UConn men ready for one last journey through the AAC

October 14, 2019 12:00 am • Last Updated: October 14, 2019 4:18 pm

By Gavin Keefe
Day Sports Writer

Andy Katz, left, interviews UConn's Dan Hurley, center, and East Carolina's Joe Dooley during Monday's American Athletic Conference basketball media day in Philadelphia. (Photo by Gavin Keefe/The Day)
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Philadelphia — Dan Hurley doesn't expect the American Athletic Conference to throw UConn a going away party.

The Huskies will be moving back to the Big East next year after finishing their seventh season in the AAC. They attended conference basketball media day for the final time on Monday.

Hurley, who's in his second year as head coach, expects a cooler reception this season.

"Didn't get the cheese platter, the welcome that I had got," Hurley said, referring to his hotel room. "I think last year I had a bottle of wine in the room. This year, I just got the Fiji water that cost seven dollars."

Hurley was joking.

There was no animosity toward UConn on Monday.

AAC commissioner Mike Aresco and conference coaches understand why the Huskies are leaving. Aresco has seen teams depart before, pointing to Louisville (ACC) and Rutgers (Big Ten).

"When these kind of things happen, you have to just put yourself in the other person's shoes and see what they're thinking," Aresco said. "No hard feelings. We'll move on. ... It's a voluntary association, that's what leagues are. You pay your exit fee. It's liquidated damages and you move on.

"... You can't let it affect you personally."

Houston coach Kelvin Sampson, who also has faced UConn in previous coaching stops, had some kind words to say about the Huskies.

But Sampson is also confident the AAC will be just fine without UConn. Houston is coming off an NCAA Sweet 16 season and Memphis is on the rise bringing in the nation's top-ranked recruiting class.

"UConn is a national brand," Sampson said. "What coach (Jim) Calhoun did there, everybody in America knew. We played them a lot when I was at Oklahoma and I know what it was like to play in Hartford and Storrs and their great, great teams.

"They've won a lot of national championships. But I think our league stands on its own. The most impactful teams in our league the last four or five years have been Cincinnati, SMU and Houston. As our league has grown, other teams have formed their own identity.

"But make no mistake, losing Connecticut is a loss. Just like getting them in our league was a huge feather in our cap."

UConn is the only AAC team to win a national championship, accomplishing the feat in 2014. But the Huskies have never been higher than the fourth seed in the conference tournament and won only one conference tourney title (2016).

The Huskies, who haven't finished above .500 in league play since 2015-16 and went 6-12 last season, are hoping to make some noise in their last trip.

"We want to get teams back because we haven't had the most success the last three years here, so it's going to be a good, competitive year," senior Christian Vital said. "A lot of teams have gotten better in this league and it should be an exciting year."

UConn was picked to finish sixth in the AAC preseason poll. Houston and Memphis tied for most votes, with Cincinnati taking third, Wichita State fourth and South Florida fifth.

Redshirt junior Alterique Gilbert and Vital, who both made the preseason second team, took a diplomatic approach to talking about UConn's spot in the poll.

"I think it's good where we're at," Gilbert said. "It's an early prediction."

Vital added: "I think if we have the year that we're capable of and take care of the things that we need to take care of, I think we should end a lot higher than sixth. But we'll take it one day at a time."

Road games should be interesting for the Huskies, who'll likely take some heat from opposing fans for leaving the conference.

"In the last year, there's not going to be a lot of hugs and tears on our departure so let's use that as fuel," Hurley has told his team. "They're probably going to stuff us in some worst locker rooms in arenas and we'll get some people yelling some stuff at us. Use that as fuel."

Hurley hasn't ruled out playing AAC programs in the future. Memphis coach Penny Hardaway is open to talking to Hurley about a game.

"I'm sure that's something that can be possible in the future, for sure," Hardaway said. "I'm sure there will be value in doing that. UConn is a historical program and they're used to winning."

Aresco, who grew up in Connecticut and knows the history and tradition of the basketball program, believes the Huskies have a bright future this season and beyond.

"UConn is going to be really good in basketball again," Aresco said. "I think they'll come back in our league this year and be a real force. I think down the road they'll be a real good team."

g.keefe@theday.com

AAC 2019-20 PRESEASON POLL

(First-place votes in parentheses)

1. Houston (7), 113 points

1. Memphis (4), 113

3. Cincinnati (1), 94

4. Wichita State, 88

5. South Florida, 79

6. UConn 75

7. Temple, 72

8. SMU, 47

9. Central Florida, 40