2024/2025 College Basketball Season - Team Previews: 1 - 5
#1: Kansas Jayhawks
Returning
Hunter Dickinson (17.9 ppg - 55% / 35% / 62%)
DaJuan Harris Jr. (8.5 ppg - 42% / 38% / 80%)
KJ Adams (12.6 ppg - 60% / 0% / 60%)
Jamari McDowell (1.8 ppg - 31% / 28% / 84%)
Zach Clemence (1.4 ppg in ‘22 - ‘23 - 32% / 22% / 33%)
Elmarko Jackson (Out for Year w/ Injury)
Transfers
David Coit (20.8 ppg @ Northern Illinois - 41% / 34% / 89%)
Zeke Mayo (18.8 ppg @ South Dakota State - 47% / 39% / 83%)
AJ Storr (16.8 ppg @ Wisconsin - 43% / 32% / 81%)
Rylan Griffen (11.2 ppg @ Alabama - 45% / 39% / 81%)
Shakeel Moore (7.9 ppg @ Mississippi State - 47% / 36% / 70%)
Noah Shelby (3.9 ppg @ Rice - 35% / 33% / 85%)
Recruits
Flory Bidunga (ESPN #18 / 247Sports #14)
Rakease Passmore (ESPN #34 / 247Sports #49)
The Kansas Jayhawks were the preseason #1 team in college basketball last year - and despite a rough, rare down year for Bill Self & Co., they find themselves atop the polls again this season. History isn’t necessarily an indicator of future performance - but Self’s teams tend to bounce back well after rough years (e.g., 2020, 2022). The Jayhawks lost some key talent to the NBA on the wing (Johnny Furphy, Kevin McCullar), but they retain several key starters. In the backcourt, super senior point guard DaJuan Harris is back. He’s among the best in the country at facilitating the offense and dishing the ball, but this past season taught us that there’s a ceiling on his ability to score, he should be low on the list of options on offense, and that he probably shouldn’t be playing 35+ minutes per game. Self seemed to act on these learnings - along with the painfully evident recognition that the Jayhawks needed better perimeter shooting - by bringing in a TON of backcourt talent from the transfer portal. Zeke Mayo, David Coit, and Shakeel Moore are all capable ball-handlers, something the Jayhawks were also short on last season. Mayo is a kid from Lawrence who seems happy to finally get the recognition he deserves from the team he grew up dreaming of playing for, and was the Summit League Player of the Year last season. He’s not much of a defensive threat, but he can do for KU what Remy Martin did in ‘21-’22. Shakeel Moore is on the opposite end of the spectrum - he’s a strong defender who can score a bit when called upon. He also just had the best 3pt shooting season of his career at 36%. He’s a great rotational backup guard, but he broke his foot at the beginning of September, so he may not hit his stride until closer to conference play. David Coit, who was a late surprise commit for Kansas, has been “the guy” for Northern Illinois during his two years there. He’s a high usage ball-handler, who seems to be a better shooter than his averages would lead one to believe - shooting 17x a game can do that. It’s surprising he would be willing to take a bench role in a crowded backcourt, but he should make for great microwave minutes.
At the 2 and 3 spots, Kansas brought in two high-profile, high-major transfers to start and revitalize the offense. Rylan Griffen from Alabama shot 39% from 3 on 5 attempts last season, which is damn good. AJ Storr, Wisconsin’s leading scorer last season, is expected to be the McCullar / Furphy replacement on the wing. He averaged almost 17 ppg in 29 mpg in the Wisconsin offense…which means the dude can score. He didn’t shoot as well from 3 last season, but he shot 40% his freshman year…I wonder if he might be more efficient in Kansas’ offensive scheme, especially in an offense with more threats. I think AJ already had his breakout season, but he might be capable of All Big 12 1st or 2nd Team if he really turns things up. Incoming freshman Rakease Passmore may also be one of the more overlooked newcomers to college ball - he’s a high-flying athlete who dunks everything, and has a decent shot to boot. His biggest obstacle this year may be getting playing time over the much older guys. As for other returning guards, unfortunately sophomore Elmarko Jackson is out for the year, but fellow sophomore Jamari McDowell is returning…though it sounds like he may redshirt. He needs to improve his offensive game before he becomes a serious threat, but he provided some great defense / glue guy minutes in tight spots last season.
The frontcourt looks fairly similar to last season, save for one new face. KJ Adams is back for more vicious dunks on backdoor cuts and pick-and-roll’s. The Jayhawks may not rely on him as much on offense, but he’s still an invaluable glue guy with first-class athleticism and versatile defensive ability. Reigning 2nd Team All-American and All Big 12 First Team center Hunter Dickinson is also back for one last ride. I anticipate he’ll achieve similar accolades in his final campaign - he’s a top-tier rebounder, an improving shot-blocker, and he can score from all over the floor, including beyond the arc when he’s feeling confident. He’s not incredibly athletic or mobile so he can be somewhat limited defensively, but he’s otherwise one of the most valuable players in college basketball. Freshman 5 star Flory Bidunga will be available to backfill Dickinson, and he will be an interesting player to track as well. He’s not a 7-footer, but his wingspan gives him that kind of length. He’s also fairly athletic, giving Kansas a rim-running option with high upside.
Kansas will be a fascinating team to track throughout next season. The program is rebounding from a season marked by limited depth, poor outside shooting, and overall offensive play well below normal standards for a Bill Self-coached team. Some of that was due to McCullar’s persisting injuries after starting the season on a First Team All-American trajectory, as well as “missing” on three newcomers that greatly underperformed expectations. But Self is the highest paid coach in the game, and he knows he needs to prove his worth every season, especially after a dud year. In response, he assembled one of the deepest, most talented rosters in college basketball. The expectations for Kansas are Final Four or bust. The defense should be Top 20 once again - offense is where the Jayhawks know they need to improve. They seem to have the pieces, the players just need to prove they can execute. I think Kansas and Alabama are clearly the best teams in the country to start this season - but I think Self needs his key transfers (Storr, Griffen, Mayo) to have incredible years for the Jayhawks to reach their ceiling.
#2: Alabama Crimson Tide
Returning
Mark Sears (21.5 ppg - 51% / 44% / 86%)
Grant Nelson (11.9 ppg - 49% / 27% / 81%)
Latrell Wrightsell Jr. (8.9 ppg - 45% / 45% / 100%)
Jarin Stevenson (5.3 ppg - 42% / 32% / 69%)
Mouhamed Dioubate (2.9 ppg - 47% / 9% / 47%)
Transfers
Chris Youngblood (15.3 ppg @ South Florida - 46% / 42% / 83%)
Houston Mallette (14.7 ppg @ Pepperdine - 43% / 42% / 82%)
Clifford Omoruyi (10.4 ppg @ Rutgers - 51% / 20% / 61%)
Aden Holloway (7.3 ppg @ Auburn - 32% / 30% / 77%)
Recruits
Derrion Reid (ESPN #11 / 247Sports #17)
Aiden Sherrell (ESPN #22 / 247Sports #32)
Labaron Philon (ESPN #32 / 247Sports #34)
Naasir Cunningham (ESPN #65 / 247Sports #44)
Nate Oats - and the Alabama Men’s Basketball program - reached the Final Four for the first time last year, powered by the country’s second best offense. This season, his roster may be even better - or at least more balanced and defensively capable - giving Oats and the Crimson Tide another very promising shot at making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. All-American point guard Mark Sears is back in Tuscaloosa, he’s still got the keys to an offense that I imagine will look very similar to last year’s, and he’s ready to make a run at National Player of the Year honors. Sears is the x-factor that elevates good teams to greatness and wins competitive games in March. He’s a DAWG - he’s got that Jalen Brunson / Frank Mason game and mentality. He does everything very well, he wants the ball in his hands in big moments, he wants to take the big shots because he knows he’s one of the best shooters and players in the country. I’m probably going to pick Alabama to the Final Four purely based on his return to the team. Several key pieces from last year’s team are gone: starting SG Aaron Estrada, starting wing Rylan Griffen, backup big Nick Pringle, sharpshooting forward Sam Walters, and a few more contributing bench players. But Oats is one of the best roster managers in the game right now, and he’s managed to retain a solid group of returning contributors, supplemented by a healthy mix of high-profile transfers and highly-talented freshmen. 6’11” senior Grant Nelson is one of the most dynamic forwards in the country on offense, and he brings some blocking and rebounding ability as well. He had a down year from beyond the arc (27% from 3), but he can get hot and hit big shots from deep. Sophomore forward Jarin Stevenson, also nearly 7 feet tall, is somewhat of a Nelson-in-training. He has a similar offensive profile in some ways - converts at a high rate around the rim, can catch-and-shoot pretty well from 3, for his size - but he doesn’t have the ball-handling, rebounding, or shot-blocking skills. People probably don’t realize this, but super senior guard Latrell Wrightsell, previous transfer from Cal State Fullerton, was one of the Top 5 most efficient offensive players last year. He shot ~45% from 3, took great care of the ball, and didn’t miss a single one of his 27 free throws. Not a bad guy to bring off your bench, eh?
The transfer class is loaded with talent, too. Super senior guard Chris Youngblood from South Florida is the reigning AAC Player of the Year. He’s a super smooth 3-level scorer who can shoot from anywhere - he shot ~42% from 3 last season, so he should fit right into this offense. He doesn’t need the ball in his hands to make an impact, making him a great fit alongside Sears. While he’s a great portal victory for Oats, he’s likely the 2nd most impactful transfer behind Big Cliff Omoruyi from Rutgers. This Alabama team was pretty bad defensively last year: they ranked 111th in defensive efficiency per KenPom. Cliff’s presence should instantly make them better on that end of the court (his Rutgers team finished 5th in def. eff. last season). He’s arguably the best shot-blocker in college basketball (Top 3 block rate, #1 in high-major conferences), he’s one of the most dominant rebounders in the game, and he’s just strong as hell. He may not be the most efficient scorer, but he’s good enough to justify keeping him on the floor for everything else he can do. Senior guard Houston Mallette (very good name) from Pepperdine also fits Oats’ system really well. He shot 40% from 3 last season, and he can hit shots in all kinds of ways: off screens, off the dribble, pulling up from dribble hand-offs, in transition, etc. And he can hit them from VERY deep. He’s also a great passer, so he can draw attention then kick to open guys around the perimeter. Sophomore point guard Aden Holloway is another “rivalry transfer”, jumping ship from Auburn to join the Tide. He’s a promising true point guard who facilitates well but needs to work on scoring more efficiently. He’ll be more than capable of backing up Sears.
I’ll be interested to see which freshmen play, and how much. Alabama’s got one of the best incoming freshmen classes, but also a pretty stacked roster without much available playing time. The freshman likely to see the most PT is 5 star Derrion Reid, a versatile 6’7” wing. He can score in a variety of ways, though he’s not the kind of 5 star who can just take over a game by himself. Which is fine - I think that means he’ll be a great fit for an offense built on moving the ball rapidly and finding open shots. Aiden Sherrell is a 6’11” center, whose youtube highlights start with like 2 mins of him just hitting threes…which screams “Nate Oats big man”. Labaron Philon is a former Kansas commit who flipped to Bama over the summer. He’s a scoring point guard with really good handles. He’s got good size for his position, which allows him to drive and score at the rim, but he can shoot pretty well too. Most importantly, he seems like a dawg. He’s competitive, and he talks a lot of smack during games. I don’t know if he’ll see much time this season, but keep an eye out for him in coming years.
This team is crazy talented and insanely deep. There are about 10 guys who could start on most high-major teams, and nearly all of them can shoot from 3. Most people have Alabama as a Top 3 team going into next season, and I agree - the one doubt I have is still the defense. Adding Cliff raises the floor on Bama’s defense quite a bit, but I don’t think it solves all their problems. Sure, the shot-blocking, defensive rebounding, and 2pt FG% allowed will naturally improve…but Alabama also fouled a lot, gave up a lot of easy buckets, and were generally bad at turning other teams over. We know Oats can coach a good defense; in ‘20-’21 and ‘22-’23, his teams finished 3rd in defensive efficiency. That tells me there’s a personnel problem, and that might be hard to fix with one center. Then again, this team made the Final Four and only lost to one of the best basketball teams of the 21st century, so maybe a slight improvement on D is all they need to be the best team in the country. Regardless - I’m probably going to bet on Mark Sears balling out and the tide rolling to the Final Four, once again.
#3: Houston Cougars
Returning
LJ Cryer (15.5 ppg - 41% / 39% / 87%)
Emanuel Sharp (12.6 ppg - 37% / 37% / 85%)
J’Wan Roberts (9.5 ppg - 60% / 0% / 51%)
Ja’Vier Francis (6.0 ppg - 65% / 0% / 53%)
Joseph Tugler (3.8 ppg - 55% / 0% / 46%)
Mylik Wilson (4.4 ppg - 44% / 24% / 60%)
Ramon Walker Jr. (2.0 ppg - 34% / 30% / 64%)
Terrance Arceneaux (5.5 ppg - 39% / 29% / 53%)
Cedric Lath (0.2 ppg - 29% / 0% / 20%)
Transfers
Milos Uzan (9.0 ppg @ Oklahoma - 39% / 30% / 68%)
Recruits
Mercy Miller (ESPN #71 / 247Sports #55)
Chase McCarty (247Sports #97)
Jacob McFarland
Kordelius Jefferson (Redshirt)
Although Houston is losing one of the best point guards - and players - in college basketball in Jamal Shead, they’re still going to be a Top 10 team because they have one of the most intact returning rosters in the nation, including 8 of their Top 10 scorers. If you had any doubt that Houston would have an elite defense once again (which would be stupid), the roster retention should put those concerns to rest. Leading scorer LJ Cryer is back, and will likely defend that title for another season. To put his shooting greatness in context, he’s a *career* 41% 3pt shooter, and he hit 112 shots from deep last year (T-9th in the country). That is RIDICULOUS. Can you imagine if he still played for Baylor? Anyways, Emanuel Sharp, Terrance Arceneaux, Mylik Wilson, Ramon Walker, transfer guard Milos Uzan, and Top 75 freshman guard Mercy Miller will all be part of the backcourt rotation, as well. Sharp is a really good 3&D guard who should get even better, with a more prominent role. Only Shead was better at producing steals than Sharp last season. Arceneaux returns to action after suffering a season-ending Achilles tear, eleven games into last season. I’ll be very interested to see what impact he has - he’s really the only true wing on the team, and while he isn’t much of a shooter yet, he was really coming along in other areas to start last season: defending, rebounding, getting to the FT line, etc. Wilson was a solid backup guard - he wasn’t a great outside shooter, but he was pretty efficient inside the arc, and he fit the mold of a scrappy Kelvin Sampson-coached guard very well, with really impressive rebounding and steal numbers. Walker played mostly out of necessity last season, but he’s a solid defender if they need him to play. Milos Uzan is the lone transfer joining the Cougars, and he’s probably the biggest unknown variable about next year’s team. You have to assume Sampson wanted him to replace Shead as a facilitating / distributing point guard, but it’s unclear how big of a role he’ll play (though one would assume he plays a lot since UH plays 4 guards quite a bit). Uzan was good in that role at Oklahoma, but inferior to Shead in every way. He doesn’t shoot or score as well, he’s not nearly as good of a passer, he can’t defend at the same level…there’s just a substantial delta between the two, which makes you wonder if Houston’s ceiling will be as high. Freshman Mercy Miller isn’t incredibly high on the recruiting rankings, but he did score 68 points in a high school game last season…so, he seems like a capable shooting guard who can put up numbers.
The dynamic frontcourt duo of J’Wan Roberts and Ja’Vier Francis are running it back, and they should continue to terrorize opponents on both ends. They’re two of the toughest forwards in college basketball. They’re both prolific rebounders, who play stonewall defense and finish very well down low. Roberts is a First Team All Big 12 selection, and Francis was Top 100 in offensive rebounding rate, 2pt FG %, and Top 20 in block rate. Joseph Tugler is also returning from a broken foot that kept him from playing for all of last March - he was a rock-solid backup forward, especially considering he was a freshman. Redshirt center and former Top 100 recruit Jacob McFarland will be available to backup Francis, as well.
Houston will have a Top 5 defense once again - I think that’s almost a certainty. What’s less of a certainty is how good the offense will be without Shead. He was the straw that stirred that offense - his assist rate was Top 5 in the country. He had the second most field goals on the team last season, and now he’s being replaced by a guy who shot under 40% on a bubble team. It also felt like Shead bailed last season’s team out of close games so many times…Cryer and Sharp may be able to do that, but can they do it with the ball in their hands? Sampson will probably run the same old low tempo, possession-focused offense. Those offenses require efficient scoring to work well, and I find it kind of hard to believe the offense is going to improve. The Coogs finished with the 19th most efficient offense per KenPom - I think there’s a strong chance that could drop slightly.
#4: Gonzaga Bulldogs
Returning
Graham Ike (16.5 ppg - 61% / 37% / 78%)
Nolan Hickman (14.0 ppg - 47% / 41% / 88%)
Ryan Nembhard (12.6 ppg - 45% / 32% / 75%)
Braden Huff (9.3 ppg - 60% / 34% / 55%)
Ben Gregg (9.0 ppg - 54% / 38% / 73%)
Dusty Stromer (4.8 ppg - 37% / 36% / 81%)
Jun Seok Yeo (2.3 ppg - 44% / 14% / 67%)
Joe Few (0.3 ppg - 14% / 0% / 30%)
Transfers
Michael Ajayi (17.2 ppg @ Pepperdine - 47% / 47% / 71%)
Khalif Battle (14.8 ppg @ Arkansas - 41% / 35% / 87%)
Braeden Smith (12.5 ppg @ Colgate - 39% / 31% / 79%)
Emmanuel Innocenti (6.6 ppg @ Tarleton State - 41% / 31% / 80%)
Recruits
N/A
The Gonzaga Bulldogs are heading into the 2023-2024 season with a roster that has experience, continuity, and a ton of scoring talent. Second-leading scorer Anton Watson is heading to the NBA, but 6 of the top 7 scorers from last season return to Spokane to make a run at YET ANOTHER Sweet 16 - they’re going for 10 in a row - because apparently that’s Gonzaga’s thing. Mark Few’s team should feature an incredible offense (finished 5th in off. efficiency, per KenPom). Senior center Graham Ike is one of the most dominant, efficient interior scorers (61% on 2pt FGs) and rebounders in the country, and will likely contend for All-American honors. Senior point guard Ryan Nembhard is an elite passer and facilitator who can be the go-to scorer in big spots. And Nolan Hickman is an awesome true shooting guard to complement Nembhard in the backcourt - he shot 41% from 3 last season. Sophomore wing Dusty Stromer stepped up big last season after Steele Venters was ruled out before the season with an injury. He shot a solid 37% from 3 on almost 100 attempts, which I think could very possibly improve this coming season. Unfortunately, he’ll have the opportunity to do so again as Steele sustained yet another season-ending injury over the second consecutive offseason. Senior Ben Gregg and sophomore Braden Huff round out what will probably be one of the best frontcourts in the entire country next season. Per KenPom, Gregg was the 10th most offensively efficient player in the entirety of CBB. He shot 73% on 2s (unreal, and 5th in the country) and 38% from 3. And Braden Huff surpassed expectations in his first season, serving as a very effective backup for Ike when he needed a breather or got into foul trouble. He shot 69% from 2 and 33% from 3, and while he’s not as good of a rebounder, he’s perhaps the best shot blocker on the team.
Few may not have any freshmen recruits joining the program, but he landed some great players from the transfer portal that should make this team even better than last season. Senior wing Michael Ajayi from Pepperdine was one of the most prized transfers of this past cycle - probably because he scored 17 ppg, shot 47% from 3 on his few attempts, and is an unbelievable rebounder - he should be able to step in to replace Anton Watson pretty seamlessly. Khalif Battle was one of the very few bright spots on last year’s Arkansas team. He’s an all-around, three level scorer who is one of the best players in the country at drawing fouls and scoring at the line…he was 8th in fouls-drawn rate and shot 87% from the stripe. Braeden Smith (not to be confused with Purdue’s PG) was an incredible late-cycle pickup for Gonzaga as well because he filled the last gap the team had: backup point guard / ball-handler. And Smith is much better than your average backup PG - he’s the reigning Patriot League player of the year, and he ranked 16th in assist rate and 57th in steal rate. He’s probably already the best backcourt defender on the team, which was one of Gonzaga’s weaknesses last season. Smith not only provides a very high floor if/when Nembhard comes out of the game, he makes Gonzaga a better team and gives Few some needed situational lineup flexibility.
Gonzaga has one of the deepest, most talented rosters in college basketball, and will be picked by most as a Top 10, if not Top 5 team. I think they could easily be a Top 2-3 team, if they can play better team defense than last season. They finished the year ranked 51st in defensive efficiency - that kind of number is good enough to get you to a Final Four, but it’s rarely good enough for a National Title. Their biggest weaknesses were a lack of forced turnovers (specifically non-steals…which is a nerdy way of saying they didn’t force enough mistakes by the offense) and perimeter / 3pt defense (201st in the country). I’m not sure that they’ve solved those problems, as they’re running back a very similar starting backcourt, but I’m sure they’ll be improved from last season. The offense will be so damn good that it’ll be hard for other teams to keep up with them, so even a slight defensive improvement would go a long way. Gonzaga’s non-con schedule is stacked yet again this season, so they’ll be appointment TV for this guy until close to New Years, when WCC league play begins. Few also managed to schedule a game with Baylor on College Hoops Opening Night, which will be a phenomenal way to kick off the season - it might be a race to 100, based on the shooting and talent in that game. I think the Bulldogs are in for a big season after an up-and-down start to the post-Timme era that ended with a loss to a generational talent and National Player of the Year, a result I would consider a success if I were a Zags fan. I think they have a real chance to make the Final Four this year.
#5: UCONN Huskies
Returning
Alex Karaban (13.3 ppg - 50% / 38% / 89%)
Hassan Diarra (6.1 ppg - 48% / 36% / 78%)
Samson Johnson (5.4 ppg - 73% / 0% / 43%)
Solomon Ball (3.3 ppg - 39% / 32% / 70%)
Jaylin Stewart (2.5 ppg - 47% / 27% / 44%)
Jayden Ross (0.7 ppg - 27% / 9% / 40%)
Youssouf Singare (0.2 ppg - 33% / 0% / 100%)
Transfers
Aidan Mahaney (13.9 ppg @ Saint Mary’s - 39% / 36% / 81%)
Tarris Reed Jr. (9.0 ppg @ Michigan - 52% / 33% / 59%)
Recruits
Liam McNeeley (ESPN #9 / 247Sports #10)
Ahmad Nowell (ESPN #36 / 247Sports #33)
Isaiah Abraham (ESPN #61 / 247Sports #90)
Alright, THIS TIME I think UCONN actually does NOT win the National Championship. I know I was relatively low on them to start last season too, and there are several media figures that are automatically putting Huskies in the Top 3 to hedge against being wrong again, but I’m sticking to my guns: I don’t think this is a National Champion roster. Four starters are gone: two-time national champions Tristen Newton and Donovan Clingan, and one-and-done Huskies Cam Spencer and Stephon Castle. Newton and Clingan ended up being 2 of the best players in college basketball last season. Cam Spencer, who was rated the 114th best transfer in CBB last season by 247 Sports, was THE MOST EFFICIENT OFFENSIVE PLAYER IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL (per KenPom). Stephon Castle was 5th in scoring for the Huskies, but he was selected 4th overall in the NBA Draft. Fortunately for Dan Hurley and Huskies fans, the required rebuild effort shrank significantly when Alex Karaban (also a two-time champ) decided to return to Storrs for one last ride, late in the transfer portal / NBA Draft cycle. A lot of people immediately said “well now the Huskies are legitimate three-peat contenders”...*technically*, I think that’s true because I think Dan Hurley could lead this team through some tight spots and lucky breaks in the tournament to a third straight title, but I think it’s a long shot.
I think the big questions this season are 1) how good can a team led by Aidan Mahaney and Alex Karaban be? And 2) how good is the rest of this team? I have full faith that Hurley will make this team better than it looks on paper to start this season, and that I’m underestimating at least one of the returning players and/or newcomers…but to be honest I was surprised that Hurley didn’t do more in the portal. Again, hard to doubt Hurley based on results…but I have some doubts.
Karaban is now the leader of this team, and he was one of the most efficient offensive players in the country last season (#23 in the country - which was 3rd highest on the team). I expect him to play at an All Big East, if not All-American, level this year. But I have to think that he benefited quite a bit last year from being surrounded by two lottery picks, a player of the year candidate, and the most efficient offensive player in college basketball. That lineup allowed for incredible spacing, and Karaban was probably their 4th option, offensively. He won’t have the same level of talent around him this season, which makes me think his efficiency falls off at least a tiny bit, even if his utilization and scoring tick up as the leader of this team. Aidan Mahaney, the high-profile junior guard from Saint Mary’s, is a great addition, and a strong shooter who regressed a bit last season after an oddly cold start to the year and could be much better in UCONN’s offense than he was in SMC’s. That said, I could also see him struggling a bit more against UCONN’s schedule - he’s not in the WCC anymore. That’s not just a wild guess - he had some stinkers against good competition last year (3/12 FG vs. SDSU, 2/13 FG vs. Xavier, 2/11 FG vs. Colorado State, 3/20 FG vs. UNLV, 6/19 FG vs. Gonzaga, and 5/21 FG vs. GCU in the tournament). I think the next tranche of players is going to be the key to UCONN’s season: Hassan Diarra, Samson Johnson, Solomon Ball, and Liam McNeeley. I’m confident in saying Diarra and Johnson will be good - they were the 6th and 7th men on last year’s team, and there wasn’t much of a drop-off when they took the court. Diarra will be the starting point guard - he’s a pretty good distributor, he’s active on the defensive end, and he’s a pretty reliable shooter. Johnson is masterful in the art of the pick-and-roll…most of them end in Johnson posterizing opponents. He shot 73.5% from 2 last year, which is OBSCENE and would have put him in the Top 10 in the country had he played enough to qualify. While I have no doubt he will be a reliable starter, he doesn’t have anything near the upside of Clingan. Solomon Ball could be an under-the-radar / “most improved” type of player this coming season. He was a Top 50 recruit as an incoming freshman last season, and he seems to be a *fine* shooter, but he only really saw action during blowouts so it’s hard to tell how ready he is for big-time minutes. And last, but not least, is incoming 5 Star Liam McNeeley. Liam re-opened his recruiting after decommitting from Indiana when it seemed that their transfer portal recruits were going to eat away at his minutes. He could be a very good replacement for Spencer / Castle. He’s a large, smooth-shooting wing, who should be able to contribute - and potentially start - immediately. He’s not incredibly athletic, but he’s confident and competitive, and if he transitions smoothly into the college game, he could score enough in bunches to deserve substantial playing time. Michigan big man transfer Tarris Reed should fill Samson Johnson’s old role as first big man off the bench - and I think he will improve drastically under Hurley. He’s a skilled big forward / center who could use some polish, but can provide a high floor when Johnson comes off the court. Hurley also has Jaylin Stewart (a Top 60 recruit from last year) and two other Top 60 freshmen coming in, so there’s a lot of talent across the roster. I just think that a lot of things went right for Dan & UCONN over the past two years, and that there’s enough dropoff at some positions this year, that this UCONN team won’t be quite as potent, even if they’re still a Top 10 caliber team. And that might still be enough to win the Big East and earn UCONN a Top 2 or 3 seed this year, putting them in position to potentially keep their March streak going.