18. Connecticut (13-5)
Some threw the towel in on UConn after their abysmal performance at the Maui Invitational, but this team quickly bounced back and proved their potential. Those January wins over Baylor, Texas, and Gonzaga came at the right time and helped the Huskies build momentum heading into conference play. However, life in the Big East isn’t looking quite as peachy as expected at this moment, especially with last week’s loss to Villanova.
Unfortunately, the Huskies found themselves on the wrong end again this weekend, falling 68-63 at home to Creighton, their first home loss in nearly two years. A hard fought game saw not quite enough stops out of the UConn defense, losing their second conference game already. Solo Ball and Hassan Diarra each scored 15 points but the Huskies simply didn’t get enough down the stretch.
A few regrettable performances and finishes have dulled another brilliant season from these Huskies, though they’re still in fine shape at 5-2 in the Big East. The issue is that they’ve now lost those two games against formidable foes in the league, while DePaul is the only team they’ve handled by double figures. Dan Hurley and his team will look to get back on track against Butler and Xavier next week, though that trip to Cincinnati will be quite the engagement.