You may remember this bit from last season. Our full staff offered their predictions for the upcoming season by answering a variety of questions. Most of which proved to be wrong. It was a good time. So we’re doing it again.
Our friends, and noted cheesists, @NoEscalators on the twitters — were unable to join us due to time constraints but did pass along a few predictions that we’ll share at the end.
Where should UConn be ranked [answered before coaches poll was released]?
Tyler Wilkinson: So last year when we did this roundtable, I went overly optimistic and regretted it as UConn limped to a first round NIT loss. This year…I’M DOING IT AGAIN BABY! They probably will be ranked in the 15-20 range to start the season, but I’ll say 12.
Meghan Bard: I’ve seen them ranked from the mid teens to not at all (by people who are dumb), but I think this team is definitely top 20. Having so many new faces does bring some question marks, but if things go well, they could be easily a top-10 team. Conservatively, I’ll put them at 12.
Russ Steinberg: I think anywhere in the 15-18 range is good to start, with the potential to move up with a strong showing in Atlantis. I’d have a hard time putting them ahead of teams like Cal (loaded with top talent) and Gonzaga, Villanova and Vanderbilt (a ton of returning experience). Ultimately, UConn might be better than those teams, but the Huskies need a chance to prove it first.
Peter Bard: #10
Alex Cohen: #12
Record prediction
Peter: 26-5, and they win the AAC tournament
Meghan: 26-5
Russ: 24-7
Alex: 25-6
Tyler: 24-7
WTF loss
Russ: I don’t think Texas is going to be very good, but I think Shaka Smart’s defense could challenge UConn early in the season. I’ll go with that game. In reality, it’ll be the conference opener at Tulane a few days later because UConn never wins those, but if I picked UConn to lose to Tulane I’d have to kill myself.
Meghan: They shouldn’t lose this game, but fucking Tulsa in fucking Oklahoma with all their tornadoes and whatever the hell else is in Oklahoma on a Thursday night just feels bad and wrong to me. But so does the very idea of playing Tulsa, but there it is?
Tyler: Personally, I’m just thankful that they don’t have a New Year’s Eve game this year. I’ll say they lose at Memphis on Feb. 4. A Memphis team that figures to be bad, a weeknight 9 p.m. tip and smack in the middle of the most boring part of the schedule. Dangerous combination.
Peter: At UCF — Brimah gets in early foul trouble and Phil Nolan gets beat up by the tag team of Justin McBride and Tacko Fall
Alex: At Tulane, Jan. 2. I had to pick one that somebody else didn’t pick. What? Staring is rude. Stop it.
Best Quality
Alex: Alley-oops. So, so many alley-oops. Team will be entertaining as fuck when everyone clicks.
Meghan: Versatility. This is a team with tons of talent and athleticism, and, with grad transfers Sterling Gibbs and Shonn Miller, plenty of experience. They can go with three guards with Purv, Adams and Gibbs, and be fast and small, or they can go with a bigger, stronger line-up. They can go with pretty much any look KO wants. This team should be a lot of fun to watch.
Peter: Abundance of capable ball-handlers.
Russ: Guard play. Meghan’s gonna love this team. We already love Ambassador Purv and everything he could do. Now, you add Sterling Gibbs to the mix, who has proven to be a capable ball handler with Kemba-esque clutchness. Not enough for you? How about Jalen Adams off the bench (or in the starting lineup at some point)? If you’re wondering what he adds to the team, take a look at the videos at the bottom of our player preview.
Tyler: Rotational possibilities. Ollie will have the players to match up with any team in the country, but can also dictate the pace of the game by shifting around the two, three and four positions to create an incredible variety of looks on offense and defense. Here are two lineup examples: Gibbs, Hamilton, Miller, Enoch, Brimah (big). Gibbs, Purvis, Adams, Hamilton, Brimah (small).
Worst Quality
Russ: Finding a way to arrange minutes in the frontcourt might be tough. Amida Brimah and Shonn Miller are virtually guaranteed starting spots, but what happens after that? Or if one of them gets into foul trouble? No disrespect to Phil Nolan, but he’s a definite step down from those two in terms of production. Kentan Facey has shown promise, but he may not be ready to consistently produce. Perhaps Steve Enoch will be ready by day one.
Peter: Frontcourt depth, probably. One of Enoch, Nolan, and Facey needs to step up and be a regular rotation player.
Tyler: I think with so many new faces requiring minutes it will take a while for everyone to settle into a comfortable role. Gibbs is the big X-factor here. His role in the offense – and how UConn’s returning trio of Purvis, Hamilton and Brimah respond to it – will dictate how successful this team becomes.
Alex: No Germans. The lack of Germans is disturbing.
Meghan: The fact that two starters have never played with this team before is a concern. It may turn out to be unfounded, and from what little we’ve seen, the off-court chemistry looks good, but it’s still something to keep in mind.
Give a Player a Nickname
Alex: I came up with Jean Claude Dan Ham last year and it was a massive social media hit. The pressure is too much on me right now. I can’t be asked to answer this. Leave me alone.
Meghan: Jalen Adams = JAdams because my friend calls her dad that, and it really seems inevitable at this point.
Peter: Steve “Tall Flow” Enoch is better than anything I’ll come up with. If it weren’t for the awkwardness, I’d go with Omar “Comin'” Calhoun.
Tyler: Sam Cassell, Jr. will now be referred to solely as “Bunkey’s friend.” Also, quick shout out to whoever came up with “Floor Nolan.”
Russ: Last year, Alex gave Daniel Hamilton the now-world-famous Jean-Claude Dan Ham nickname. This year, I vow to make Philthy catch on.
3 Most Important Players
Tyler: (1) Gibbs, (2) Hamilton, (3) Brimah. These three are the hardest to make up for if something goes wrong.
Alex: Purvis, Brimah, Miller.
We’ve seen that Purv has the ability to absolutely take over a game. We’ve been spoiled with this quality in a player for like five years now. I can remember many games where Kemba/Bazz/Boat singlehandedly went into, “Fuck this, we are not losing,” mode. I see Purvis being the guy to flip that switch in dire moments. The big question: is it his team? There are some older new guys in the mix who could emerge as leaders, namely Gibbs.
Brimah is obvious. If he continues to keep foul trouble down and gains strength, he will be a fearsome presence that most teams in Division I basketball don’t match up well with.
Finally, I think Miller might be the biggest impact new guy. No disrespect to Gibbs, who I can also easily see being a force, but Miller brings value at a position with very little depth. Brimah doesn’t grab a lot of boards. If Miller can establish himself there, it frees Brimah up to swat at everything.
Russ: 1. Gibbs 2. Brimah 3. Hamilton
Peter: Brimah, Gibbs, Hamilton — Brimah’s shot-blocking is the only skill that can’t be replicated by anyone else on the team, Gibbs is the best shooter and ball-handler, and Hamilton is probably the most talented player overall.
Meghan: Hamilton, Brimah and Gibbs. Brimah’s shot blocking and Hamilton’s all-around game are huge, but Gibbs needs to step in and fill Boat’s shoes. That’s a huge ask, and an incredibly important piece to the puzzle. Gibbs is going to have to step in with new teammates and run the offense.
Breakout Player
Russ: Isn’t the answer always Omar Calhoun? This is the year he finally returns to his freshman form.
Meghan: Jalen Adams. This kid is a freshman point guard from Roxbury, Mass. who will be coming off the bench as the sixth man (sound familiar?). He’ll get plenty of playing time and he is going to be a star.
Peter: Steve Enoch wins a lot of frontcourt minutes late in the season after he gets comfortable with his defensive rotations.
Tyler: Omar Calhoun. He’s finally healthy and is entering his senior year. I say he becomes a calming presence on the roster and gets his three-point stroke back, providing sound shooting off the bench.
Alex: I’m going to agree with Ty and say that Omar finally Figures It Out ©. He could be a valuable shooter off the bench and might steal some minutes from my beloved JCDH, or maybe even Purv.
Jamal Coombs-McDaniel Award (bench guy who inexplicably leads the team in scoring once or twice)
Russ: Sam Cassell Jr. He’s finally healthy and he will take the lessons he learned from his father to come off the bench, light things up and do the big balls dance.
Tyler: I’m going to cheat and pick Kentan Facey — who I don’t think will top the team in scoring but will throw up a few double-double games that catch people by surprise.
Meghan: Shit, it’s Adams again. Have you seen the dunk videos? It will not be inexplicable, but it will happen. (Seriously, you guys are going to love this kid.)
Alex: Does Jalen count? Probably not, because he’s so highly touted, but I could easily see him getting a start because of injury or fatigue and lighting shit up.
Peter: Omar “Comin'” Calhoun
Best Hair
Meghan: DHam is the returning champion in this area, though both Kentan Facey and Brimah gave him a run for his money. But I’m taking dark horse freshman Steven “Tall Flow” Enoch to take the crown. [ed. note: Meghan likes UConn hair]
Alex: Jean. Claude. Dan. Ham.
Russ: Right now it’s JCDH, but if we ask Purv really nicely, I bet he could come up with something fun for us.
Peter: Serious battle here between Hamilton and Enoch. In either case, I can’t express enough how much I love the recent trend of basketball players sporting the Kidtop.
Tyler: Steve Enoch.
Wild Card — Make literally any other prediction
Russ: UConn wins the AAC Tournament by beating… HOUSTON in the title game.
Meghan: UConn wins the National Championship. Boom. Come at me, bro.
Alex: This is the year we finally find out that we’re headed to the B1G and we start selling out games again, like we should be anyway because we have a basketball team that has won the national championship four times in the last 16 years and they deserve better.
Tyler: UConn gives Maryland a beatdown in MSG, wins by 15-20 points.
Peter: Brimah misses a triple-double against UMass-Lowell because he only gets eight rebounds.
Random Contribution from @NoEscalators
“14-4 in conference, 8-3 out for 22-7, and if the breakout player isn’t Shonn Miller we’re fucked.”
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