A 2-0 week was not enough for UConn men’s basketball to move up even an inch in this week’s AP poll, as the 8-1 Huskies stayed at No. 5 for the second week in a row. UConn clawed past a tough No. 21 Kansas squad at Allen Fieldhouse, then rolled to an easy home win over East Texas A&M at Gampel Pavilion in its final buy game of the season.
St. John’s is the only other Big East school to join the Huskies in the top 25 at No. 23, but Seton Hall and Villanova both received votes. Arizona, UConn’s only loss
of the season, is now No. 1 after Purdue was blown out at home this past weekend. BYU and Illinois, two of UConn’s best wins this year, rank No. 10 and No. 13 respectively, while Kansas has moved up to No. 19.
As the non conference schedule comes to a close, the Huskies have one last heavyweight matchup as they take on No. 18 Florida in the late game of the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night. Following the matchup with the Gators, UConn welcomes a rebuilding Texas team to PeoplesBank Arena to close out the non conference slate for good before taking on Butler in its Big East opener next week.
For nearly a quarter of a century, every national champion has been ranked inside the top 12 of the week six AP poll. Florida, last year’s champion, ranked No. 9 at this time last year. While it’s a different way of looking for future champions than in KenPom or NET rankings, it’s entirely possible the 2026 NCAA champion can be found in this week’s top 12. The top 12 teams:
- Arizona
- Michigan
- Duke
- Iowa State
- UConn
- Purdue
- Houston
- Gonzaga
- Michigan State
- BYU
- Lousville
- Alabama
In terms of net rating, UConn ranks No. 7 in the country and picked up another Quad One win with its victory at Kansas. Florida, No. 22 in NET, will be another Quad One opportunity, and Texas (No. 86 in NET) figures to likely be a Quad Three game.
The Huskies also still rank as one of the top teams in the country per KenPom. UConn ranks No. 7 overall in KenPom, and is No. 16 in offensive efficiency and No. 7 in defensive efficiency.
