2017–18 UConn Huskies men's basketball team

The 2017–18 UConn Huskies men's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Huskies were led by sixth-year head coach Kevin Ollie. The Huskies split their home games between the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut, and the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion on the UConn campus in Storrs, Connecticut as members of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 14–18, 7–11 in AAC play to finish in eighth place. They lost in the first round of the AAC tournament to SMU.

2017–18 UConn Huskies men's basketball
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
Record0–18, 14 wins vacated (0–11, 7 wins vacated AAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaHarry A. Gampel Pavilion
XL Center
Seasons
2017–18 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 6 Cincinnati 16 2   .889 31 5   .861
No. 21 Houston 14 4   .778 27 8   .771
No. 16 Wichita State 14 4   .778 25 8   .758
Tulsa 12 6   .667 19 12   .613
Memphis 10 8   .556 21 13   .618
UCF 9 9   .500 19 13   .594
Temple 8 10   .444 17 16   .515
UConn 7 11   .389 14 18   .438
SMU 6 12   .333 17 16   .515
Tulane 5 13   .278 14 17   .452
East Carolina 4 14   .222 10 20   .333
South Florida 3 15   .167 10 22   .313
2018 AAC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The school announced on January 26, 2018, that the NCAA was investigating recruitment of at least three basketball players for possible recruiting violations.[1][2][3] On March 10, the school fired head coach Kevin Ollie for just cause related to the NCAA investigation.[4] On March 22, 2018, it was announced that the school had hired Dan Hurley as head coach.[5][6] On July 2, 2019, the wins for the 2017–18 season were vacated due to NCAA Sanctions.

Previous season

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The Huskies finished the 2016–17 season 16–17, 9–9 in AAC play to finish in a tie for fifth place. They defeated South Florida[7][8] and Houston[9] to advance to the semifinals of the AAC tournament where they lost to Cincinnati.[10]

Offseason

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Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Vance Jackson 5 F 6'8" 229 Freshman Pasadena, CA Transferred to New Mexico
Kentan Facey 12 F 6'10" 227 Senior Trelawny, Jamaica Graduated
Steven Enoch 13 F 6'11" 258 Sophomore Norwalk, CT Transferred to Louisville
Rodney Purvis 15 G 6'4" 205 RS Senior Raleigh, NC Graduated
Juwan Durham 23 F 6'11" 207 Freshman Tampa, FL Transferred to Notre Dame
Restinel Lomotey 33 G 6'3" 198 Junior Branford, CT No longer on official roster
Amida Brimah 35 C 7'0" 230 Senior Accra, Ghana Graduated

Incoming transfers

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Antwoine Anderson 0 G 6'1" 190 Graduate Student Rochester, NY Transferred from Fordham. Under NCAA transfer rules, Anderson will be eligible to start at the beginning the 2017–18 season. Anderson has one year of remaining eligibility.
Eric Cobb 23 F 6'9" 295 Junior Jacksonville, FL Transferred from Chipola College. Under NCAA transfer rules, Cobb will be eligible to start at the beginning the 2017–18 season. Cobb will have two years of remaining eligibility.
David Onuorah 34 F 6'9" 230 Graduate Student Lithonia, Ga. Transferred from Cornell. Under NCAA transfer rules, Onuorah will be eligible to start at the beginning the 2017–18 season. Onuorah has one year of remaining eligibility.
Kwintin Williams 11 PF 6'7" 215 Sophomore Anchorage, AK Transferred from Arizona Western College. Under NCAA transfer rules, Williams will be eligible to start at the beginning the 2017–18 season. Williams will have three years of remaining eligibility.
Sidney Wilson 15 F 6'7" 183 Freshman Bronx, NY Transferred from St. John's. Under NCAA transfer rules, Wilson will be eligible to start at the beginning the 2018–19 season. Wilson will have four years of remaining eligibility.

2017 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Josh Carlton
C
Hyattsville, MD DeMatha Catholic 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Nov 11, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 80
Tyler Polley
PF
Fort Lauderdale, FL The Sagemont School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Nov 11, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 81
Isaiah Whaley
PF
Charlotte, NC Evelyn Mack Academy 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) May 11, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN:    ESPN grade: 76

Preseason

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At the conference's annual media day, the Huskies were picked to finish in sixth place in the AAC.[11] Junior guard Jalen Adams was named to the preseason All-AAC first team.[11]

Roster

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2017–18 UConn Huskies men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Antwoine Anderson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) GS Fordham Rochester, NY
G 1 Christian Vital 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 178 lb (81 kg) So St. Thomas More Queens, NY
G 3 Alterique Gilbert   6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 171 lb (78 kg) RS Fr Miller Grove Lithonia, GA
G 4 Jalen Adams 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Brewster Academy Roxbury, MA
F 5 Isaiah Whaley 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Mt. Zion Prep Charlotte, NC
F 11 Kwintin Williams 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Arizona Western Anchorage, AK
F 12 Tyler Polley 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Sagemont Fort Lauderdale, FL
F 15 Sidney Wilson (I)   6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 183 lb (83 kg) Fr St. John's University Bronx, NY
F 21 Mamadou Diarra 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 217 lb (98 kg) RS Fr Putnam Science Academy Queens, NY
G/F 22 Terry Larrier 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS Jr VCU Bronx, NY
F 23 Eric Cobb 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 280 lb (127 kg) Jr Chipola Jacksonville, FL
F 24 Christian Foxen (W) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr South Kent Rocky Hill, CT
C 25 Josh Carlton 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 242 lb (110 kg) Fr DeMatha Catholic Hyattsville, MD
G 31 Michael Noyes (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) GS Granby Memorial Granby, CT
F 34 David Onuorah 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 249 lb (113 kg) GS Cornell Lithonia, GA
G 45 Omotayo Aiyegbusi (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 206 lb (93 kg) So Saint Joseph's Philadelphia, PA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: 6/6/17

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Oct 25, 2017*
7:00 pm, Fox Sports Go
vs. Providence
ARC disaster relief exhibition
L 76–90 
 22  Adams   4  4 tied   2  3 tied  Mohegan Sun Arena (6,415)
Uncasville, CT
Oct 30, 2017*
7:00 pm, HuskyVision
Merrimack W 79–63 
 17  Larrier   6  Tied   5  Tied  XL Center (3,861)
Hartford, CT
Nov 5, 2017*
5:30 pm, HuskyVision
Queens (NY) W 100–43 
 20  Carlton   7  Vital   6  Polley  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (3,277)
Storrs, CT
Regular season
Nov 10, 2017*
7:00 pm, SNY
Colgate W 70–58  1–0
 27  Larrier   8  Cobb   6  Anderson  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (7,154)
Storrs, CT
Nov 14, 2017*
7:00 pm, SNY
Stony Brook
PK80–Phil Knight Invitational
W 72–64  2–0
 19  Adams   7  Tied   4  Gilbert  XL Center (5,431)
Hartford, CT
Nov 19, 2017*
6:00 pm, SNY
Boston University W 85–66  3–0
 30  Vital   7  Larrier   6  Gilbert  XL Center (6,308)
Hartford, CT
Nov 23, 2017*
9:00 pm, ESPNU
vs. Oregon
PK80–Phil Knight Invitational Victory Bracket quarterfinals
W 71–63  4–0
 18  Larrier   7  Larrier   2  Adams  Moda Center (13,439)
Portland, OR
Nov 25, 2017*
12:00 am, ESPN
vs. No. 4 Michigan State
PK80–Phil Knight Invitational Victory Bracket semifinals
L 57–77  4–1
 22  Adams   7  Larrier   3  Gilbert  Memorial Coliseum (8,853)
Portland, OR
Nov 26, 2017*
3:00 pm, ESPN
vs. Arkansas
PK80–Phil Knight Invitational Victory Bracket 3rd Place Game
L 67–102  4–2
 25  Adams   5  Diarra   3  Adams  Moda Center (11,571)
Portland, OR
Nov 29, 2017*
7:00 pm, SNY
Columbia W 77–73 OT 5–2
 29  Vital   14  Larrier   7  Adams  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (3,808)
Storrs, CT
Dec 2, 2017*
4:00 pm, SNY
Monmouth W 84–81 OT 6–2
 31  Adams   8  Larrier   4  Adams  XL Center (6,582)
Hartford, CT
Dec 5, 2017*
9:00 pm, ESPN
vs. Syracuse
Jimmy V Classic/Rivalry
L 63–72  6–3
 22  Adams   7  Diarra   4  Vital  Madison Square Garden (17,532)
New York, NY
Dec 9, 2017*
2:00 pm, ESPNews
Coppin State W 72–59  7–3
 15  Adams   8  Whaley   8  Adams  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (3,046)
Storrs, CT
Dec 21, 2017*
9:00 pm, ESPN2
at No. 18 Arizona L 58–73  7–4
 18  Larrier   7  Vital   2  Tied  McKale Center (14,392)
Tucson, AZ
Dec 23, 2017*
2:30 pm, ESPN2
at Auburn L 64–89  7–5
 14  Adams   7  Adams   4  Adams  Auburn Arena (8,039)
Auburn, AL
Dec 30, 2017
12:00 pm, CBS
No. 8 Wichita State L 62–72  7–6
(0–1)
 18  Tied   5  Tied   6  Adams  XL Center (15,564)
Hartford, CT
Jan 3, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPNews
at Tulsa L 88–90 2OT 7–7
(0–2)
 29  Adams   13  Adams   9  Adams  Reynolds Center (3,903)
Tulsa, OK
Jan 6, 2018
12:00 pm, ESPNews
East Carolina W 70–65  8–7
(1–2)
 18  Adams   7  Whaley   4  Adams  XL Center (6,717)
Hartford, CT
Jan 10, 2018
7:00 pm, CBSSN
UCF W 62–53  9–7
(2–2)
 18  Vital   7  Vital   5  Adams  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (5,065)
Storrs, CT
Jan 13, 2018
1:00 pm, ESPNews
at Tulane W 67–57  10–7
(3–2)
 25  Adams   7  Onuorah   6  Adams  Devlin Fieldhouse (1,902)
New Orleans, LA
Jan 16, 2018
9:00 pm, CBSSN
at Memphis L 49–73  10–8
(3–3)
 15  Carlton   9  Carlton   3  Anderson  FedEx Forum (2,417)
Memphis, TN
Jan 20, 2018*
12:00 pm, CBS
No. 1 Villanova L 61–81  10–9
 19  Adams   9  Carlton   5  Adams  XL Center (15,564)
Hartford, CT
Jan 25, 2018
7:00 pm, CBSSN
SMU W 63–52  11–9
(4–3)
 20  Vital   12  Carlton   4  Tied  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (7,322)
Storrs, CT
Jan 28, 2018
8:00 pm, ESPN2
at Temple L 57–85  11–10
(4–4)
 15  Vital   6  Tied   3  Tied  Liacouras Center (6,103)
Philadelphia, PA
Jan 31, 2018
9:00 pm, CBSSN
at UCF L 61–70  11–11
(4–5)
 15  Larrier   9  Vital   5  Adams  CFE Arena (5,233)
Orlando, FL
Feb 3, 2018
12:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 8 Cincinnati L 57–65  11–12
(4–6)
 20  Adams   9  Vital   4  Adams  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (9,170)
Storrs, CT
Feb 7, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPNU
South Florida W 68–65  12–12
(5–6)
 19  Adams   6  Carlton   6  Adams  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (6,636)
Storrs, CT
Feb 10, 2018
6:00 pm, ESPN2
at No. 22 Wichita State L 74–95  12–13
(5–7)
 22  Tied   8  Williams   4  Adams  Charles Koch Arena (10,506)
Wichita, KS
Feb 15, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPNU
Tulsa L 71–73  12–14
(5–8)
 20  Vital   10  Vital   11  Adams  XL Center (10,656)
Hartford, CT
Feb 18, 2018
3:00 pm, ESPNews
at East Carolina W 84–80  13–14
(6–8)
 26  Adams   6  Vital   7  Anderson  Williams Arena (4,524)
Greeenville, NC
Feb 22, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN
at No. 11 Cincinnati L 52–77  13–15
(6–9)
 15  Vital   9  Larrier   3  Anderson  BB&T Arena (8,217)
Highland Heights, KY
Feb 25, 2018
4:00 pm, ESPN
Memphis L 79–83  13–16
(6–10)
 25  Adams   7  Williams   5  Adams  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (8,574)
Storrs, CT
Feb 28, 2018
7:00 pm, CBSSN
Temple W 72–66  14–16
(7–10)
 25  Adams   12  Vital   8  Adams  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (7,674)
Storrs, CT
Mar 4, 2018
4:00 pm, CBSSN
at No. 25 Houston L 71–81  14–17
(7–11)
 22  Adams   7  Larrier   6  Adams  H&PE Arena (5,237)
Houston, TX
American Athletic Conference tournament
Mar 8, 2018
12:00 pm, ESPNU
(8) vs. (9) SMU
First round
L 73–80  14–18
 24  Vital   8  Diarra   5  Adams  Amway Center (7,856)
Orlando, FL
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.
Source: [12]

References

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  1. ^ Amore, Dom. "NCAA Investigating UConn Men's Basketball Program; Inquiry Includes Recruitment Of At Least Three Players". courant.com. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  2. ^ "UConn men's basketball under NCAA investigation". ABC News. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  3. ^ "NCAA investigating UConn men's basketball program". CBSSports.com. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  4. ^ Amore, Dom. "Kevin Ollie Fired After UConn Claims 'Just Cause'; Coach Says He Will Fight". courant.com. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  5. ^ Goodman, Jeff (March 22, 2018). "Dan Hurley leaving Rhode Island, named head coach at UConn". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  6. ^ "Dan Hurley to become next head coach at UConn". USA TODAY. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  7. ^ AMORE, DOM. "UConn Battles, Defeats South Florida, 77–66; Houston Up Next Tonight". courant.com. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  8. ^ "Purvis scores 30 to lead UConn over USF in AAC Tournament". USA TODAY. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  9. ^ "Connecticut vs. Houston – Game Recap – March 10, 2017 – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  10. ^ Courant, Hartford. "UConn Men vs. Cincinnati AAC Tournament". courant.com. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  11. ^ a b "Cincinnati Selected as 2017–18 American Men's Basketball Preseason Favorite". Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  12. ^ "2017–18 Connecticut Huskies Men's Basketball Schedule". UConnHuskies.com. Archived from the original on June 25, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2017.