Subscribe
Follow Us
The UConn basketball program suffered a 99-97 overtime loss to Memphis in the opening game of the Maui Invitational, and although the loss was surprising to many, head coach Dan Hurley admitted that he knew this season would be different from last, when the Huskies lost just three games and won a second consecutive national championship.
“We know that this is going to be a different type of season,” Dan Hurley said, via Matt Norlander of CBS Sports. “This is not last year's team. That was just a ridiculously dominant basketball team. It's a team that, it's going to depend on the growth of Solo Balls, the Jaylin Stewarts, the Liam McNeeleys, the Jayden Rosses, and there's going to be games like this along the way.”
UConn basketball was 47-3 in the last 50 games, but Hurley knows that this team will be more of a work in progress than the last two years. In 2022-2023, the Huskies struggled in January, but righted the ship and won the first of two national titles. There is proof that Hurley and his staff can adjust to maximize his teams' abilities, and he might have to do that with this team. The 2023-2024 team was dominant the entire season, losing narrowly to Kansas, while also turning in uncharacteristically bad performances in road losses to Seton Hall and Creighton. Other than that, UConn basketball was an unstoppable force.
It seems as if this year's Huskies will be more of a slow burn if things get on the right track, and while the loss was frustrating, there are still young talented pieces who could continue to grow throughout the season.
UConn basketball's route to improving after loss to Memphis
In the early going, the starting spots taken up by Aidan Mahaney and Samson Johnson could be in question based on early performances. Hassan Diarra is an experienced player for the Huskies and could slot into the lineup, while Tarris Reed Jr. has looked better than Johnson so far when he comes off the bench. Those lineup adjustments could be in store and could help the Huskies in the long-term.
However, the players Hurley mentioned in Solo Ball, Jaylin Stewart, Liam McNeeley and Jayden Ross will be the key. Ball has showed potential as a shooter in the early going this season, while Stewart was one of the better players for UConn in the loss to Memphis. McNeeley has shown great potential so far not only as a shooter, but a rebounder as well, and Ross is a very athletic player who will be a key part of the rotation as well.
The growth of those players throughout the season will be the biggest factor when it comes to UConn reaching its ceiling this season. They will get a chance to rebound against Colorado on Tuesday in a quick turnaround.
