UConn men’s basketball ranked No. 6 in AP Preseason Poll, No. 4 in KenPom

UConn men’s basketball was ranked No. 6 in the AP Preseason Poll released Monday.

The defending champion Huskies received two first-place votes, the fourth-most of any team behind No. 1 Kansas (46 first-place votes), No. 2 Duke (11) and No. 3 Purdue (3). The No. 6 preseason ranking is the highest for the program since the 2011-12 season, where UConn was ranked No. 4 after winning the program's third national title.

Michigan State and Big East rival Marquette rounded out the top five at No. 4 and No. 5 respectively. No. 8 Creighton and No. 22 Villanova join UConn and Marquette as the other Big East schools in the Top 25. St. John’s and Xavier also received votes.

Aside from conference matchups with their ranked Big East opponents, the Huskies’ only other ranked match-up is a big one on the road in Lawrence to take on the No. 1 Jayhawks in December. Much like UConn, Kansas has its eyes set on a title in 2024, and the showdown of Hunter Dickinson versus Donovan Clingan should be one of the top frontcourt battles of the entire college basketball season.

KenPom.com likes the Huskies a little bit better than the AP Poll, placing UConn as No. 4 overall in the site’s preseason rankings behind Purdue, Kansas, and Houston. The Huskies are currently one of just three teams with adjusted offensive and defensive efficiencies inside the top 10, joining the Jayhawks and Cougars.