7. Connecticut (29-5)
Back-to-back national championship put Dan Hurley and this UConn program back on the map even though last year was a setback. This year’s version of the Huskies has had moments where they looked frightening, especially during an 18-game winning streak. However, a road loss to Marquette in the regular season finale showed that maybe they aren’t quite hitting their stride here.
The Big East Tournament started with a dominant performance as the Huskies won 93-68 over Xavier in the quarterfinals. Solo Ball put up 19 points while Tarris Reed Jr. had 17 points and 14 rebounds. The semifinal was another easy win in a 67-51 victory over Georgetown, with 21 points from Braylon Mullins. It just wasn’t their moment in the finals, falling once again to St. John’s in a 72-52 loss despite 17 points and 7 rebounds out of Reed.
Sometimes UConn looks like they can hang with anybody in the nation and other times things just come undone for Hurley’s team. The pair of losses to St. John’s wasn’t a disaster by any means but losing those late efforts against Creighton and Marquette are evidence of a team not at their best. We’ve seen Hurley and company turn it around when it matters most in March and they’ll need to refocus.