David Butler II-USA Today Sports
Conference realignment has come to a conclusion — for now. If we’ve learned anything over the past couple of years though, it’s that things can spark up at any moment and the shakeup that has been ongoing through the collegiate landscape can start back up.
For the Connecticut Huskies however, conference realignment came and went and the university made no movement, well unless you consider the Big East Conference breaking off and leaving the remaining schools to form the American Athletic Conference movement. If that’s the case, then yes, UConn technically did move, but not because of any individual decision.
Either way, UConn athletic director Warde Manuel is done with realignment and has reportedly been done for quite some time. The Huskies are remaining in the AAC and looking forward it and that’s the exact attitude that will eventually lead them back into the national discussion.
This past season, the Huskies were barred from the postseason in year number one under new head coach Kevin Ollie, but now their APR scores are back up to par and the team can compete for a spot in both the conference and NCAA tournaments. In turn, a back court trio of Shabazz Napier, Ryan Boatright and Omar Calhoun should have the Huskies in contention near the top of the AAC in its inaugural season next winter.
A bright future is on the horizon for UConn and the Huskies can quickly become and remain one of the more dominant threats in the conference. A new chapter and a new history needs to be written, so UConn can’t enter this new stage without understanding the opportunity and the focus and that appears to be exactly what they are ready to do.
Follow Paul Seaver on Twitter: @PaulSeaverRS
