Dan Hurley of the UConn Huskies

Dan Hurley of the UConn Huskies

College basketball analyst Jeff Goodman recently shared his thoughts on Dan Hurley`s squad, specifically on their chances for the upcoming season. However, Huskies fans might not really like what he’s saying–even if the team is already a two-time defending national champion.

UConn sports account Colonel “Big Hoss” Calhoun shared Goodman`s words on X:

 

 

There`s not a lot of detail, but the gist is that Goodman doesn`t believe UConn basketball can even make it back to the Final Four under Dan Hurley next season. A few replies to Calhoun’s tweet did acknowledge that the Huskies have indeed lost major pieces, so there’s a chance they could struggle defending their back-to-back championships.

Among their biggest departures include stars Donovan Clingan, Tristen Newton, Cam Spencer, and Stephon Castle (via On3). These four were the most critical parts of UConn’s rotation under Dan Hurley, and without them, the Huskies are going to have to field an almost entirely different team in 2024-25.

Both Castle and Clingan are expected to be lottery picks in the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft. Newton and Spencer, on the other hand, are projected to be late second-rounders (via Bleacher Report).

For now, UConn men’s basketball has been retooling its roster the best it can. Dan Hurley’s recent additions might help the Huskies potentially make history next season, but it’s still way too early to say anything concrete.

UConn basketball`s offseason recruiting efforts so far

There are three major additions that UConn men’s basketball has made from their offseason recruiting thus far. These are Michigan’s Tarris Reed, incoming four-star freshman Ahmad Nowell, and five-star SF Liam McNeeley from Montverde Academy. McNeeley notably decommitted from Indiana earlier this year.

As for their other forays into the transfer portal, UConn was able to land former Saint Mary’s star Aidan Mahaney (via CBS Sports) fairly recently. He averaged 13.9 points, 2.6 assists, and 2.6 rebounds for the Gaels in the 2023-24 season, so there`s a good chance that he`ll take on a ball-dominant role for the Huskies next season.

Mahaney follows the recruitment of Reed, who could be the next potential double-double guy for Dan Hurley with the departure of big man Donovan Clingan. The 6-foot-10, 265 lb native of St. Louis averaged 9 points and 7.2 rebounds for the Wolverines.