UConn’s former small forward, Liam McNeely, had become an important cornerstone for the Huskies well within a year of playing for the team. As a freshman, McNeely was a key scorer for the team, leading in points per game and showcasing a strong ability to score both inside and outside. Furthermore, he had several clutch performances to his name, including a 38-point outburst against Creighton, which was the highest single-game output by any UConn freshman in BIG EAST history.
Now, McNeely has been drafted to the NBA as a 29th pick and will play for the Charlotte Hornets when the season begins. However, it isn’t like his void won’t be felt by Dan Hurley’s Huskies. College basketball analyst John Fenton recently appeared on ‘The Field of 68’ podcast to weigh in on how the Huskies can still realize their hopes for a national championship.
Fenton believes that the Huskies still have the makeup to reach their third Final Four in four years and even a national championship. Accounting for the factors of continuity, Fenton praised the hunger amongst the squad, highlighting their showdowns like facing the Florida Gators in March Madness 2025. He credits UConn for putting up a tough fight against the Gators, testing their way to win the national championship.
“I think that this is a team that has the makeup to reach the program’s third Final Four in four years and, frankly, can win a national championship. When you have the continuity factors, you also have the hunger factor from last year. They came as close as anybody to taking down Florida,… the Gators might not have won a national championship without that test from UConn,” Fenton said.
Another thing that Fenton accounts for is how stacked the Huskies team is. Small forward Jaylen Stewart and shooting guard Solo Ball have been crucial in this rise for this team. Crediting them both, the CBB analyst spoke about Jaylen Stewart and Solo Ball and said that the two had a wealth of experience, positive and negative, and have somehow managed to remain “unfazed”. The analyst also mentioned Silas Demary, whom he described as a “dynamic player”.
Another thing that Fenton noticed is how the perception of UConn comes dependent to their front court. Terrance Reed has shown excellent development since the end of last season, and Alex Karaban, considered the ‘poster boy of the Dan Hurley era’, already adds to the team’s shooting prowess. Considering all of these elements, Fenton seems confident that the Huskies might have the grit it takes to reach Indianapolis in 2026.
Dan Hurley highlighted the biggest setback UConn faced last season
Coach Dan Hurley has been quite clear and vocal about the one thing that set UConn back last season – their defense. The Huskies concluded the 2024-25 season in a disappointing 24-11 run and had to face pressing issues of inconsistency, especially in high-pressure situations. Speaking on that note, Hurley said,
“Why were we bad defensively? I mean, number one, we’re a dreadful transition team defensively. And that’s like, the number one way that you can have a bad season is if you are not an elite transition defensive team, you know. And then, we couldn’t guard the ball.” (4:00)
This wasn’t the first time coach Hurley called out the Huskies’ defense. Earlier, he claimed his team to be ‘defending like pretenders.’ This was in stark contrast to the core identity UConn had built in the name of their defense. As the training camp approaches, Hurley is planning to work on this aspect ahead of the season.
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