UConn Basketball Will Prove To Be Way Better Than Preseason Ranking

After a disappointing  2014-15 season, the UConn Huskies should surely be proud to be ranked inside the preseason top 25 at No. 24. However, the team should be hungry to prove the voters wrong. They come into this season retooled and ready to bring another title back to Storrs.

Gone is Ryan Boatright, but he is replaced by a couple of talented guards who could be explosive. Sterling Gibbs comes over from Seton Hall as a graduate transfer, and freshman Jalen Adams comes to the Huskies as a super talented scoring point guard who should continue the tradition of UConn guards. These two should offset, if not out produce Boatright from last season. Joining these guys as newcomers are Shonn Miller, another graduate student transfer from Cornell, and Steven Enoch, a freshman forward from in state. The addition of Miller, who averaged 16.8 PPG and 8.5 rebounds a game for Cornell last year, should greatly improve UConn’s rebounding numbers from a weak season last year. Enoch is also another talented big man body to add to the frontcourt.

The Huskies also have several key talented players returning. Sophomore Daniel Hamilton is joined by junior Rodney Purvis and junior Amida Brimah to form a trio of go-to guys. Hamilton brings shooting, scoring, passing and rebounding every night from the small forward spot, Purvis brings an attacking and athletic style of guard play and Brimah brings a huge shot blocking presence down low. Purvis was arguably UConn’s top player the final few weeks of the season as he found his shooting stroke.

A guard combination of Adams, Gibbs (who scored 16.3 PPG last year) and Purvis will be a scary thought for opposing coaches and one of the best guard rotations in the nation. A starting five of Brimah, Miller, Hamilton, Purvis and Gibbs is a championship worthy lineup. On the bench, Omar Calhoun brings senior experience and the potential for three-point shooting. Phil Nolan and Kentan Facey bring depth down low with potential rebounding, especially Facey. Lastly, Sam Cassell Jr. brings additional guard depth and the potential for a bench scoring punch.

Top to bottom, if everyone does what’s expected of them and shows even more improvement, there is no reason why UConn shouldn’t be a Final Four contender.

UConn seems to be at their best when they are doubted and under appreciated a la their last two championship teams; 2015-16 shouldn’t be any different. They will have plenty of chances to prove themselves early as they are in a loaded Battle 4 Atlantis tournament that includes Syracuse, Texas, Gonzaga and Michigan. They also play a top rated team in Maryland in December. Every year there are teams that are overlooked in the preseason rankings and prove experts wrong; this year, Uconn will be that team.

 Andrew Frosceno covers the New York Giants, college football, college basketball and MLB for www.Rantsports.com. You can follow him on Twitter and Google.