Connecticut Huskies
2013-14 Record: 32-8, 12-6 in the AAC
Head coach: Kevin Ollie
Tenure at Connecticut: 3rd season
Career coaching record: 52-18
Home courts: Harry A. Gampel Pavillion, XL Center
Starters: C Amida Brimah, F Phillip Nolan, F Daniel Hamilton, G Rodney Purvis, G Ryan Boatright
Bench: F Omar Calhoun, G Sam Cassell Jr., G Terrence Samuel
Overview: In his first year with postseason eligibility last season, Connecticut head coach Kevin Ollie surprised the college basketball world with a national title run reminiscent of the Huskies’ 2011 Kemba Walker-led championship. With Shabazz Napier stepping into his former mentor’s shoes, the Huskies rebounded from two ugly losses to Louisville in early March to upset four higher seeds on the way to taking down eighth-seeded Kentucky 60-54 in the national championship game. Now that Napier—last year's team leader in total points, assists and rebounds—and three of Connecticut’s four other top scorers are gone, Ollie may be facing his biggest challenge yet.
To put the defending champs back in title contention this season, the 41-year old coach will have to rely on the third-in-line of the Walker-Napier dynasty: senior guard Ryan Boatright. Slightly shorter than his predecessors, the 6-foot guard has averaged double digits in scoring in each of his three years in Storrs but actually saw slight decreases in minutes, scoring and assists on last year’s championship team. The quick guard did show improved maturity, however, bringing his turnover average to less than two per game, and that should pay dividends as he inherits the keys to the offense.
Connecticut’s other returning starter, sophomore forward Phillip Nolan, bulked up in the offseason and is poised to become a bigger presence on the glass after the departures of Napier and forward DeAndre Daniels, who were selected in the NBA Draft.
Although Boatright and Nolan are returners with high expectations, the Huskies' success will likely depend on the development of the rest of their rotation. After saving Connecticut from elimination in the Round of 64 in last year's NCAA tournament, Amida Brimah will step into the starting center role. The sophomore, who only has five years of organized basketball experience, struggled with foul trouble last season, averaging 7.1 per 40 minutes.
The Huskies must also integrate three talented newcomers into the lineup. In N.C. State transfer Rodney Purvis and freshman Daniel Hamilton, the nation’s No. 30 recruit, Boatright will have two top scoring threats to share the load. Purvis, a combo guard that Ollie referred to as his “Ferrari sitting in the garage” has fully recovered from shoulder surgery during his NCAA-mandated season off last year, and Hamilton has immediately connected with Ollie, a fellow Los Angeles native. In addition, Connecticut landed junior college transfer Sam Cassell Jr., a combo guard who should play understudy to Boatright this year.
One thing that needs to go right: Brimah stays on the court to anchor Ollie's defense near the rim and provide a steady interior presence on the offensive end. If he cannot play without fouling, the Huskies will have little to lean on in the post.
One thing that could go wrong: With Napier gone, Ollie cannot replicate the turnover-inducing, high-pressure defense in the backcourt that helped Connecticut take down the nation’s top teams.
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