lot of talent to the NBA draft this off-season and will look to make up for that with a mix of homegrown talent as well as transfers. The key returning players for UConn basketball include Hassan Diarra, Samson Johnson, Solo Ball, and Jaylin Stewart. All four of those players had great moments last season, but this year they will be asked to take on larger roles.
Head Coach Dan Hurley was busy this off-season as he brought in some top talent to help this team. Transfers Aidan Mahaney and Tarris Reed Jr. should both make immediate impacts for the Huskies as Mahaney brings elite scoring to the backcourt and Reed brings rebounding and size to the frontcourt. Another key newcomer to Storrs is five-star freshman Liam McNeeley, who re-opened his recruitment in the Spring and ultimately chose to take the next step with UConn basketball.
While this year’s Huskies squad doesn’t have as clear of star power as the previous championship teams, it is possible that this is the deepest and best shooting team that Dan Hurley has put together in his time with UConn basketball.
Click here to learn more about our preseason top 100 teams heading into the 2024-25 college basketball season.
Head Coach: Dan Hurley (7th season at UConn, 15th season overall)
2023-24 Record: 37-3 (18-2 in conference)
2024 Postseason Finish: National Champions!
Notable Departures:
- Tristen Newton (15.1 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 6.2 APG)
- Donovan Clingan (13.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.5 APG, 2.5 BPG, 63.9 FG%)
- Cam Spencer (14.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.6 APG, 44.0 3P%)
- Stephon Castle (11.1 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.5 APG)
Notable non-conference games:
- Maui Invitational (Nov. 25-27)
- Baylor (Dec. 4 in Storrs, CT)
- Texas (Dec. 8 in Austin, TX)
- Gonzaga (Dec. 14 at Madison Square Garden)
Projected Rotation
PG: Hassan Diarra (6-2, 195, Gr.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 6.1 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.4 APG
SG: Solo Ball (6-3, 190, So.)
2023-24 stats: 3.3 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 0.3 APG
SF: Liam McNeeley (6-7, 210, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #10 ranked recruit
PF: Alex Karaban (6-8, 225, Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 13.3 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.5 APG
C: Samson Johnson (6-10, 225, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 5.4 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 0.5 APG
6: Aidan Mahaney (6-3, 185, Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 13.9 PPG, 2.6 ABG, 2.6 RPG (St. Mary’s)
7: Tarris Reed Jr. (6-10, 260, Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 9.0 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 0.6 APG, 1.4 BPG (Michigan)
8: Jaylin Stewart (6-7, 215, So.)
2023-24 stats: 2.5 PPG, 1.2 RPG, 0.3 APG
9: Jayden Ross (6-7, 205, So.)
2023-24 stats: 0.7 PPG, 0.7 RPG, 0.2 APG
10: Ahmad Nowell (6-0, 195, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #33 ranked recruit
UConn Basketball team MVP: Alex Karaban
Alex Karaban enters his second title defense as the de facto leader for the Huskies. He is the only returning starter from last season’s team and the only player on the roster to be a starter in both national championship games. Alex was named to the Blue Ribbon Report 2024-25 Preseason All-America First Team as he continues to gain national recognition for his high level of play.
Alex does a bit of everything on the court and can fill in wherever Coach Hurley needs him to. His ability to score at all three levels as well as take on tough defensive assignments are two highlights of Karaban’s versatile play style. At times last season, the Huskies even ran a smaller lineup and were able to shift Karaban to the center position.
Throughout his career at UConn, Alex has always been more of a role player whether it be because of his quieter, focused demeanor or the fact that it’s hard to shine when you’re teammates with four NBA first-round draft selections over the past two seasons. This season is Alex’s time to shine as his teammates will look for his experience and ability to lead the way.
UConn Basketball make-or-break player: Tarris Reed Jr.
This is a particularly tough superlative to name a player for considering how much UConn basketball lost from last season. One could make an argument for a few different players here, but the center position has been so important to the Huskies and Tarris Reed Jr. has perhaps the biggest shoes to fill on the team. Over the past few seasons, Dan Hurley has used his patented two-headed monster approach at center to beat down on teams on both ends of the court. It started with Sanogo-Clingan, went to Clingan-Johnson, and now lies in the hands of Johnson-Reed.
Tarris should complement Samson’s play quite well as he falls more under the bruiser-type at center whereas Samson is quicker and lengthier. It will take Tarris some time to adjust to Hurley’s systems, but don’t be surprised if his role on this team expands later in the season.
Can the Huskies have a successful season if Tarris plays below expectations? Sure, as long as Samson takes that next step or the guard play masks the concerns at center. While Tarris exceeding expectations may not be what this team needs, Tarris playing at his best may just allow UConn to continue their domination of college basketball.
Key Analytic: oPPG
The 2024-25 Huskies have an abundance of talent on the offensive side of the ball, but the defensive side certainly has some question marks. Between new and returning talent, there is little doubt that the Huskies will be able to make up for the loss in scoring. It may be more difficult to make up for the defensive losses with Clingan’s 2.5 BPG and Newton/Spencer/Castle’s combined 3.2 SPG gone. As a testament to what the Huskies were able to accomplish defensively last season, they allowed just 63.4 PPG which was the 9th lowest in the country. While it’s easy to be attracted to Hurley’s complex offensive sets, the Huskies are able to run those because of their strong defensive identity. Not only have the Huskies slowed down their opponent’s tempo over the past few seasons, but on top of that they force their opponents to miss shots as they allowed opposing teams to shoot just 39% from the floor against them.
Of course, the team will play with a high intensity as that is how Dan Hurley runs his program and if the on-court production matches that intensity then this team will be well on their way to making another deep run in March.
UConn Basketball 2024-25 Projections
Projected Conference Finish: 1st in the Big East
Projected Postseason Ceiling: NCAA Tournament Champions
Always enjoy reading your insights Chandler!