UConn men’s basketball drops to No. 24 in AP Poll

After rattling off a six-game win streak, UConn men’s basketball hit a major bump in the road last week with losses to Creighton and then-No. 12 Villanova. In both losses, the Huskies’ offense sputtered to get going, and it’s clear that the team is not playing at the same level that they did during their win streak and like they have against elite opponents such as Auburn and Michigan State earlier this year.

With the pair of losses last week, UConn dropped seven spots in this week’s AP Top 25 to No. 24. They join No. 11 Providence, No. 15 Villanova, No. 18 Marquette and No. 25 Xavier as one of five Big East teams in the poll.

The Huskies’ upcoming week doesn’t get any easier. UConn will welcome No. 18 Marquette to the XL Center Tuesday, followed by a road game against No. 25 Xavier Friday in a makeup of a game cancelled due to the Huskies’ COVID-19 outbreak. They’ll have just one day of rest before heading to Madison Square Garden to take on a St. John’s squad that took UConn to overtime less than a month ago and boasts one of the conference’s toughest matchups in Julian Champagnie.

UConn’s struggles over the last few weeks have been discouraging, but could quickly be forgotten with a season sweep of the Golden Eagles or by picking up a tough win in Cincinnati against the Musketeers. KenPom still believes the Huskies are top-20 team, and currently has UConn ranked No. 18, but this three-game week will have a major effect on the Huskies’ ranking and potential tournament seeding going forward.