UConn is opening the season where the preseason voters expect it to be: near the top of the sport.
The Huskies landed at No. 4 in the AP Preseason Top 25 released Monday afternoon, giving Dan Hurley’s team a fourth straight year in the preseason poll and a third consecutive season inside the top five. UConn is also the Big East’s highest-ranked team, with St.
John’s coming in at No. 14.
Villanova and Marquette each picked up attention as well, receiving six and three votes respectively, but neither cracked the rankings.
The schedule is loaded right away. UConn is set to meet seven teams from the preseason top 25 in nonconference play, and four of those opponents are in the top 10.
The Huskies will line up against No. 2 Duke, No.
3 Illinois, No. 5 Arizona and No.
9 Virginia, while defending champion No. 16 Michigan and No.
17 Kansas are also on the slate. Ohio State, another nonconference opponent for UConn this season, received votes.
Before any of that, the Huskies will face Michigan State in Tuesday night’s exhibition, and the Spartans are ranked No. 6.
On paper, preseason rankings are just a snapshot. But they usually say something real about a team’s ceiling, and the numbers behind the polls back that up.
According to basketball researcher Evan Miayakawa, 80 percent of a team’s season is determined by the talent on the preseason roster, with the other 20 percent decided after the opening tip. The idea is simple: talent drives the sport, and even elite coaching can only bend that equation so far.
UConn’s recent track record fits that theory. Last season, the Huskies entered at No. 4 and went all the way to the national title game.
The year before, they were ranked No. 3 and dealt with an uneven season because of injuries, then fell in the Second Round while pushing eventual champion Florida to the wire. In 2023-24, UConn was tabbed No. 6 and went on to become one of the most dominant teams in college basketball history on its way to a national championship.
This year’s roster again has plenty of firepower. Nik Khamenia and Na’jai Hines join returners Silas Demary Jr., Braylin Mullins and Jayden Ross.
Solo Ball, who was once expected to miss the entire season, could be back during conference play. Freshmen Colben Landrew and Junior County made a strong impression in the exhibition win over Syracuse, and both are expected to matter for this team.
Still, there are real unknowns. UConn is moving into a stretch without the steady presence that Alex Karaban, Luke Murray and Tom Moore provided.
Khamenia, Hines and Mullins are all underclassmen. Ross is headed for a bigger role and will be asked to play more minutes than he ever has.
And even with Landrew and County bringing plenty of promise, the Huskies will need consistency from their freshmen all season long.
If this group is going to meet the standard that comes with a No. 4 ranking, Hurley will have to do what he does best: turn talent into a team. That’s the job now, with another serious run - and the chance at a fourth Final Four in five seasons - sitting right there in front of them.
In Other News...
UConn Is Again A Title Contender But One Test Looms Fast
UConn enters the season with the kind of respect that comes from repeated success, landing No. 4 in the AP preseason top 25 behind Florida, Duke and Illinois. Dan Hurleys team kept three starters, added transfers and freshmen, and once again looks built to spend the winter in the title conversation, even as the Big East showed only one other ranked team in St. Johns at No. 13.
The first real measuring stick arrives quickly, and it is a harsh one for a roster still blending returning pieces with newcomers. UConns nonconference slate is loaded with ranked opponents, and the Huskies will not have much time to ease into things before finding out how this version stacks up against the national elite. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Just Added A New Wrinkle To UConn's Toughest Test
Kansas gave UConn a little more to think about with the addition of Trey Kaufman-Renn, a veteran big man who spent four seasons at Purdue before deciding to return to college basketball. The move comes just before the start of the season, and it gives the Jayhawks another experienced piece as they shape a roster built to handle one of the sports most demanding schedules.
His arrival also fits into a wider NCAA landscape that has gotten murkier, not clearer, as eligibility rules continue to shift. The new five-years-to-play-five-seasons framework has changed how teams and players view roster-building, while disputes over extra eligibility for certain seniors keep adding twists for programs trying to plan ahead. For UConn, it means a matchup that was already going to be a test now carries one more layer of uncertainty. [Read more 🡒]
UConn Gets An Early Reality Check With Michigan State Coming Up
UConns next tune-up comes with a little more edge than the usual preseason exhibition. The Huskies are set to meet Michigan State in the second half of a home-and-home series, giving them an early test against a program that rarely treats October basketball as anything less than serious business. Tom Izzo is back for his 34th season guiding the Spartans, and Michigan State will bring back familiar pieces in Jeremy Fears Jr. and Coen Carr.
For UConn, it is the kind of matchup that can reveal a lot before the games start counting. The timing alone adds some intrigue, and the fact that this one is being carried exclusively on B1G+ means it will be tucked away from the broader college hoops audience rather than played out in the usual national spotlight. There is also some uncertainty around the Huskies lineup heading into it, which only adds to the sense that this exhibition may say a little more than a typical preseason scrimmage. [Read more 🡒]