12. Connecticut (13-4)
After winning the last two national championships, UConn shed a significant amount of talent but entered this season with heightened expectations again. We’ve seen the good and the bad this season, with a dreadful showing in Maui and some outstanding work since getting back onto the mainland. This past week showed us a bit of both sides from these Huskies.
Last Sunday was another dreadful defensive showing, but UConn survived Providence for an 87-84 win at home, getting double-digit scoring efforts from six different players. Things went south on Wednesday, as the Huskies fell 68-66 at Villanova despite 16 points from Solo Ball thanks to some missed free throws late from Alex Karaban. He led UConn back into action on Saturday with 18 points and 6 rebounds in a 68-60 road win against Georgetown as the Huskies righted the ship.
The Huskies dropped their first Big East contest and it’s not a disaster losing away from home against a strong foe, but it was another winnable game that slipped away from the Huskies. We can’t forget how their defense evaporated in Maui, and that’s potentially going to cost them another game or two before this season is over. They’ll be off the court until next weekend’s matchup against Creighton, but can UConn truly fix this defense before it costs them when it matters most?