It’s been about five months since I’ve last updated my 2K rankings and A LOT has happened since then. The UConn Huskies won their fifth national championship, establishing them as a blueblood of college basketball. For some background, these numbers are inspired by NBA 2K’s famous ratings of NBA players in their video games. As the beat writer for the UConn Hoops team, I figured it would be a fun exercise to do the same for the Huskies.

A few things to note before I start discussing my ratings. The scores are on a 0-99 scale, but 2K gives out 99’s much less freely than a game like Madden does. 2K has none with its highest player as former MVP Giannis Antetokoumnpo at a 97. With that in mind, I’ve rated UConn’s men’s hoops players within the realm of college basketball. So for instance, UConn and the NCAA Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, Adama Sanogo is a 98. This is NOT a rating of how a player would be in the NBA, but merely in the NCAA universe. A star player on a top level team will be in the 90-97 range. An average to good starter will be between 80-89. Role players and benchwarmers will be in the 65-79 range. I could’ve listed them in the order that they’re rated, but instead I’m keeping the order that they were rated when I first did the rankings. Without further ado, let’s get into this…

Is this a surprise to anyone? Since we’ve last talked, Sanogo went from spectacular to just solid, not making as much of an impact as he should have been making. Once he found his groove though, he was off and running and nobody had an answer. He had a fantastic NCAA tournament, notching 19.7 points and 9.8 boards on over 60% shooting. Sanogo really honed his three point shooting abilities, which opened up his game. This improved aspect along with the amount that he stepped up his game even as the competition got better is plain impressive. It should be no controversy that he gets one of the highest possible scores, reaching the mountaintop of the sport.

Jackson had a great end to his year, but faced some pretty hefty struggles in January. As teams dared him to take threes, he did just that, falling into the same trap over and over again. Eventually, he and the Huskies figured out how to use this for good, perhaps the biggest difference-maker for the team as a whole. He was more of a facilitator than he had ever been, setting screens and letting the game come to him. This ultimately led to his role as the premier glue-guy in the country and the heart of the Huskies. He gets the bump up to a 90 for being such a key piece on a championship team.

Hawkins is a surefire first rounder this June and there is no question there. He had an incredibly productive season and only turned it up in the NCAA tournament. The first halves of both of his first weekend games were empty, but he combined for 25 in the second halves. If there was any doubt with some of his play in the first two games, that was put to rest when he combined for 44 in the next two. 29 points later and Hawkins established himself as a top player on the best team. This certainly warrants star status and a 93 rating.

Newton wasn’t always aggressive, but when he was, he was a force to be reckoned with. The perfect demonstration of this was his 19, 10 and four statline on the biggest stage, the national championship game. If that doesn’t convince you, what about his two triple doubles this year, one of which in a blowout win over the Big East champions. His immense upside–and the fact that he showed up more towards the end of the year–is why he gets the bump. Although he had his lulls, they were limited and when things counted, he was there. Newton is a high-level starter.

The now-St. John’s guard wasn’t much more than a sixth man and he really went through his fair share of struggles. Whenever it felt like he may hit a groove, something happened and he’d find another off-game. He was rarely poor. Alleyne’s defense was stellar and was often the lone thing keeping him on the floor. His offense left much to be desired, but was typically good-enough. A 77 may seem like a bad rating on face value, but it’s among the higher ratings a bench player will get. He was one of the first or second players off the bench on the best team in the country and his rating reflects that.

Diarra put up some quality minutes in the beginning stretch of the season highlighted by the season opener against Stonehill where he posted an 11-7-5 statline. Over time, and particularly when Dan Hurley tightened his rotation for the tournament, Diarra was relegated to a bench role and found himself playing most of his minutes alongside Andrew Hurley and Richie Springs. After the Stonehill game, Diarra never eclipsed double-figures, but his strong defense and hustle keeps him in decent rating territory. A 74 is pretty generous for someone who played 32 minutes for the entirety of the tournament, but his role during the regular season is the rationale.

Karaban was the most consistent and impactful freshman by far. He was a starter since the second game of the season and kept that role. He didn’t dazzle anyone with fancy moves or poster dunks, but he was reliable and got a lot better defensively as the season progressed. His development was evident as things went, allowing him to be the perfect fifth starter for this team. It also didn’t hurt that he was great with buzzer-beaters, seemingly hitting one every time UConn had last shot before halftime. He’ll get a larger role next year as one of the more senior returners, but for now, he gets a solid-starter rating.

There isn’t a ton to say here. Johnson lost his spot to injury and never got it back when healthy. One hopes that he’s able to have a fully healthy season next year, but until then, he’s done nothing to indicate that he deserves more than a 73.

“Joey California” was a fan-favorite all year and it’s no surprise why. His sharpshooting abilities carried into the postseason where he had no issues torching defenses with very little breathing room. He’s not the biggest guy or the most athletic, but his effort, swagger and the fact that he shoots the lights out was massive for the Huskies. When Calcaterra was hitting a few threes in short bursts it gave Connecticut a massive boost and he is one of the team’s biggest x-factors.

Clingan is one of the toughest players to assess here, since he was so good when he played, but he played so little. In 13 minutes per game, he was among the most efficient players in the country, pouring in blocks and dunks. Sanogo prevented people from seeing too much of him, so it really is tough to gauge how good he really can be. We’ll get a better sense of that next year, but for now, we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt with a nice starter-quality rating of 84.

Springs is now gone and has been a non-factor for the entirety of his collegiate career. Every year, fans held their breaths hoping he’s make an impact, but he never did. Springs stays at a 70.

Stay tuned for my ratings later in the offseason of the 2023-24 team…