Orlando, Fla. — It takes more than great players to be a championship-caliber team.

Just ask UConn men's basketball coach Kevin Ollie.

"We've got some great players," Ollie said during American Athletic Conference media day at the Amway Center on Tuesday. "You can have great players, but you've got to bring it together as a team. They've got to be selfless individuals and they've got to be selfless teammates. That's what we're preaching right now.

"We want to be the best chemistry team right now. That's what we're going after."

Judging from the opinion of AAC coaches, UConn has the talent to compete for a conference championship. The coaches selected the Huskies second in the preseason poll, right behind defending champion Southern Methodist University, which is ineligible for the postseason due to NCAA violations.

The Mustangs received eight first-place votes, while UConn had two and third-place Cincinnati one. Tulsa and Memphis rounded out the top five. With nine players, including five starters, back from a 23-win team, Cincinnati is a team to watch.

The Huskies placed the most players on the preseason all-conference teams. Sophomore Daniel Hamilton made the first team, while junior Amida Brimah and transfer Sterling Gibbs were selected to the second team. Jalen Adams was named preseason rookie of the year.

"It just shows you how good we can be this year," Hamilton said.

Ollie doesn't put much stock in preseason honors but appreciates the recognition for his players.

"At the end of the day, you're going to have to prove yourself over the season and prove yourself in practice to your teammates, first and foremost," Ollie said. "I think we're going to have the guys that can do that.

"They're able to challenge each other on and off the basketball court. That allows them to go out there and play great basketball."

In its third year, the AAC has the potential to have a terrific season. Nine of the top 15 scorers return, including conference player of the year Nic Moore of SMU. Moore is the preseason player of the year.

There's a heavy veteran presence, as nine of the 10 all-conference picks are juniors or older.

"It's going to be really strong," Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin said. "We've got three teams that have a chance to be as good as anybody out there. ... We've got a chance to get five or six teams out of 11 in the NCAA tournament."

Count the Huskies among the serious contenders.

They're determined to qualify for the NCAA tournament after falling short last year. They tied for fifth in the conference and reached the AAC tournament final.

Strong team chemistry should increase the odds that UConn will achieve its goal this season. Talent alone won't win a trophy.

"We had a disappointing season," Brimah said. "We're just trying to make sure we have fun and just go back to what we were doing our freshman year when we won the (national) championship. We're going to play hard all the time."

"... This group is a tremendous group. The chemistry is just there. We really don't have to do too much and you can feel the chemistry there on and off the court."

g.keefe@theday.com

Twitter: @GavinKeefe