Alex Karaban earned a spot on the Big East Honor Roll for his big week to help the Huskies start off 2-0.
After taking care of business in the season opener against Sacred Heart and surviving a slow start to eventually beat down New Hampshire, UConn men’s basketball stayed at No. 3 in this week’s AP Top 25 poll and remain at No. 5 in KenPom. The 2-0 Huskies have one game this coming week, a Wednesday night showdown against Le Moyne at the XL Center in Hartford.
Three other Big East teams join UConn in the top 25 this week, with Creighton at No. 14. Marquette at No. 15 and St. John’s at No. 22. Xavier and Providence both received votes, but not enough to crack into the top 25.
Future non conference opponent Gonzaga climbed to No. 4 in this week’s poll after a pair of statement wins over Baylor and Arizona State. The Bulldogs beat down the Bears 101-63 in its season opener, causing Baylor to drop down to No. 12 this week. Texas, who Uconn will face in Austin on Dec. 8, received votes this week as well.
Including the matchup against Le Moyne, UConn has two more matchups before heading to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational at the end of the month. The Huskies take on the aforementioned Dolphins this week before taking on East Texas A&M, formerly known as Texas A&M Commerce, next Tuesday, Nov. 19. The Lions are currently one of the worst teams in Division I, ranking No. 357 out of 264 schools. Le Moyne isn’t much better, sitting at No. 334 — around the same rank as Sacred Heart and UNH.
Karaban earns Big East honor roll mention
Junior Alex Karaban was named to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll on Monday after two standout performances to start the Huskies’ season. Karaban averaged 18.5 points across UConn’s first two wins and already has 11 blocks on the season after having 33 all of last season.