UConn women’s basketball drops out of AP Top 10 for first time since 2004-05

UConn women’s basketball dropped to No. 11 in the latest AP Poll, marking the first time the Huskies are outside the top 10 in 313 weeks, dating back to the 2004-05 season. On Sunday, UConn fell to No. 6 Louisville at Mohegan Sun, 69-64.

With the loss, the Huskies are now just 6-3 on the season — the most defeats they’ve had before the new year since the same 2004-05 campaign. The absences of star Paige Bueckers along with Azzi Fudd, Aubrey Griffin and Nika Mühl have hurt the team but they aren’t the only reason for their struggles.

UConn’s remaining players — especially seniors Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Evina Westbrook and Christyn Williams — haven’t consistently stepped up into the void left by the injuries. That was especially evident on Sunday, when freshman Caroline Ducharme carried the team with a career-high 24 points — including the Huskies’ first 10 points in the fourth quarter.

With Christmas coming up, UConn will break for nine days to allow the players to return home for the holidays before returning to action on Wednesday, Dec. 29 at home against Marquette.