Ball and Stewart will step in and be good players. Hopefully Diarra stays around. They'll go in the portal for a starting shooting guard and center. Two four-star recruits are coming in(PG Ahmad Nowell and SF Isaiah Abraham) to add depth. There will be a drop-off to be expected, but I wouldn't count out Dan Hurley. They will be among the nation's best teams.Assuming Clingan and Castle do, in fact, leave for the NBA, that makes four huge contributors (I'd argue the four best players on the team) gone: Clingan, Newton, Castle, and Spencer. They represent:
66% of the team's scoring
61% of the team's rebounding
66% of the team's blocks
76% of the team's assists
60% of the team's steals
That's...um...a lot to replace. And as fun as Samson Johnson was to watch, he isn't going to fill those shoes. They'll need some new guys to really step up.
I do not expect UConn to be a contender for the national championship next year.