The Huskies have won eight in a row including four straight to start Big East play.
After the UConn men’s basketball team extended its win streak to eight games with a three-point win over Providence Sunday, the Huskies jumped two spots to No. 9 in the AP’s latest top-25 poll Monday.
The Huskies haven’t played perfect basketball by any means but they have been winning games. The Huskies sat at No. 11 for much of December and moved up after a multi-win week that included a 13-point triumph over DePaul on New Year’s Day before they stormed back to take down Providence on their home court. UConn is now 4-0 in Big East play to start the season.
The week’s only award goes to guard Solo Ball, who was named to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll, averaging 19 points per game and five rebounds in the team’s two wins. Against DePaul, he led UConn with 22 points on seven made threes with six rebounds and one block.
Other advanced metrics are less favorable to the Huskies. UConn is ranked No. 25 in KenPom and No. 22 in the NCAA’s NET ratings. As for Marquette, they moved up two spots in the AP poll to No. 7 in the country, fell one spot to No. 11 in the NET, and rank No. 10 in KenPom. Behind them, St. John’s and Villanova round out the other notable Big East schools, ranking No. 23 and No. 37 in KenPom and No. 38 and No. 50 in the NET, respectively.
UConn has now re-entered the top 10 for the first time since week four, when it ranked No. 3 after just four games played. The Huskies dropped to No. 25 following the Maui Invitational, before rising to No. 18 and then again to No. 11. now settling in at No. 9.
The Huskies play Villanova and Georgetown this week on Jan. 8 and Jan. 11. Before the month’s end, they’ll see Creighton, Butler, Xavier, and DePaul before facing off against the Big East’s best in Marquette on Feb. 1.