U Conn men are picked by coaches to finish 5th

Philadelphia — Don't be fooled by UConn's preseason ranking in the American Athletic Conference men's basketball poll.

Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin believes the Huskies, who were picked to finish fifth by the AAC coaches, are a wild card.

"Because of what they went through last year, people forget about them," Cronin said Monday during AAC basketball media day at the Philadelphia Airport Marriott.

The Huskies have a lot to prove coming off their first losing season since 1986-87. Injuries played a painful role in their 16-17 overall record.

They're healthy now, and coach Kevin Ollie added eight newcomers to the roster.

As far as being a wild card, here's what Ollie had to say about that:

"I think we're a team in progress and we're trying to get better every day," Ollie said. "We're trying to win the day. So wild card, champion, worst team, best team, it really doesn't matter to me. It's about what we do every day in practice and that's what I want our guys to understand."

Three returning players expected to be major contributors, junior Jalen Adams, redshirt junior Terry Larrier

“We're not really too worried about the outside world. We know what we've got inside our locker room and what we're capable of doing.” JALEN ADAMS, UCONN