The big games have begun for the UConn men’s basketball team, which held at No. 3 in Monday’s AP Top 25 poll after its first big win of the season came in Boston on Saturday night.
The Huskies built a 20-point lead early in the second half and managed to hold off a furious comeback charge led by superstar freshman and projected top NBA Draft pick, A.J. Dybantsa, to take down then-No. 7 BYU in an 86-84 thriller at TD Garden. UConn, ranked No. 7 by KenPom, started its week with an 89-62 win over Columbia at Gampel Pavilion on Monday,
Senior captain Alex Karaban averaged 20.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks over the two games, including his 21 points on 8 of 12 shooting (4-for-4 from beyond the arc) against BYU. Shooting 61.9% from the field and 63.2% from beyond the arc so far this season, Karaban was named Big East Player of the Week for the first time this season and the second time in his career.
Karaban vs. Dybantsa homecoming showdown lives up to hype as UConn earns marquee win over BYU
The Huskies received two first-place votes in the AP Poll this week as Purdue climbed back into the No. 1 spot with 44 first-place votes, bumping Houston (12 first place votes) back down to No. 2. Arizona, which will come to Gampel Pavilion for another big-time matchup on Wednesday, came in at No. 4 with Duke rounding out the top five.
In addition to the Wildcats, who’ve had two of the biggest wins of the season so far beating Florida and UCLA, UConn’s nonconference opponents include No. 8 Illinois, No. 10 Florida and No. 24 Kansas. BYU fell only two spots to No. 9 after Saturday’s loss.
St. John’s was the only other Big East team ranked after Creighton was blown out by Gonzaga, 90-63, on Tuesday. The Johnnies, 2-1, dropped one spot to No. 14.
AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll: Week 2
Purdue (44 first-place votes)
Houston (12)
UConn (2)
Arizona (2)
Duke (1)
Louisville
Michigan
Illinois
BYU
Florida
Alabama
Kentucky
Gonzaga
St. John’s
Texas Tech
Iowa State
Michigan State
North Carolina
UCLA
Tennessee
Arkansas
Auburn
Wisconsin
Kansas
NC State
