As things stand, the UConn men have 10 players on their roster. It hasn’t been a particularly crazy offseason; the players who transferred out were generally expected departures who either didn’t play much or didn’t succeed in the minutes that they did receive. The biggest shocker came when 5-star Darius Adams, the Huskies’ top recruit in the high school class, decommitted earlier this month.

Even that move wasn’t absurd given the veteran guard talent Connecticut added. As a result of it, the Huskies didn’t have many minutes to give to Adams. And having a McDonald’s All American as a team’s ninth man just isn’t appealing to the player. Still, this roster is strong. Let’s review the starting five and the rest of the depth chart as things currently stand, right after Alex Karaban's decision to stay in Connecticut. After the starters are listed, the reserves are in order of where they'll be in the rotation.

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Demary Jr. is the prize jewel of the Huskies’ transfer class, rated in some places as a top 10 transfer. Connecticut has had success lately with big guards and he fits that well at 6-foot-5. Demary Jr. slots in as the starting point guard that UConn needed last year badly, offering a nice mix of offensive ability and defense. Expect him to command around 28-30 minutes per game and be the focal point of a lot of the actions the Huskies run. He’s the key piece that will allow the team to be great this year, as long as he lives up to it.

Ball is coming off a season that saw him earn Second-team All-Big East honors and really develop as a player. His offense has always been there; he was the team’s most consistent option this past year by far, but his defense lacked considerably. He made great strides in that department as the season went on, while continuing to put up points. Some are making the case that he could be an All-America selection this season, especially if he continues his trajectory from benchwarmer in his first campaign. If the trajectory continues, he could live up to that billing, but another all Big East selection would be just fine too.

Mullins is now one of two McDAAG selections on the Huskies with Adams’ departure, and his skillset backs that up. Indiana Mr. Basketball pick is an elite threat on the offensive end who will challenge for a starting role from the day he sets foot on campus. His main challenger will be Jaylin Stewart, who is a bit bigger and plays more of a forward role, but they're both competing for the fifth spot. With Hurley’s tendency to start one freshman from day one (from Akok Akok to Liam McNeeley), Mullins is the best candidate to do so. And there’s the chance he only lasts a year in Storrs.

Karaban just made his decision to return to UConn and it was probably the right call. Hurley has described his two-time champion forward as being difficult to take off the floor and that won’t change. He’ll see well over 30 minutes per game, unless the team is so good that he doesn’t need to. Last year there was probably a bit too much on his shoulders, so this year's improved roster should take some of the pressure off and allow him to still be a leader, but be a bit more complimentary offensively.

Reed Jr. was the starter in a sense this past year, even though he came off the bench and won Big East Sixth Man of the Year. Reed Jr. played more minutes than starter Samson Johnson and was arguably the more effective player. His promise shined during a 24-18-6 game in a win at Providence and he’ll look for more games like that this year. He’s the easy pick for starter and will likely see ~25 minutes per night.

Stewart slots in at sixth man and could contend for a starting spot over Mullins. Stewart has shown flashes here and there, but has had a ton of trouble doing much more. Putting together complete games hasn’t totally been his thing, with a preference to score in spurts. This year, he’ll have more of a chance than ever to prove that he’s more than a sparkplug. If he performs in the summer, he’ll get the starting nod.

Smith comes from Dayton in a season where they routed UConn, but didn’t make the NCAA tournament. Smith started all but two games, but will more than likely come off the bench for Connecticut. The hope is that he’ll be like 2023-24 Hassan Diarra, but a bit more offensively-minded. They’re similarly sized and are both from New York City, so the comparisons will be tough to avoid. He’s capable of being one of the more effective bench players in the country and having him maximize his minutes will be mission-critical.

Reibe is the other incoming McDAAG and will play behind Reed Jr. in a developmental role. This center combination is about as close as it can get to Adama Sanogo and Donovan Clingan, though there are a handful of differences. The timesplit should be similar to the aforementioned pair, with Reibe given approximately 15 minutes per night to showcase his excellent offensive arsenal that has many scouts intrigued. Fans will be excited to get a taste of what the freshman has to offer this year ahead of his sophomore year when he’ll become the top center.

Hearing Hurley discuss Ross last offseason, you’d think Ross would be challenging for a first round NBA pick this summer. Instead, things never came together for the second year guard, who looked a bit green every time he was on the floor. This summer will be huge for him to develop confidence and belief that he is a guy the Huskies can use. The projection of him being the ninth man is based on what we’ve seen from him, but that could change.

Furphy is a freshman from Tasmania, an island off of Australia, and is currently in line for the fewest minutes of the scholarship players. The consensus seems to be that Furphy will take a backseat and develop this year, but has been touted as having a high basketball IQ. If he needed to play in spots this season he’d probably be ready–after all he’s been playing against grown men in Australia–but we’ll likely have to wait until next year.

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