The UConn men’s basketball team is on the rise again-and not just in the win column. After spending four straight weeks holding steady at No. 5 in the AP Top 25, the Huskies have climbed to No. 4 in the latest poll, thanks to a pair of convincing wins and a little shake-up above them.
UConn (12-1) took care of business last week, notching a 19-point win over Butler and following that up with an 18-point victory against DePaul. That kind of dominance, even against middle-of-the-pack opponents, speaks to a team that’s not just winning but winning with purpose. The Huskies are playing with the confidence and depth of a program that expects to be in the national spotlight-and stay there.
The move up the rankings was helped along by Duke’s stumble. The Blue Devils, previously ranked No. 3, dropped a heartbreaker to Texas Tech, 82-81, and slid down to No.
- That opened the door for UConn, Iowa State, and Purdue to each climb a spot.
Iowa State now sits at No. 3, Purdue at No. 5, and UConn just behind the two remaining undefeated giants-Arizona and Michigan, both 11-0-at No.
It’s worth noting that UConn is one of only five teams in the country to have already reached 12 wins. That group includes fellow top-10 teams Iowa State and Gonzaga, as well as Vanderbilt and Nebraska, who are sitting just outside the top 10 at No. 11 and No. 13, respectively. USC, at No. 24, also joins the 12-win club.
What makes UConn’s consistency even more impressive is how they’ve managed to keep rolling despite being short-handed. Solo Ball missed the win over DePaul, and both Tarris Reed Jr. and Braylon Mullins have been out for extended stretches-five and six games, respectively. That’s a significant hit to any rotation, but UConn hasn’t blinked.
Their only loss of the season came against then-No. 4 Arizona, a 71-67 battle where both Reed and Mullins were sidelined. Even in that loss, the Huskies showed they could hang with the elite, even when not at full strength.
Credit their depth and balance. This is not a one-man show.
Six different players are averaging at least eight points per game, and nine players are logging at least 18 minutes a night. That kind of rotation flexibility gives head coach plenty of options-and keeps opponents guessing.
Solo Ball leads the scoring charge at 15.4 points per game, with Reed (14.5) and Alex Karaban (13.6) not far behind. When Ball sat out against DePaul, Karaban stepped up and dropped 21 points, showing once again that this team doesn’t rely on just one or two guys to carry the load.
Now, the Huskies get a bit of a breather. They’re in the middle of a nine-day break between games and won’t hit the hardwood again until New Year’s Eve when they travel to face Xavier. That downtime could be just what the doctor ordered for a team looking to get healthy and gear up for the grind of conference play.
Speaking of the Big East, this might be the perfect year for UConn to make a sustained run near the top of the rankings. With the conference looking a bit down compared to recent seasons, there’s a real opportunity here. If the Huskies can keep stacking wins, they could spend the entire season inside the top five-a feat they’ve only accomplished three times in program history.
The last time that happened? The 2008-09 season, when UConn started at No. 2 and hovered around the top five all year before making a deep tournament run. The other two times came in 2005-06 and 1998-99, both seasons where the Huskies were national title contenders from wire to wire.
Even during last year’s national championship run, UConn didn’t crack the top five in the preseason poll. They started at No. 6 and didn’t dip below No. 5 the rest of the way, ultimately finishing at No. 1 after cutting down the nets in April.
This year’s squad is starting to show signs of that same championship DNA-resilient, deep, and dangerous. And if history is any indicator, a top-five UConn team in December is one that no one wants to see come March.