UConn men’s basketball moves up to No. 23 in AP Top 25 Poll

UConn men’s basketball took care of business last week and was rewarded for it, moving up one spot in this week’s AP Top 25 Poll to No. 23. The Huskies, who were ranked No. 24 in the Preseason Poll, easily dispatched CCSU and Coppin State to get off to a 2-0 start. UConn remains ranked No. 21 in the country according to KenPom.

Through two games, albeit against some of the worst teams in Division I, the Huskies have surrendered just 105 total points. Last week, UConn used its size, talent and athleticism advantages to beat the Blue Devils and Eagles wire-to-wire — something that couldn't always be said about UConn teams in past years.

The biggest factor in the Huskies’ strong start to the beginning of the season has been the emergence of sophomore big man Adama Sanogo. After being left off both Big East Preseason All-Conference Teams, the Mali product has quickly made a name for himself this season, scoring 20 points in each of UConn’s wins, and was named to the Big East’s honor roll for his efforts. Although the competition hasn't been great, Sanogo has looked strong, powerful and confident and looks to be one of the best bigs, if not overall players, in the conference this season.

UConn has two more games this week before a big showdown with Auburn on Nov. 24 to kick off the Battle 4 Atlantis. The Huskies will take on LIU on Wednesday at Gampel Pavilion and Binghamton on Saturday at XL Center. While both the Sharks and the Bearcats rank towards the bottom of Division I in KenPom, at No. 274 and No. 310 respectively, they are marked improvements over CCSU and Coppin State and should provide some slightly stiffer competition.