Big East Basketball: Buy or sell UConn, Marquette, Villanova and Xavier?
By Joey Loose
Connecticut
It’s been quite the rise this season for the Huskies, who started the year just inside or just outside most Top 25 lists and found their way almost all the way to the top by New Year’s. The Huskies won their first 14 games of the season, including a Phil Knight Invitational title, with wins over Alabama, and Iowa State, two teams that remain among the Top 15 in the nation. The Huskies beat Florida in Gainesville and won their first few conference games, but have struggled in recent weeks away from home in the conference.
Even despite recent road losses at Xavier, Providence, and Marquette, there’s a lot to love about this Huskies team. Adama Sanogo (17.4 ppg, 6.7 rpg) remains on the nation’s best big men, and the Huskies have to love the contribution they’re getting from freshman center Donovan Clingan. The play of guards Jordan Hawkins (14.4 ppg) and Tristen Newton has also been a key factor in the success and balance of this squad. That defense was playing immaculately earlier in the season and is still one of the best in the nation.
Sure, the Huskies have dropped a concerning amount of games after their perfect start, but the concern should be much lower than the three losses say. They went on the road three times in less than two weeks against what is probably the other three best teams in the league. That they couldn’t get the job done in January does not indicate they won’t bounce back against any of these teams in Storrs. Buy the Huskies as perhaps the top contender in the Big East, especially with the way Sanogo plays ball.
Buy