On Tuesday’s episode of the Eye On College Basketball Podcast that we did on CBS Sports Network, Matt Norlander and I got to talking about UConn and its body of work to date.
Simply put: I’m higher in it than he is.
To be clear, we both think the Huskies would be the No. 1 seed if the NCAA Tournament started today. But while I’d have them as the second-highest No. 1 seed, Norlander said he’d have them lower, in part because UConn’s 22-1 record includes just five wins in the Quadrant 1.
Arizona and Duke have nine.
Michigan has eight.
Bracketology: Iowa State defeats UConn for fourth No. 1 seed in NCAA Tournament bracket projection
Kyle Boone
And if anyone wants to use these facts to argue against the Huskies, fine. The CBS Sports Bracketology model has UConn as the No. 2 seed, but needless to say this is all subjective.) But it should also be pointed out that none of this is so much UConn’s fault as it is a commentary on the Big East.
The Huskies are 5-1 in Q1 games.
But did you know they had a fourth-place finish on December 9 thanks to a non-competitive schedule that ranked in the top 25 nationally? And did you know they haven’t played a single game against a currently ranked team since then?
That is UConn’s problem: the disappointing Big East.
St. John’s is the only Big East team currently ranked besides UConn. There are no other Big East teams in the top 30 of the NET, and more than half the conference is outside the top 75. As a result, UConn has only had one Q1 opportunity in the league so far — last month’s game at Seton Hall.
The Huskies defeated the Pirates 69-64.
UConn is expected to play just four more games against Q1 opponents before next month’s Big East Tournament
In short, UConn is 22-1, undefeated if not missing two starters, and a clear contender to win a national championship for what would be the third time in a four-year span. So I’ve decided to respect those things rather than delve into the fact that the Big East hardly offers Q1 chances for the Huskies, which is why UConn remains No. 2 in Wednesday morning’s updated CBS Sports Top 25 and 1 daily college basketball rankings following Tuesday night’s 92-60 win over Xavier that extended their winning streak to 18 games.
Top 25 and 1 rankings
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