UConn’s climb in the AP Top 25 hit a brief pause Monday, even after the Huskies knocked off Michigan in a title-game rematch.
The Huskies stayed at No. 4 in the latest poll following their 85-77 win over the Wolverines in Boston on Friday. UConn is 2-0 and still sitting behind Florida, Duke and Illinois, all of whom also won their first two games.
Florida remains the only team in the top three to beat a ranked opponent so far, opening with a 77-67 victory over then-No. 14 Miami.
Florida collected 53 first-place votes, while Duke picked up seven. UConn will get chances to sort out the pecking order later in the nonconference schedule, with Duke and Illinois both still ahead on the slate.
Michigan State checks in at No. 5, followed by Virginia, Texas, Houston, UCLA and Louisville to complete the top 10.
St. John’s is the only other Big East team in the poll, landing at No. 13.
UConn also picked up a pair of weekly honors on Monday. Colben Landrew was named Big East Freshman of the Week after a strong start to his college career.
The 6-6 forward from McComb, Miss., had 11 points, five rebounds and three assists in the opener against Gardner-Webb, then came back with 14 points, eight rebounds and two assists against Michigan. He shot 57.1 percent from the field across the two wins and went 7-of-10 from the free-throw line.
Braylon Mullins earned a spot on the Big East weekly honor roll after averaging 21.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals in UConn’s first two games. He scored 20 points in the opener on 7 of 12 shooting, then followed with a game-high 23 against Michigan. Mullins hit seven threes over the two games and is shooting 50% from the field, 41.2% from deep and 92.3% at the line.
AP Top 25: 1.
Florida 2.
Duke 3.
Illinois 4.
UConn 5.
Michigan State 6.
Virginia 7.
Texas 8.
Houston 9.
UCLA 10.
Louisville 11.
Tennessee 12.
Arizona 13.
St. John’s
- Gonzaga
- Kansas
- Texas Tech
- Miami
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Michigan
- USC
- Vanderbilt
- BYU
- Kentucky
- Nebraska
In Other News...
UConns Fast Start Has Fans Eyeing A Bigger Early Climb
UConn stayed put at No. 4 in the first AP Top 25 poll of the season after opening with a 2-0 start that already offered a little bit of everything. The Huskies handled Gardner-Webb and then backed it up with a win over No. 16 Michigan, a useful early reminder that last seasons standard is still the one this group is chasing.
Freshman Colben Landrew gave the weekend even more of a lift by earning Big East Freshman of the Week honors, another sign that UConn is getting contributions beyond the usual headline names. The schedule does not ease up for long, either, with Wagner, Ohio State, Arizona and Duke all looming as the Huskies try to turn a promising start into something bigger. [Read more 🡒]
UConns November Statement Just Changed How The Huskies Look Nationally
November has already started to reshape the national picture, and UConn is right in the middle of it. Preseason exhibition results have carried more weight than usual in the early AP Top 25 conversation, with some teams getting pushed down after shaky tune-ups and others falling out altogether before the real games even settle in. For the Huskies, that kind of early movement matters because it changes the way the rest of the country is viewing the defending standard in college basketball.
Michigan States slide after exhibition losses is one sign of how quickly the rankings are being rethought, and Tennessees absence after a rough preseason is another. UConns place in that conversation is a reminder that one strong November statement can ripple beyond a single result, influencing how voters sort the top tier and how the next round of matchups will be judged. The bigger question now is how long that early impression holds once the schedule starts offering more chances for teams to answer back. [Read more 🡒]
Braylon Mullins Just Added A Dangerous New Element To UConn
Braylon Mullins wasted no time showing why he could matter for UConn this season, turning in one of the more eye-catching early performances in the opening week. In a game that already carried extra weight because of the national championship rematch with Michigan, the freshman gave the Huskies another layer offensively and looked comfortable handling a bigger role than many first-year players get this early.
What stood out most was how he got to the line and kept the pressure on the defense, a useful sign for a UConn team still sorting out how its scoring will come together. Early-season bursts can be misleading, of course, but Mullins has already given the Huskies a glimpse of a dangerous new element, and the next step is seeing whether that kind of impact holds once opponents start game-planning for him. [Read more 🡒]