The UConn men’s basketball team is rolling - 17 straight wins, a spotless 11-0 mark in Big East play, and a 21-1 overall record. Their only blemish?
A loss to top-ranked Arizona, the current No. 1 team in the nation. You’d think that résumé would be enough to lock down the No. 2 spot in the country, but this week’s AP Top 25 had other plans.
Michigan, previously sitting at No. 3, leapfrogged the Huskies to claim the No. 2 ranking. The Wolverines are 20-1 overall and 10-1 in the Big Ten, and they put together a statement week.
First, they handed then-No. 5 Nebraska its first loss of the season in a tight 75-72 battle.
Then they followed it up by taking down in-state rival Michigan State - ranked No. 7 at the time - with a convincing 83-71 win. That one-two punch was enough to sway voters and bump Michigan ahead of UConn in the latest poll.
As for Nebraska and Michigan State, both took a hit after those losses. Nebraska, once undefeated at 20-0, has now dropped two in a row and slid to No.
- Michigan State, meanwhile, checks in at No.
So where does that leave UConn? Still sitting at No. 3, but with a bit of a chip on their shoulder.
The Huskies have been winning, but it hasn’t always been pretty. Big East play has tested them - and not just in terms of competition.
They've been grinding out close games, including an overtime win at Providence and narrow victories over Seton Hall (by 5), Georgetown (by 2), Villanova (by 8), and a rematch with Providence (by 7). It wasn’t until Saturday’s 85-58 statement win at Creighton that UConn reminded everyone just how dominant they can be when firing on all cylinders.
Still, head coach Dan Hurley isn’t ready to celebrate just yet.
“I just think that we’ve been playing so uneven, so spurty, kind of sluggish, disappointing, that I haven’t even talked about the streak,” Hurley said after the Creighton win. “I just don’t think we’ve played well enough for me to warrant talking about it.”
Hurley also acknowledged that he may have put too much pressure on this group by comparing them to past national championship teams.
“That was a mistake,” he admitted. “You won’t hear that from me until we get much later in the season and we are actually playing at that level consistently.”
That level - the one Hurley is holding out for - might not be far off if the Creighton game is any indication. But the road doesn’t get any easier.
UConn hosts Xavier on Tuesday before heading to Madison Square Garden for a Friday night clash with a surging St. John’s team that’s climbed to No. 22 after rattling off seven straight Big East wins.
One bright spot for the Huskies amid their gritty stretch: the emergence of Silas Demary Jr. The freshman point guard earned his second Big East Honor Roll nod of the season - and his third conference accolade overall - after a strong week.
Demary averaged 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists across two games, shooting nearly 53% from the field. He’s becoming a steady hand for UConn in the backcourt and giving them a much-needed boost on both ends of the floor.
Here’s how the AP Top 25 shapes up heading into Week 13:
AP Top 25 Men’s Basketball Poll - Week 13 1.
Arizona (59 first-place votes)
2.
Michigan
3.
UConn
4.
Duke
5.
Illinois
6.
Gonzaga
7.
Iowa State
8.
Houston
9.
Nebraska
10.
Michigan State
11.
Kansas
12.
Purdue
13.
Texas Tech
14.
North Carolina
15.
Vanderbilt
16.
BYU
17.
Florida
18.
Virginia
19.
Saint Louis
20.
Clemson
21.
Arkansas
22.
St. John’s
- Miami (OH)
- Louisville
- Tennessee
The Huskies are still very much in the thick of the national title conversation. But as Hurley made clear, they’re not chasing polls - they’re chasing consistency. And if they find it, this team has the tools to make another deep run come March.