The UConn men’s basketball team didn’t take much damage in Monday’s AP Top 25 rankings, dropping one spot to No. 6 after a 1-1 week that included a poor showing in a Quad 3 loss to Creighton.
After falling to the Bluejays in one of, if not the worst defensive performances of the season, UConn recovered in convincing fashion with a 73-63 win at Villanova on Saturday.
The Huskies are set up for a mammoth top-15 matchup in Hartford on Wednesday night against St. John’s, which, should they win, would create a tie atop the Big East standings down the final stretch of the regular season. St. John’s, the league’s only other ranked team, moved up to No. 15 after extending its winning streak to 13 games – its longest streak in 41 years.
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Still No. 10 in the NET rankings with a 7-2 record in Quad 1 games and the fourth-best resumé in the sport, according to EvanMiya.com metrics, UConn enters the week at No. 11 on KenPom with the No. 23 offense and No. 12 defense in the nation.
There was a new No. 1 in the AP rankings for the second week in a row after Duke took down Michigan on Saturday night. The Blue Devils received 56 first place votes and the other five went to Arizona, which beat Houston on the road without star freshman Koa Peat in the lineup. Michigan moved down to No. 3, followed by No. 4 Iowa State and No. 5 Houston.
UConn has a 4-2 record against currently ranked teams, having beaten No. 7 Florida, No. 10 Illinois, No. 14 Kansas and No. 19 BYU. Villanova continued to receive votes.
Mullins named Big East Freshman of the Week
Braylon Mullins earned his third Big East Freshman of the Week nod after scoring a career-high 25 points with six made 3-pointers and six rebounds in the loss to Creighton. He followed that performance with 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting in the balanced effort at Villanova
He averaged 17.5 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 44.8% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc, adding an assist, a block and two steals on the week.
The 6-foot-6 wing is averaging 12.3 points per game on 45.7% shooting from the field, 38.6% from beyond the arc and 84.2% from the free throw line, while grabbing 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. He has made 45 3-pointers in 16 Big East games, which is the most ever for a UConn freshman.
AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll: Week 16
Duke (56 first place votes)
Arizona (5)
Michigan
Iowa State
Houston
UConn
Florida
Purdue
Gonzaga
Illinois
Virginia
Nebraska
Michigan State
Kansas
St. John’s
Texas Tech
Alabama
North Carolina
BYU
Arkansas
Miami (OH)
Tennessee
Saint Louis
Louisville
Vanderbilt
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