UConn’s first week of the season was enough to keep the Huskies right where they started in the AP Top 25: No. 4.
After opening with wins over Gardner-Webb and then-No. 16 Michigan, UConn held steady in the first poll of the year.
Michigan took the hit from the loss, sliding four places to No. 20.
A few other familiar names around UConn also stayed in place. Duke remained No.
2, St. John’s checked in at No. 13, and the Red Storm are still the only other ranked Big East team.
Marquette and Creighton were among the schools receiving votes. Arizona, meanwhile, dropped from No. 5 to No. 12 after falling to UCLA, while Virginia moved up three spots to No. 6 after beating Arkansas.
The schedule gets moving again Monday night with Wagner, and then UConn faces an unranked Ohio State team that sits No. 26 in KenPom. After that comes the stretch that looks like the real early-season test: a road trip to No.
12 Arizona and a matchup with No. 2 Duke in Las Vegas, all within a week.
The Huskies also got an individual honor out of the opening games. Freshman Colben Landrew was named Big East Freshman of the Week after a strong debut stretch for the Marietta, Georgia product.
Landrew scored 11 points in his first college game against Gardner-Webb, then followed that with 14 points, eight rebounds and two assists against Michigan. He came off the bench in both games, but his play already suggests he may force his way into a bigger role sooner rather than later.
The preseason Big East Freshman of the Year has looked ready from the jump, and his impact has shown up on both ends. His three late in the first half against Michigan helped UConn create separation and swing the game firmly in its favor.
If Landrew keeps producing like this, more weekly awards could be on the way. And given the early buzz around him, he may not be in Storrs for long either - he’s already showing up on NBA mock drafts and could play himself into lottery territory.
In Other News...
UConn Just Got Another Early Reminder The Polls Need Convincing
UConns latest AP Top 25 placement offered a familiar kind of early-season reminder: even after beating Michigan 85-77 in a rematch of last years national championship game, the Huskies are still sitting at No. 4. The top of the poll remains crowded with Florida, Duke and Illinois ahead of them, which means Dan Hurleys team is already in the position of having to keep proving that its early work belongs right there with the nations best.
There will be chances to do exactly that later in the nonconference schedule, including meetings with Duke and Illinois that should give UConn a direct chance to reshape the conversation. For now, the Huskies can at least point to the start they have made, along with some individual recognition for Colben Landrew and Braylon Mullins, who earned Big East weekly honors for their play in the first two games of the season. [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 🡒]