The UConn men’s basketball team will carry the No. 5 ranking into Big East play after holding position in the AP Top 25 poll for the fourth week in a row.
The Huskies completed an impressive 10-1 nonconference season with wins over Florida and Texas in the last week, taking down the reigning national champions at Madison Square Garden, 77-73, and beating Texas, 71-63, at PeoplesBank Arena on Friday. Redshirt-senior captain Alex Karaban led the Huskies averaging 15.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting nearly 60% from the floor over the 2-0 week, earning a spot on the Big East’s weekly honor roll.
There wasn’t any movement in the AP top 10 this week aside from Gonzaga and Houston switching places at No. 7 and 8, respectively.
Arizona, who took down a shorthanded Huskies’ team at Gampel Pavilion on Nov. 19, stayed at No. 1 with 42 first place votes, followed by No. 2 Michigan, which received 15 votes in the top spot, No. 3 Duke and No. 4 Iowa State. Purdue, Gonzaga, Houston, Michigan State and BYU, who the Huskies beat in Boston’s TD Garden on Nov. 15, round out the top 10 in that order.
There were six past and future UConn opponents in the rankings with Arizona and BYU, along with No. 17 Kansas, No. 18 Illinois, No. 22 St. John’s, No. 23 Florida. St. John’s is the only other Big East team in the top-25 for the fifth week in a row, though both Seton Hall (10-1) and Villanova (8-2) received votes.
AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll: Week 6
Arizona (42 first place votes)
Michigan (15)
Duke (3)
Iowa State (1)
UConn
Purdue
Gonzaga
Houston
Michigan State
BYU
Louisville
North Carolina
Vanderbilt
Arkansas
Nebraska
Alabama
Kansas
Illinois
Texas Tech
Tennessee
Auburn
St. John’s
Florida
Virginia
Georgia
