Big East Basketball Power Rankings: Should Villanova remain No. 1?

Record: 9-2

KenPom Rank: 22

NET Ranking: 14 (Q1: 1-2, Q2: 2-0, Q3: 0-0, Q4: 6-0)

Best non-conference win(s): Auburn (neutral), St. Bonaventure (neutral)

Bad loss(es): None

UConn is a tough team to read. They are 6-0 in Quad 4 games. However, I’m not sure these games tell you much about your team. And honestly, they may just mask issues. You can win games like these by 30 points despite sloppy play. My point is, the Huskies are not playing their best basketball yet, but that’s okay.

UConn is 3-2 against their better opponents and 1-1 against top 50 opponents without two starters. They are slated to get Tyrese Martin back to start conference play, but will likely be without Adama Sanogo for another couple games.

The storyline heading into the season was the size, depth, and athleticism.

UConn is led by RJ Cole (16.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.6 spg, 32.8% from three), who has been unbelievable. As Dan Hurley said, he is a bad man.

Before Tyrese Martin (12.9 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 43.8% from three) went down with a wrist injury, he was having a solid start to the season. In his absence, both Jordan Hawkins (7.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 38.5% from three) and Andre Jackson (6.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg) have been asked to do more, but it will pay off down the stretch.

The UConn frontcourt was led by Adama Sanogo (15.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.8 bpg) before he was sidelined with an abdominal injury, but the UConn frontcourt boasts impressive depth. Isaiah Whaley (7.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.3 bpg) has done a bit of everything, as he always does. Akok Akok (5.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.4 bpg, 61.5% from three) was inserted into the starting lineup for Sanogo. Akok hadn’t gotten much run prior to this, but he exemplifies what it is to be a great teammate. Keep your head down, don’t complain, and stay ready.

Jalen Gaffney (8.0 ppg, 3.3 apg, 35.7% from three) and Tyler Polley (9.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 31.7% from three) have been the first off the bench. Their numbers aren’t bad, but it feels like they could both do a bit more. Polley will find his shot, no doubt.

So how do we feel about UConn heading into Big East play? I want to give my Huskies the benefit of the doubt here, but there are a lot of unanswered questions due to some less-than-stellar scheduling and injuries.

The team ranks within the top 30 in adjusted offense and defense. The return of Tyrese Martin and Adama Sanogo, along with the experience gained in their absence should help the team. The ceiling is high, I think they’re just a little further from reaching the ceiling at the moment than the teams ahead of them. The good news is UConn still has time to hone that potential. March is when you want to be playing your best basketball.