UConn men’s basketball rises to No. 14 in latest AP Poll

UConn men’s basketball continues to ascend up the AP Poll as its bounces back from the January slide, finishing the month of February at No. 14 in the latest top 25 poll. The Huskies (22-7, 11-7 Big East) tied for the highest riser in the poll this week with their four-spot jump, joining conference mate Marquette as well as San Diego State.

After soundly defeating then-No. 20 Providence at home last Wednesday, then doing in the same in a de facto home game against St. John’s at Madison Square Garden, UConn finished the month of February 5-1 and are winners of six of its last seven. The Huskies also remain beloved by KenPom, sitting at No. 5 overall. UConn also ranks seventh in adjusted offensive efficiency, 23rd in adjusted defensive efficiency and No. 1 nationally in offensive rebounding percentage.

The Huskies join Marquette (No. 6), Xavier (No. 19) and Providence (No. 20) as Big East teams ranked in this week’s poll, with Creighton just outside and leading the receiving votes section.

UConn’s two opponents to wrap up the regular season this week, DePaul and Villanova, are unranked but cannot be overlooked. The Huskies can’t afford to lose the Blue Demons at home if they want to have a No. 4 seed or better in the NCAA Tournament, and while Villanova has been a rollercoaster all season, the Wildcats have beaten Xavier and Creighton in their last two games and could use a win over UConn to potentially sneak into the NCAA Tournament.