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Preseason Sweet 16: Connecticut Huskies

clark kellogg

Editor's note: With the men's college basketball season starting to ramp back up, Yahoo! Sports analyst Clark Kellogg picks the teams he thinks have the best shot at making it to the Sweet 16 in 2006.

Each pick is listed alphabetically. Check back during the week for his latest selections.

Other Sweet 16 teams:
Arizona | Boston College | Duke | Gonzaga | Iowa | Kentucky | Louisville | Michigan St. | Nevada Oklahoma | Stanford | Texas | Villanova | Wake Forest | West Virginia

THE REST OF THE BIG EAST

CINCINNATI
Bob Huggins is no longer running the show (a big loss), but four talented senior starters are back, so the Bearcats still should be a tournament team.

DePAUL
Jerry Wainwright steps in after successful stints at UNC Wilmington and Richmond. And he has a proven guard to lead his new team in Sammy Mejia.

GEORGETOWN
All seven top players return from last year's 19-win team for second-year coach John Thompson III.

LOUISVILLE
Taquan Dean, an All-American caliber guard, will be counted on to lead a very young team.

MARQUETTE
Like Louisville, a lot of freshmen and sophomores will be counted on to contribute immediately.

NOTRE DAME
With a nice blend of experienced players and talented newcomers, the Fighting Irish should avoid repeating last season's disappointing finish.

PITTSBURGH
With Chevon Troutman and Chris Taft gone, this definitely will be Carl Krauser's team to lead.

PROVIDENCE
For two years, role players have played in the shadow of Ryan Gomes. It's time to come out of the shadows now.

RUTGERS
The Scarlet Knights still are a couple of years away from being a .500 team, but progress is being made.

ST. JOHN'S
Norm Roberts did a nice job in his first year, laying a foundation that will lead to marked improvement this year.

SETON HALL
Kelly Whitney, just one of two seniors on the roster, will have some heavy lifting to do for the Pirates.

SOUTH FLORIDA
It'll be a tough year for the Bulls, but Rob McCollum is starting to improve the talent level at USF.

SYRACUSE
Gerry McNamara is the heart and pulse of the Orange. How he goes is how they go.

VILLANOVA
Avoiding injuries while duplicating last year's defense and tenacity could lead to a very special season.

WEST VIRGINIA
Most of the key players return from last year's Elite 8 team, and good shooting can cover up almost any flaws – and is sure fun to watch.

Connecticut Huskies
News | Schedule | Roster

The Connecticut Huskies had what many would call a successful season last year. They went 23-8 overall and 13-3 in the Big East, tying Boston College for first place in the conference.

But a surprising second-round NCAA tournament loss to North Carolina State was evidence that the team lacked consistency. Despite good depth, a powerful frontline and some brilliant play from point guard Marcus Williams, the Huskies often sputtered. Turnovers were a problem, as were reliable defense and perimeter shooting. On the flipside, rebounding was an area in which the Huskies excelled, and because of their shot-blocking prowess, opposing teams shot only 39 percent.

Despite losing Charlie Villanueva to the NBA, this year's frontline could still be one of the nation's best with Josh Boone, Hilton Armstrong, Rudy Gay and Ed Nelson running the floor.

Boone is a major force on the glass but needs to develop a go-to move to be an effective scorer in the post, and Armstrong appears to be poised for a big season. However, if the Huskies are going to be a Sweet 16 team or better, they need seniors Rashad Anderson and Denham Brown to have terrific seasons, and that means shooting better than the 38 percent they combined for last year.

They also need to take better care of the ball and run more plays through Gay. The 6-foot-9 sophomore could (and should) be a 20-ppg scorer, but only if he gets enough touches. He has range, can finish off the dribble and is effective in the post – and his versatility makes others better.

A cloud hovering over this team is the status of Williams. The talented point guard was suspended over the summer after being charged with theft, and it still is unclear when he might rejoin the team. But for the purposes of my Sweet 16 assessment, I'm going to make the assumption that he will play the majority of the season, giving the Huskies one of the best penetrators and passers in the country.

Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun has a terrific track record with wing scorers (Ray Allen, Caron Butler, Rip Hamilton and Donyell Marshall), and undoubtedly will see to it that Gay has the chance to be the team's focal point on offense. But the greatest challenges are finding a backup point guard for Williams, and getting better production from seniors in secondary roles. An excellent teacher and master motivator, Calhoun will find a way.

Overall, the Huskies have the talent to have a terrific season – maybe even picking up the Big East title again on their way to a good tournament run. But the Williams situation and the lack of another proven point guard are major concerns.