5. Connecticut (13-1)
Aside from a few tough plays against Arizona, the Huskies have looked pretty lethal throughout this season. UConn has won at Kansas, they’ve held on for key wins over BYU and Illinois, and they look certainly like the class of the Big East again this season. Neither of their first two conference games was super close and a similar fate awaited their third opponent just a few days ago.
The Huskies were back in action over a long break on New Year’s Eve and showed zero signs of rust, winning 90-67 at Xavier in one of the team’s best offensive games of the season. UConn as a team shot 53% from the field and 46% from outside the arc, getting 19 points from Alex Karaban and twin 17-points efforts out of Solo Ball and Braylon Mullins.
As things currently stand, it’s hard to imagine anyone else catching up to UConn in the Big East, and we’re not just talking about the standings. The 3-0 start is great, but they look a few heads above everyone else, especially with recent contenders like Creighton, Marquette, and St. John’s struggling the first two months of the season. Speaking of which, the Huskies are in action Sunday against Marquette before heading out to Providence a few days later.