The Huskies are also No. 5 in the first 2024-25 edition of KenPom.
UConn men’s basketball is ranked No. 3 overall in the 2024-25 preseason AP Top 25 poll released Monday. The Huskies, fresh off back-to-back national championships and seeking a third-straight title for the first time on the men’s side since John Wooden and UCLA did so in the late 1960s, received 11 first-place votes.
Kansas comes in at No. 1 in the preseason poll with 30 first-place votes, followed by UConn’s Final Four opponent Alabama, which begins the season at No. 2 with 14 first-place votes. Houston and Iowa State round out the top five at No. 4 and No. 5 respectively.
Aside from UConn, No. 15 Creighton and No 18 Marquette were the only Big East schools ranked in the preseason top 25. St. John’s and Xavier also received votes. Plenty of UConn’s future opponents this season were also ranked – Gonzaga comes in at No. 6, Baylor is ranked No. 8 and Texas is ranked No. 19. There’s also potential for a matchup against No. 5 Iowa State or No. 9 North Carolina, depending on how the Maui Invitational bracket shakes out.
KenPom also released its preseason rankings on Monday, and the Huskies are ranked slightly lower than the AP poll, coming in at No. 5. Houston ranks No. 1 in KenPom, followed by Duke, Auburn and Alabama. Unlike the AP Poll, the Big East gets a little more love on KenPom with six schools — UConn, Creighton (No. 12), St. John’s (19), Villanova (20), Marquette (22) and Xavier (30) all inside the top 30.