Top 25 in 2021-22?
The Story: Dan Hurley is bringing back Isaiah Whaley. Does that put the Huskies back into the NCAA Tournament? Maybe. That is our answer, but how about people who don’t have blue-colored glasses?
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: We are bullish on UConn. Is it blind love or hope? Maybe, but if UConn isn’t really good, we are going to be disappointed. We are not going to apologize for that expectation and neither should you. So let us take off our Ted’s Restaurant-induced love of UConn and let’s go to the pros. Seth Davis, who once worked at the New Haven Register, doesn’t have the Huskies in the Ttop 25. How about Stadium’s Jeff Goodman? He has the Huskies at No. 22.
IS IT TRUE? We don’t know. There are hundreds of players in the transfer portal and as the way-too-early top 25 indicates, it is way too early. But does it really matter if it is way too early? We like to read about it anyway, and for us, it is a good indication that expectations are going to be sky high for 2021-22.
WHALEY EFFECT? Are you an optimist or a pessimist? That is going to determine your thoughts of UConn for next season. Let’s be clear. We don’t know what is going to happen and we don’t expect any game-changing transfer to come into UConn and make a huge difference (though we like Noah Locke’s shooting profile). James Bouknight is gone. If you are a pessimist, you will look at the Huskies and wonder who is going to replace Bouknight’s 20 points per game. That’s a good question and if this wasn’t college and we weren’t baking in improvement in the offseason, we would be worried. But, it is college and players get better. We are optimists. UConn will return four starters after earning a No. 7 seed and adds a top-10 recruiting class. How is that not top 25 material? Are there questions? Yes. But the frontcourt is loaded with sophomore Adama Sanogo and super senior in Whaley and R.J. Cole and Tyrese Martin on the wings. UConn could start Jalen Gaffney or Andre Jackson as the other wing and there is plenty of big-man depth on the bench.
CAN THEY IMPROVE? On paper? Yes. UConn needs shooters and we don’t know if recruits Jordan Hawkins or Rashool Diggins will provide that shooting. But Tyler Polley is still iffy if he will return (we should know soon) and there is the transfer portal. UConn doesn’t have a definitive No. 1 scorer like Bouknight but has players that are a year older and that means more confidence and experience. Also, The Daily has an irrationally high opinion of Gaffney and we think he is about to flourish. In the end, there might not be that dynamic next-level talent but plenty of productive scorers on the roster. The defense and rebounding? It’s going to be elite.
A WORD ON THE WOMEN: We usually don’t combine our takes, but the UConn women are going to come out and annihilate people next year. They return the nation’s best and most dynamic player in Paige Bueckers and then will add freshman Azzi Fudd, who is considered one of the best shooting prospects in women’s college basketball history, to a team that is only missing shooting. UConn’s No. 1 with a bullet and anyone who wants to talk down its potential needs their head examined. We don’t have time for fools and naysayers at The Daily. Basketball-wise? The women are nearly perfect.
Morning Reads
NOT THE SPRING FOR SPRINGER: Our guy George Springer, a UConn product, has a $150 million contract with the Blue Jays but his debut may take a while. (NY Post)
WHAT WILL WOMEN LOOK LIKE? The UConn women are loaded. We aren’t going to apologize for it. (Hartford Courant)
