Predicting starters, bench rotation, depth outlook for Huskies

[HooperScooper]

Article from CBSSports.com. They've been doing these for all the top teams so today is UConn's turn. I hate starting another thread on this subject since we discuss this topic all the time, but I didn't know where to put this. Interesting starting lineup - Diarra, Ball, Stewart, Karaban and Johnson.

UConn basketball 2024-25 roster breakdown: Predicting starters, bench rotation, depth outlook for Huskies

The back-to-back national champions have some big holes to fill as they aim for a three-peat this season

www.cbssports.com

 

[UofCT]

Article from CBSSports.com. They've been doing these for all the top teams so today is UConn's turn. I hate starting another thread on this subject since we discuss this topic all the time, but I didn't know where to put this. Interesting starting lineup - Diarra, Ball, Stewart, Karaban and Johnson.

UConn basketball 2024-25 roster breakdown: Predicting starters, bench rotation, depth outlook for Huskies

The back-to-back national champions have some big holes to fill as they aim for a three-peat this season

www.cbssports.com

Agree with this lineup prediction

 

[Kenny11]

Johnson and Reed will definitely be the centers.
Karaban starts at the 4
McNeeley and Stewart will obviously get major minutes
Diarra will likely start and Ball and Mahaney are going to play a lot if not start.

That is 8 already without including Ross, Abraham, and Nowell.
I think Nowell is going to play because hes talented and Hurley likes a lot of ball handling on the court.

Having a 10 man rotation is just about impossible in a 40 minute game with so many tv timeouts. Nobody is really getting gassed besides big guys.

Abraham seems like the guy that might not play and he looks great in the practice videos. I hope Ross gets a chance. Singare doesn't seem likely with Hurley opting to use Karaban at the 5 sometimes when the bigs are in foul trouble.

 

[navery12]

I suppose it's tough to decide on a starting lineup for a team where there's a case for 8-9 guys to start, so I shouldn't really criticize... But this reads like a lineup prediction from someone who's only research is looking at last year's roster and seeing who returned

 

[HuskyHawk]

Karaban is really the only lock to start. I expect Diarra to start at first, but wouldn't shocked if Nowell takes a lot of his minutes over time. Likewise, Stewart will probably start at the 3, but they have to get McNeeley minutes at the 3 and 2. I'm not sure Ball starts over Mahaney, but I don't know how they compare in practices. We need to remember defense matters a lot. I'd expect Johnson over Reed on day 1, but that doesn't mean reed won't win the job eventually.

Huge levels of roster competition for everyone but Alex.

 

[husky429]

The full rotation is right, but I'd be surprised if the starting lineup isn't

Diarra
Mahaney
McNeeley/Stewart
AK
Reed

I can't see Solo starting. Mahaney is really, really good and Solo needs to totally overhaul his dribbling and passing to be a core piece of our euro offense. I want to see him slot into a bench sparkplug role a la Diarra in 2023-24 and continuing building those ball skills so he can be a leader his junior year.

Johnson may start. I'm 60/40 on Reed vs him

 

[AZHuskiePop]

AZ prayer request 2024-25 addition:
Johnson learns to move his feet if he does he will become a great defender and commit less fouls. Also a little face up game helps us next year and him in future years.
Reed is as good as I believe he can be.
We need at least 1 or more legitimate lights out three baller to take pressure off AK .
That Diarra’s shot and decision making make a jump similar to last year.
That we have at least 1or more additionsl distributors
to get Diarra off the ball or rested .
That they somehow mesh as one well oiled machine exceeding the sum of their parts both offensively and especially on D.
If those things happen I predict Boneyard happiness in April 2025.

 

[Deleted at users request]

I would like to see one of Mahaney of Liam on the floor. Need more spot up shooting in this lineup unless the idea is to defend and run.

 

[Mister P]

Hard not to see McNeeley and/or Mahaney in the starting lineup.

 

[Deleted at users request]

I’m actually hoping Ball starts over Mahaney just to see how the board reacts (even though every public sign we’ve seen so far points to this).

 

[NJHusky]

Will we have the same starting 5 in game 1, Maui and start of BE play? I’m guessing returnees start game 1 but the starters change before BE play begins.

 

[bazzdog]

Hard not to see McNeeley and/or Mahaney in the starting lineup.

We have two teams good enough to make the Elite 8

 

[navery12]

Hard not to see McNeeley and/or Mahaney in the starting lineup.

McNeeley there's at least a case for. He'll be starting by BE play if he isn't on day one, but he's a freshman so thinking he needs to time to adjust or he'll be eased in isn't a crazy thought

But anyone who doesn't have Mahaney in the starting lineup is insane and just ignoring everything Dan Hurley has said all off-season. He's going to start and be one of our best players

 

[REB1094]

This is so hard to do this year, but here’s my guess

Guards: Mahaney and Diarra. Just play your best two guards, and keep at least one on the floor at all times. Possible change here is Solo breaking out and moving Hassan back to the 6MOY role

Wings: McNeeley and Karaban. Karaban is a lock, and you don’t recruit top 10 players to sit them on the bench. I think Liam starts over Stewart

C: Samson starts because he’s been here 3 years and understands the system, but they split minutes pretty close to 50/50

 

[AllHusky]

Ironically, just watched Mahaney portal highlight video again last night. Boy, that kid is good! Not much to see on it defensively, so that may separate him out a little bit if he’s not a good defender, but boy he knows how to score and with his penetration skills if he learns how to pass in our system, he’s going to be an assist machine

 

[Hunt for 7]

As the OP mentions we have pretty much all weighed in on this topic since our roster was filled.

IMO I think AK is the only guaranteed starter.

Then I thought the next in line to be a for sure starter was Liam.

The rest of the pieces seemed quite interchangeable.

I am guessing the author of the article Cobb is speculating at best.

I trust some of those who post on the BY have as much if not more access to real information as Cobb. Even with that there has been an endless number of potential starting line ups posted.

Maybe our starting line up is more based on match ups this year. I really don’t love that idea as teams should be more worried about matching up with us than we them. But we could create havoc for coaches trying to game plan against us.

For me this storyline is the most compelling one of the off season. Anxious to see how Hurley and staff manage through the process.

 

[Scottzer]

I get the likely iterations, but here’s my question. Let’s say Alex plays 33 minutes per game. Who is better at filling in those 7 minutes at the 4 between Stewart and McNeeley? I’m just hoping Stewart gets plenty of minutes, he was starting to look so good.

 

[Huskyforlife]

That would be our best defensive lineup, but I'd be surprised if Mahaney and Liam come off the bench(would be insane depth on paper).

I kinda think Nowell edges out Ross for the last rotation spot. He's so good.

 

[Huskyforlife]

I decided to listen to this after someone said this dude doesn't have Solo or Mahaney in his top 7. He's claiming we'll see a lot of Stewart/McNeeley 2-3 lineups.

 

[alphasigko]

I am hoping that Samson figures out how not to defend without being a foul machine... If so, he will be a monster. If not, he will have the same role as last year.

I am torn between Ball or Mahaney and Stewart or McNeeley. AK and Hosa are givens.

However it works out the bench will be really deep.

 

[nomar]

Johnson and Reed will definitely be the centers.
Karaban starts at the 4
McNeeley and Stewart will obviously get major minutes
Diarra will likely start and Ball and Mahaney are going to play a lot if not start.

That is 8 already without including Ross, Abraham, and Nowell.
I think Nowell is going to play because hes talented and Hurley likes a lot of ball handling on the court.

Having a 10 man rotation is just about impossible in a 40 minute game with so many tv timeouts. Nobody is really getting gassed besides big guys.

Abraham seems like the guy that might not play and he looks great in the practice videos. I hope Ross gets a chance. Singare doesn't seem likely with Hurley opting to use Karaban at the 5 sometimes when the bigs are in foul trouble.

If Karaban is playing the 5, it's because (a) the other team is really small and/or (b) Singare's not showing enough at practice. Ideally, Karaban doesn't have to bang with 250-pound guys because we're not comfortable playing our 3rd big.

 

[navery12]

If Karaban is playing the 5, it's because (a) the other team is really small and/or (b) Singare's not showing enough at practice. Ideally, Karaban doesn't have to bang with 250-pound guys because we're not comfortable playing our 3rd big.

It could also just be a way to take advantage of our great wing depth, stretches like that might be the only way to steal minutes for Ross and Abraham. I guess it kind of fits into bucket A, but a lineup of Diarra and 4 switchable wings like McNeeley, Stewart, Abraham, Karaban could be a fun lineup for small stretches. Or even swap Ball or Ross in for one of the other guys

 

[superjohn]

I would like to see one of Mahaney of Liam on the floor. Need more spot up shooting in this lineup unless the idea is to defend and run.

I would be pretty surprised if they aren't both starting.

 

[superjohn]

It could also just be a way to take advantage of our great wing depth, stretches like that might be the only way to steal minutes for Ross and Abraham. I guess it kind of fits into bucket A, but a lineup of Diarra and 4 switchable wings like McNeeley, Stewart, Abraham, Karaban could be a fun lineup for small stretches. Or even swap Ball or Ross in for one of the other guys

Hurley isn't going to play Singare if he's not ready and just a big for fouls. We clearly have the best wing talent in the country so I think he'll go small when Samson and or Reed get in foul trouble. Ross and Abraham are too good to be buried on the bench and to not get plenty of chances. Of course McNeeley and Stewart are going to play a ton.

 

[mauconnfan]

Article from CBSSports.com. They've been doing these for all the top teams so today is UConn's turn. I hate starting another thread on this subject since we discuss this topic all the time, but I didn't know where to put this. Interesting starting lineup - Diarra, Ball, Stewart, Karaban and Johnson.

UConn basketball 2024-25 roster breakdown: Predicting starters, bench rotation, depth outlook for Huskies

The back-to-back national champions have some big holes to fill as they aim for a three-peat this season

www.cbssports.com

Could start there. Won’t finish there!

 

[Umami Zen]

The full rotation is right, but I'd be surprised if the starting lineup isn't

Diarra
Mahaney
McNeeley/Stewart
AK
Reed

I can't see Solo starting. Mahaney is really, really good and Solo needs to totally overhaul his dribbling and passing to be a core piece of our euro offense. I want to see him slot into a bench sparkplug role a la Diarra in 2023-24 and continuing building those ball skills so he can be a leader his junior year.

Johnson may start. I'm 60/40 on Reed vs him

Based I what I've seen. Think your projected starting lineup is solid. We have tons of young talent-esp. at the wing position. Danny is going to have plenty of flexibility to navigate game situations/foul trouble with this roster. At the end of the day- I believe we'll be able to score at will vs anyone. My concern is can we stop teams on the defensive side of the ball. And staying healthy.

I'm bullish on this team. We're just young and inexperienced at key positions other than our returners(tri-captains) and portal adds. Our talent is FF talent. Just a matter of matching up that talent/potential with effort and a few lucky bounces.

 

[nomar]

It could also just be a way to take advantage of our great wing depth, stretches like that might be the only way to steal minutes for Ross and Abraham. I guess it kind of fits into bucket A, but a lineup of Diarra and 4 switchable wings like McNeeley, Stewart, Abraham, Karaban could be a fun lineup for small stretches. Or even swap Ball or Ross in for one of the other guys

Yeah I totally agree: small ball can work (and would be fun) as long we’re not playing a good big man who AK can’t guard. (It’s an extreme example and wasn’t going to impact the outcome but playing Karaban against Edey got old really quick.) There’s always a trade-off in going small as the other team’s gotta keep up with you.

 

[nomar]

Hurley isn't going to play Singare if he's not ready and just a big for fouls. We clearly have the best wing talent in the country so I think he'll go small when Samson and or Reed get in foul trouble. Ross and Abraham are too good to be buried on the bench and to not get plenty of chances. Of course McNeeley and Stewart are going to play a ton.

I’m genuinely curious why Singare is still here if he doesn’t think he’s at least sniffing a few non-garbage-time minutes. The staff must think he’s capable of making a leap. Haven’t really heard much about him though.

This team is deeper than any UConn team I can think of. Great problems to have. Injuries are always going to happen so everybody will get a chance.

 

[Umami Zen]

I’m genuinely curious why Singare is still here if he doesn’t think he’s at least sniffing a few non-garbage-time minutes. The staff must think he’s capable of making a leap. Haven’t really heard much about him though.

This team is deeper than any UConn team I can think of. Great problems to have. Injuries are always going to happen so everybody will get a chance.

Singare is a great teammate/has a great attitude and has the talent where the staff wants to keep him around because they see things in him during practice that Yarders don't/can't. Gonna trust Dan on this.

 

[uconnbill]

I can see playing 10 during the season with a first-team and a second-team approach, shortening the bench when crunch time comes, and playing the best 5.