2020-2021 Season

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Let's talk basketball.  UConn looking ahead to next year.



https://www.ctinsider.com/uconn/nhregister/article/An-early-look-ahead-to-what-will-be-awaiting-15141353.php?sid=5baaacf72ddf9c545d737065&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CT_NHR_Insider

An early look ahead to what will be awaiting UConn in the Big East
By David Borges March 18, 2020

In a college basketball world that is all about transfers these days, UConn enters the most exhilarating yet daunting transfer portal of all.

The Huskies will "transfer" from the American Athletic Conference to the Big East next season. Or return to the Big East, UConn's rightful home. Of course, UConn never really left the Big East — the conference left UConn seven years ago — but that's a whole 'nother story.

Bottom line: UConn is back in the Big East. Fans are ecstatic, as they should be. UConn is an original Big East member, and it's back in a league with historic rivals Georgetown, Villanova, St. John's and Providence. Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Louisville, of course, are no longer there. Been that way for a while now. The Big East isn't exactly the Big East of old. Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin and Pearl Washington aren't walking through that door. Heck, neither are Roy Hibbert, Gerry McNamara or DeJuan Blair.

The league is no longer the monster it was 30, 20, even 10 years ago. But it is still a bear. The Big East was the No. 3 in the nation per kenpom.com this past season, largely because of its overall depth. Its last-place team (DePaul) won at Iowa and Minnesota and beat Texas Tech at home.

The Big East may not have the same overall depth next season, but should be strong again. The league will likely have two teams (Creighton and Villanova) among the top 10 in the preseason AP Top 25 and others (Xavier, Providence) that could easily be ranked at some point in the season. Could UConn be one of those latter teams? It's certainly possible.

For now, let's take an early look at the Huskies' competition next season in the Big East.

VILLANOVA

UConn is already all too familiar with the Wildcats after playing a three-game home-neutral-away series the past three seasons. Villanova won all three, the first two by 20-plus points. But the Huskies are getting closer. They led by four with five minutes left before falling 61-55 at Wells Fargo Center on Jan. 18. Afterwards, Dan Hurley proclaimed: "People better get us now. Because it's coming."

It won't get any easier next season. When Jay Wright was asked what he'd tell his seniors after the coronavirus canceled the NCAA tournament, he noted, "We don't have any seniors." Indeed, the Wildcats lose no one from a team that finished in a three-way tie for first (with Seton Hall and Creighton) atop the Big East standings at 13-5. Talented forward Saddiq Bey may go pro, but even if he does, Collin Gillespie, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Jermaine Samuels (who torched UConn for 19 points) form an impressive foundation. Wright has also been the Big East coach most enthusiastic about UConn's return to the league.

CREIGHTON

The Bluejays should be a preseason top 10 team, especially if leading scorers Ty-Shon Alexander and Marcus Zegarowski return. Alexander (16.9 points per game) is expected to at least go through the NBA Draft process. Zegarowski (16.1 ppg) may have done the same, but a torn meniscus in his right knee suffered in Creighton's final regular-season game will sideline him for 3-4 months and almost certainly pave the way for the point guard's return next season. If both are back, Creighton will boast perhaps the best backcourt in the country.

XAVIER

The Huskies dropped a double-overtime heartbreaker to Xavier back in November at the Charleston Classic. The Musketeers lose Bloomfield's Tyrique Jones (14 ppg, 11.1 rpg) to graduation, but if Naji Marshall (16.8 ppg) eschews going pro, he and Paul Scruggs (12.7 ppg) should lead a formidable lineup. Xavier also boasts the league's No. 2-rated recruiting class, led by four-star point guard Dwon Odom.

PROVIDENCE

The Friars were one of the hottest teams in the country down the stretch this season, making up for some puzzling early-season losses. They will lose two of their top players (Alpha Diallo and Luwane Pipkins) to graduation, but return perhaps their best all-around player in guard David Duke, who averaged 12 points per game while providing lockdown defense. Along with ultra-talented A.J. Reeves, 6-10 Nate Watson and some promising newcomers, most recently Syracuse transfer Brycen Goodine, PC should be up near the top of the league standings. Coach Ed Cooley and Hurley have had friction in the past when Hurley was at the helm at Rhode Island, and Cooley has expressed his displeasure with UConn returning to the league. So, this could turn into the sizzling border rivalry that Friar fans have always wanted and UConn fans have largely sneered at over the years.

SETON HALL

Tough to expect the Pirates to repeat this past season's magic, which had them ranked in the top 10 for four weeks and in position to win the league title outright before faltering down the stretch. Big East Player of the Year Myles Powell graduates, as does Bridgeport's Quincy McKnight, one of the nation's best defenders, and 7-footer Romaro Gill, who was named the Big East's Defensive Player of the Year. But Sandro Mamukelashvili, who missed part of this season with a broken wrist, is back, along with wing Jared Rhoden, and coach Kevin Willard is scouring the transfer market. And, of course, this is Dan Hurley's alma mater, which will make things interesting.

ST. JOHN'S

Mustapha Heron, the talented guard who grew up in Waterbury and West Haven, sadly had his career curtailed due to an ankle injury in early February, and the Red Storm never quite got going this season. But with leading scorer LJ Figueroa back, along with point guard Rasheem Dunn and forwards Julian Champagnie and Marecellus Earlington, better days could be ahead for coach Mike Anderson & Co.

MARQUETTE

No team suffers a bigger loss than the Golden Eagles. Markus Howard, the nation's leading scorer (27.8 ppg) and all-time leading scorer in Big East history, graduates — and can't really be replaced. Second-leading scorer Sacar Anim also graduates, though the future has promise: Marquette boasts the top-rated incoming recruiting class in the league, led by a trio of four-star recruits.

BUTLER

Butler did it this season with defense that had it ranked for much of the year and a lock for the NCAA tournament. Things could get trickier next season, as leading scorer and First Team All-Big East guard Kamar Baldwin graduates. Second-leading scorer Sean McDermott is also gone, though coach LaVell Jordan brings in a good recruiting class with five three-star players.

GEORGETOWN

It's been a tumultuous past couple of years under Patrick Ewing, with multiple players (including former UConn commit James Akinjo) leaving the program. The Hoyas actually played better for a while with a depleted roster, but wound up losing their final seven games to finish 15-17 overall and 5-13 in the Big East. If everyone returns, Mac McClung (15.7 ppg), Jahvon Blair and Jamorko Pickett is a nice foundation, but it could be do-or-die time for Ewing.

DEPAUL

At one point this season, the Blue Demons were 12-1, with wins at Iowa, at Minnesota and against Texas Tech, and were sitting just outside the AP Top 25. Soon after, the Big East happened, and DePaul lost 15 of its final 19 games. Stunningly, it was reported a week ago that athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsento was planning on offering coach Dave Leitao a contract extension. Not surprisingly, nothing's materialized yet, and it wouldn't be shocking to see a new coach at the helm at the start of next season.

LOCAL FLAVOR?

At the start of this past season, three of the top players in the Big East were Connecticut natives — Xavier's Tyrique Jones (Bloomfield), St. John's Mustapha Heron (Waterbury/West Haven) and Seton Hall's Quincy McKnight (Bridgeport). Jones and McKnight both had strong seasons, while Heron's was cut short by injury. All three will graduate this spring, and at the onset of next season, it appears there won't be a single scholarship player from Connecticut in the Big East. Sure, there could be a walk-on or two (like UConn's Matt Garry of Southington and Xavier's Zak Swetye, a Darien product), but at this point, no scholarship guys. Heck, even little ol' Rhode Island will have a couple of representatives (Providence's David Duke, Villanova's Cole Swider).

Expect that to change moving forward. As Jay Wright pointed out at Big East Media Day back in October, UConn's return to the Big East should lead to more Connecticut players committing locally — either to UConn or other Big East schools.

"There will be kids growing up in Connecticut, following the Big East, and they might wind up playing at Georgetown," Wright told Hearst Connecticut Media. "That's what happened in the old Big East, and I think the same thing's gonna happen."

FAMILIAR FACES

There may not be any Connecticut-born scholarship players on Big East rosters, but there will be some familiar faces and names. Cooley, of course, coached Fairfield for five seasons before leaving for his hometown school in Providence. Brian Blaney, son of former longtime UConn assistant George Blaney, is one of Cooley's assistants. Leitao, another former Jim Calhoun assistant at UConn, is still at DePaul (for now). Dwayne Killings, an assistant to Kevin Ollie for two seasons, is an assistant at Marquette. And, for those longing for the AAC days — former Memphis guard Antwann Jones is at Creighton, and former Tulane guard Caleb Daniels is at Villanova.

david.borges@hearstmediact.com

[Afroman]

The incoming freshmen (along with hopefully two other contributors-to-be-determined) better be dynamite, otherwise 2020-21 will be a loooong season.

[BCHoopster]

The incoming freshmen (along with hopefully two other contributors-to-be-determined) better be dynamite, otherwise 2020-21 will be a loooong season.

Butler, Hall and somewhat Providence might be in the same situation.  Depaul may or may not be better if Reed leaves but they beat MU with him not playing so that
might be a problem.  The conference overall will be weaker when you lose Howard, Powell and Baldwin, all will be tough to replace.  Creighton loses both guards would
put them in the same category.  Villy looks like an easy champ.

[lawdog77]

Butler, Hall and somewhat Providence might be in the same situation.  Depaul may or may not be better if Reed leaves but they beat MU with him not playing so that
might be a problem.  The conference overall will be weaker when you lose Howard, Powell and Baldwin, all will be tough to replace.  Creighton loses both guards would
put them in the same category.  Villy looks like an easy champ.

Dont be too surprised if a couple of Nova players go pro.

[BCHoopster]

Dont be too surprised if a couple of Nova players go pro.

If Bey goes, just weakens the conference.  Right now, the conference does not look to strong.  MU could finish again in the middle of the pack if the Frosh play
bigger.

One question that is not discussed is Akanno.  When I saw him in practice last fall, he had a Big East Body, nice looking shot, could he get more playing time at the
2 guard then we all think.  Did he improve what ever weakness's he had?  He might get more playing time then you think.

[brewcity77]

I was having this discussion on Twitter. I'd love for Akanno to be a positive player next year, but I'm withholding judgment until I see it. Guys like Sacar who go from redshirt & minimal contributor to high major starter are incredibly rare. Frankly, I'd be overjoyed if Dex could give us 10 reliable minutes as a RS freshman. That would exceed my expectations.

[panda]

I was having this discussion on Twitter. I'd love for Akanno to be a positive player next year, but I'm withholding judgment until I see it. Guys like Sacar who go from redshirt & minimal contributor to high major starter are incredibly rare. Frankly, I'd be overjoyed if Dex could give us 10 reliable minutes as a RS freshman. That would exceed my expectations.

I'm always very curious about those people who put any sort of expectations on a guy like Dexter. The guy was a non prospect who has played zero minutes of collegiate basketball. Anything positive he contributes next season is a bonus.

[Badgerhater]

Plenty of opportunity for one or more frosh to make the BE all-freshman team.

If the team does poorly and none of the newcomers demonstrates such promise then can we fire Wojo?

Wishing for a promising season, not the disappointment of the last two

[Nukem2]

I was having this discussion on Twitter. I'd love for Akanno to be a positive player next year, but I'm withholding judgment until I see it. Guys like Sacar who go from redshirt & minimal contributor to high major starter are incredibly rare. Frankly, I'd be overjoyed if Dex could give us 10 reliable minutes as a RS freshman. That would exceed my expectations.

Yup.  Also, Sacar redshirted as a soph, so he was in his 3rd year in the program when he started to contribute.

[mileskishnish72]

Let's talk basketball.  UConn looking ahead to next year.



https://www.ctinsider.com/uconn/nhregister/article/An-early-look-ahead-to-what-will-be-awaiting-15141353.php?sid=5baaacf72ddf9c545d737065&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CT_NHR_Insider

An early look ahead to what will be awaiting UConn in the Big East
By David Borges March 18, 2020

In a college basketball world that is all about transfers these days, UConn enters the most exhilarating yet daunting transfer portal of all.

The Huskies will "transfer" from the American Athletic Conference to the Big East next season. Or return to the Big East, UConn's rightful home. Of course, UConn never really left the Big East — the conference left UConn seven years ago — but that's a whole 'nother story.

Bottom line: UConn is back in the Big East. Fans are ecstatic, as they should be. UConn is an original Big East member, and it's back in a league with historic rivals Georgetown, Villanova, St. John's and Providence. Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Louisville, of course, are no longer there. Been that way for a while now. The Big East isn't exactly the Big East of old. Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin and Pearl Washington aren't walking through that door. Heck, neither are Roy Hibbert, Gerry McNamara or DeJuan Blair.

The league is no longer the monster it was 30, 20, even 10 years ago. But it is still a bear. The Big East was the No. 3 in the nation per kenpom.com this past season, largely because of its overall depth. Its last-place team (DePaul) won at Iowa and Minnesota and beat Texas Tech at home.

The Big East may not have the same overall depth next season, but should be strong again. The league will likely have two teams (Creighton and Villanova) among the top 10 in the preseason AP Top 25 and others (Xavier, Providence) that could easily be ranked at some point in the season. Could UConn be one of those latter teams? It's certainly possible.

For now, let's take an early look at the Huskies' competition next season in the Big East.

VILLANOVA

UConn is already all too familiar with the Wildcats after playing a three-game home-neutral-away series the past three seasons. Villanova won all three, the first two by 20-plus points. But the Huskies are getting closer. They led by four with five minutes left before falling 61-55 at Wells Fargo Center on Jan. 18. Afterwards, Dan Hurley proclaimed: "People better get us now. Because it's coming."

It won't get any easier next season. When Jay Wright was asked what he'd tell his seniors after the coronavirus canceled the NCAA tournament, he noted, "We don't have any seniors." Indeed, the Wildcats lose no one from a team that finished in a three-way tie for first (with Seton Hall and Creighton) atop the Big East standings at 13-5. Talented forward Saddiq Bey may go pro, but even if he does, Collin Gillespie, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Jermaine Samuels (who torched UConn for 19 points) form an impressive foundation. Wright has also been the Big East coach most enthusiastic about UConn's return to the league.

CREIGHTON

The Bluejays should be a preseason top 10 team, especially if leading scorers Ty-Shon Alexander and Marcus Zegarowski return. Alexander (16.9 points per game) is expected to at least go through the NBA Draft process. Zegarowski (16.1 ppg) may have done the same, but a torn meniscus in his right knee suffered in Creighton's final regular-season game will sideline him for 3-4 months and almost certainly pave the way for the point guard's return next season. If both are back, Creighton will boast perhaps the best backcourt in the country.

XAVIER

The Huskies dropped a double-overtime heartbreaker to Xavier back in November at the Charleston Classic. The Musketeers lose Bloomfield's Tyrique Jones (14 ppg, 11.1 rpg) to graduation, but if Naji Marshall (16.8 ppg) eschews going pro, he and Paul Scruggs (12.7 ppg) should lead a formidable lineup. Xavier also boasts the league's No. 2-rated recruiting class, led by four-star point guard Dwon Odom.

PROVIDENCE

The Friars were one of the hottest teams in the country down the stretch this season, making up for some puzzling early-season losses. They will lose two of their top players (Alpha Diallo and Luwane Pipkins) to graduation, but return perhaps their best all-around player in guard David Duke, who averaged 12 points per game while providing lockdown defense. Along with ultra-talented A.J. Reeves, 6-10 Nate Watson and some promising newcomers, most recently Syracuse transfer Brycen Goodine, PC should be up near the top of the league standings. Coach Ed Cooley and Hurley have had friction in the past when Hurley was at the helm at Rhode Island, and Cooley has expressed his displeasure with UConn returning to the league. So, this could turn into the sizzling border rivalry that Friar fans have always wanted and UConn fans have largely sneered at over the years.

SETON HALL

Tough to expect the Pirates to repeat this past season's magic, which had them ranked in the top 10 for four weeks and in position to win the league title outright before faltering down the stretch. Big East Player of the Year Myles Powell graduates, as does Bridgeport's Quincy McKnight, one of the nation's best defenders, and 7-footer Romaro Gill, who was named the Big East's Defensive Player of the Year. But Sandro Mamukelashvili, who missed part of this season with a broken wrist, is back, along with wing Jared Rhoden, and coach Kevin Willard is scouring the transfer market. And, of course, this is Dan Hurley's alma mater, which will make things interesting.

ST. JOHN'S

Mustapha Heron, the talented guard who grew up in Waterbury and West Haven, sadly had his career curtailed due to an ankle injury in early February, and the Red Storm never quite got going this season. But with leading scorer LJ Figueroa back, along with point guard Rasheem Dunn and forwards Julian Champagnie and Marecellus Earlington, better days could be ahead for coach Mike Anderson & Co.

MARQUETTE

No team suffers a bigger loss than the Golden Eagles. Markus Howard, the nation's leading scorer (27.8 ppg) and all-time leading scorer in Big East history, graduates — and can't really be replaced. Second-leading scorer Sacar Anim also graduates, though the future has promise: Marquette boasts the top-rated incoming recruiting class in the league, led by a trio of four-star recruits.

BUTLER

Butler did it this season with defense that had it ranked for much of the year and a lock for the NCAA tournament. Things could get trickier next season, as leading scorer and First Team All-Big East guard Kamar Baldwin graduates. Second-leading scorer Sean McDermott is also gone, though coach LaVell Jordan brings in a good recruiting class with five three-star players.

GEORGETOWN

It's been a tumultuous past couple of years under Patrick Ewing, with multiple players (including former UConn commit James Akinjo) leaving the program. The Hoyas actually played better for a while with a depleted roster, but wound up losing their final seven games to finish 15-17 overall and 5-13 in the Big East. If everyone returns, Mac McClung (15.7 ppg), Jahvon Blair and Jamorko Pickett is a nice foundation, but it could be do-or-die time for Ewing.

DEPAUL

At one point this season, the Blue Demons were 12-1, with wins at Iowa, at Minnesota and against Texas Tech, and were sitting just outside the AP Top 25. Soon after, the Big East happened, and DePaul lost 15 of its final 19 games. Stunningly, it was reported a week ago that athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsento was planning on offering coach Dave Leitao a contract extension. Not surprisingly, nothing's materialized yet, and it wouldn't be shocking to see a new coach at the helm at the start of next season.

LOCAL FLAVOR?

At the start of this past season, three of the top players in the Big East were Connecticut natives — Xavier's Tyrique Jones (Bloomfield), St. John's Mustapha Heron (Waterbury/West Haven) and Seton Hall's Quincy McKnight (Bridgeport). Jones and McKnight both had strong seasons, while Heron's was cut short by injury. All three will graduate this spring, and at the onset of next season, it appears there won't be a single scholarship player from Connecticut in the Big East. Sure, there could be a walk-on or two (like UConn's Matt Garry of Southington and Xavier's Zak Swetye, a Darien product), but at this point, no scholarship guys. Heck, even little ol' Rhode Island will have a couple of representatives (Providence's David Duke, Villanova's Cole Swider).

Expect that to change moving forward. As Jay Wright pointed out at Big East Media Day back in October, UConn's return to the Big East should lead to more Connecticut players committing locally — either to UConn or other Big East schools.

"There will be kids growing up in Connecticut, following the Big East, and they might wind up playing at Georgetown," Wright told Hearst Connecticut Media. "That's what happened in the old Big East, and I think the same thing's gonna happen."

FAMILIAR FACES

There may not be any Connecticut-born scholarship players on Big East rosters, but there will be some familiar faces and names. Cooley, of course, coached Fairfield for five seasons before leaving for his hometown school in Providence. Brian Blaney, son of former longtime UConn assistant George Blaney, is one of Cooley's assistants. Leitao, another former Jim Calhoun assistant at UConn, is still at DePaul (for now). Dwayne Killings, an assistant to Kevin Ollie for two seasons, is an assistant at Marquette. And, for those longing for the AAC days — former Memphis guard Antwann Jones is at Creighton, and former Tulane guard Caleb Daniels is at Villanova.

david.borges@hearstmediact.com

Interesting read. Thanks for posting, Nutmegger.