UConn men’s basketball held firm at No. 3 in this week’s AP Top 25 following wins over Columbia and then-NO. 7 BYU at TD Garden in Boston on Saturday. The 3-0 Huskies received two first-place votes, and the Cougars
fell two spots to No. 9 after the neutral-site loss to UConn.
Arizona, the Huskies’ opponent Wednesday night at Gampel Pavilion, jumped one spot to No. 4 after an impressive win over UCLA on the road. The Wildcats also received two first-place votes, and it means that a top-five matchup is officially set in Storrs.
St. John’s joins UConn as the only other Big East school in the top 25, coming in at No. 14. Both Creighton and Georgetown received votes, but not enough to crack the top 25.
UConn’s loaded non-conference schedule is shaping up to be as advertised. Aside from BYU and Arizona, Illinois (Nov. 28) is ranked No. 8, and defending national champ Florida (Dec. 9) is ranked No. 10. Kansas, who UConn will face on the road on Dec. 2, is ranked No. 24.
With the win over BYU already secured, the Huskies have one quality win on the board. But with Arizona coming to town Wednesday and numerous ranked matchups still on the board, UConn has a chance to establish itself as one of this year’s truly elite teams. UConn currently ranks No. 7 overall by KenPom, with the fifth-best offense and 15th-best defense in terms of efficiency.
