Top 10: Back Where Huskies Belong
The Story: The men’s basketball team is back in the top 10 for the first time in a decade as it checked in at No. 8 in the Associated Press top 25 after winning the Phil Knight Invitational on Sunday.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: The Huskies moved up 12 spots in the poll and their move was only eclipsed by Phil Knight Legacy champion Purdue, which rose from unranked to No. 6 after beating Gonzaga and Duke. Are we OK with that? Absolutely. Purdue beat two top-10 teams on its way to the title and Zach Edey, at 7-foot-4, is a monster in the middle.
•The Huskies are behind Creighton, their top competition in the Big East.
•Alabama, which UConn beat in the semifinal, rose seven spots to No. 11.
•Iowa State, which UConn beat in the final, entered the rankings at No. 23.
•St John’s is the only other Big East team receiving votes and is 7-0 after beating Syracuse, Temple, and Niagara over the last week.
WHAT DOES KENPOM SAY? Don’t like writers like us, who judge the games with anecdotal views and preseason bias (North Carolina at No. 1?). KenPom also has the Huskies shooting up the rankings as they are ranked No. 6.
• KenPom really likes how the Huskies are playing. The Huskies, who have won all their names by 15 points or more, are No. 10 in offensive and defensive efficiency over their first eight games.
CLINGAN STARS: Donovan Clingan was named Big East Freshman of the Week after his performance off the bench in the three games. The best part was Clingan’s 15-point, 10-rebounds performance on Sunday night in only 19 minutes. In fact, Clingan won MVP of the tournament without playing more than 20 minutes in any game.
A LONG TIME COMING: The top-10 ranking is the first for the Huskies since Jim Calhoun‘s last season, when the Huskies were ranked No. 7 in January 2012. The Huskies lost two games and fell out of the top 10 for the last decade.
UP NEXT: The Huskies return to Storrs for Thursday’s Big East-Big 12 Challenge and will take on Oklahoma State.
Morning Reads
•Kemba Walker is back in the NBA as he signed a one-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks, who desperately need a scorer in the backcourt to pair with Luka Doncic. (ESPN)
•Aaliyah Edwards took it upon herself to get the women’s basketball team out of the mud in the championship game of the Phil Knight Invitational tournament against Iowa. (Hartford Courant)
• Who says UConn is a basketball school? The men’s hockey team fell back a bit this week in the rankings but is No. 8. (USCHO.com)
Top photo: Dan Hurley looks on during the Huskies’ game against Stonehill. (Ian Bethune for The UConn Daily)
