UConn’s status as defending national champion apparently carries some weight.

American Athletic Conference coaches voted the Huskies first in the preseason poll as well as picking senior Ryan Boatright as preseason player of the year and freshman Daniel Hamilton as top newcomer. Sophomore Amida Brimah made second team.

The Huskies took the preseason honors in stride.

“It’s preseason for a reason,” said Boatright during media day at the New York Athletic Club. “It’s all about the end result.”

UConn received six first place votes to barely edge SMU, which had the other five votes. Memphis ranked third, followed by Cincinnati, Tulsa, Temple, Houston, South Florida, Central Florida, East Carolina and Tulane.

“It’s great, but it really doesn’t mean anything to me,” Ollie said of the team’s front-runner status.

Boatright was joined on the preseason all-conference first team by Shaq Goodwin and Austin Nichols of Memphis, Tulsa’s James Woodard and the SMU duo of Nic Moore and Markus Kennedy. Boatright, Kennedy and Moore were unanimous selections.

Brimah, USF’s Anthony Collins and Chris Perry, and Temple’s Will Cummings and Quenton DeCosey earned second team honors.