How Good Is The American?
The Story: The men’s basketball team will return to action on Jan. 2 against USF, marking its first conference game. The Huskies (9-4) will need a strong performance the rest of the way to reach the NCAA tournament.
AAC HAS BEEN UNKIND: UConn has always acted like The American is beneath it, but in reality, the Huskies have been a middle-of-the-pack team, finishing no higher than fourth in the regular season in each of the five years of the league’s existence. The Hartford Courant took a look at The American and the road that the Huskies will have to take come conference play.
One thing that will be interesting to see is how UConn matches up. It struggled against Florida State, Iowa and Villanova — three of the better teams it has faced this season — but manhandled UMKC, UMass Lowell and Manhattan. The Huskies should be on the better end of the spectrum, but there will be some challenges between now and March.
HOUSTON CREAM OF THE CROP: There are only three teams in the top 50 of the NCAA’s NET Rating in Houston (12-0), Cincinnati (11-2) and Temple (10-2). The Cougars are a top-15 team, having beaten Oklahoma State, Oregon and LSU, and the Bearcats are top-25 caliber. The American is looking like a potentially two- or three-bid league, with Temple, UCF, Tulsa and UConn most likely to challenge for a third spot. The Huskies host Houston on Feb. 14 at the XL Center in their only meeting.
MEMPHIS IN MIDDLE: Memphis (7-5) and new coach Penny Hardaway have brought in the No. 1 recruit in the country next year, James Wiseman, but for now, the hype is a little ahead of the play as the Tigers look like an NIT team. Wichita State (7-5) is rebuilding under coach Gregg Marshall — so much for them joining the league to help men’s basketball — and Tulsa has quality wins over Oklahoma State and Kansas State and is always dangerous. SMU is also rebuilding but does have a win against Georgetown.
NO ROOM FOR ERROR: The Huskies’ best conference showing was 12-6 in 2014. That isn’t going to cut it if the NCAA tournament is a goal. UConn is No. 92 in net rating and likely needs to go 14-4 or better to get on the bubble. They cannot afford losses to sub-100 teams, including their opener at USF, which is 9-2 but not considered an elite team.
UConn Commit Mitchell Named CT HS POY
The Story: Linebacker Jackson Mitchell, a senior at Ridgefield High School who will play at UConn next season, has been named the state’s defensive player of the year as part of USA Today’s All-USA Connecticut football team. Mitchell, who was also a wide receiver, made 61 tackles with 13.5 for a loss and 9.5 sacks. He also had two interceptions, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
ONE OF MANY, ONE OF FEW: These lists, including the ones released earlier in the month by the Walter Camp Foundation and the Connecticut High School Coaches’ Association, may be subjective, but recognition is rarely given to players who are not deserving. USA Today recognized 45 players — two 22-player teams, plus one kicker — with all but eight of them seniors.
Mitchell was the only one of 13 first-teamers on the USA Today list who signed letters of intent who will be playing at UConn. Two are heading to Michigan; Clemson, Notre Dame, Penn State, Boston College, Syracuse and UMass have also snagged players. This isn’t a new phenomenon, though, as the Huskies have lured only 17 in-state players who are ranked in the top 20 by 247Sports to Storrs over the last five years.
OUR TAKE: For years, Randy Edsall said he couldn’t wait until the day that high school seniors grew up going to UConn games and wanted to play for the Huskies. Now that those days are here, he hasn’t yet been able to build a fence around the state to keep players inside. A hastily assembled recruiting class in 2017 and selling this past season’s product certainly haven’t helped.
Consider, though, the players who have blossomed at UConn: Dan Orlovsky, Byron Jones, Scott Lutrus, Trevardo Williams, Marcus Easley and Donald Thomas were all from Connecticut and played in the NFL. Earlier this month, Hearst Connecticut Media tracked down 42 players who will be participating in bowl games this year. There’s plenty of talent there that UConn, somehow, should be able to reach and recruit.
Connecticut isn’t a football hotbed by any means, and UConn will need to continue to scour New England, the Mid-Atlantic, Florida, and Texas for players in order to succeed. But perhaps Mitchell is the first of the new wave who can help restore UConn’s luster — and those who can remind others that it’s OK to stay in state.
Morning Read
DIACO EMERGES FROM CAVE: Former football coach Bob Diaco was allowed to speak to reporters for the first time since being hired by Oklahoma in the fall and reiterated that he doesn’t know where the Civil Conflict trophy is. He also said he is trying to forget his time here. Us too, Bob. Us too. (The Athletic)
SET UP FOR THE FUTURE: Baltimore Orioles minor leaguer and UConn journalism school graduate Willy Yahn wrote about how he has loved being able to express himself through baseball and writing. (Ballplayers Blog)
HUSKIES THIRD; FEOLE HONORED: The American released its preseason coaches’ poll yesterday, with ECU voted first, Houston second and UConn, which earned one first-place vote, in third. Meanwhile, junior Mason Feole was named the preseason pitcher of the year and shortstop Anthony Prato and right-hander Jacob Wallace appeared on the all-conference preseason team. (TheAmerican.org)
