No. 18 UConn hoping to continue recent run with big game against No. 8 Gonzaga

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Dan Hurley

A winless run through the Maui Invitational led to predictions of UConn’s demise after two straight national championships.

Not so fast.

Re-energized by a return trip home, the Huskies showed they’re still a formidable team with an impressive win over Baylor. UConn carried the momentum from that to Austin, where the Huskies beat Texas by 11.

The pair of victories held a lot of sway with AP Top 25 voters, who moved the Huskies up seven spots to No. 18 in this week’s poll.

“Maybe the people with the shovels and the dirt, maybe they were too quick to grab the shovel and throw the dirt on us,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said.

The Huskies have another big game, facing No. 8 Gonzaga at Madison Square Garden.

The Zags have some impressive wins this season, including a blowout of Baylor and two victories at The Battle 4 Atlantis. Gonzaga is coming off one of college basketball’s best games of the early season, a 90-89 loss to No. 5 Kentucky in Seattle.

Both teams will have at least six days to prepare for the game in the Garden, so it will likely be must-watch TV.

Surging Cyclones

Iowa State had its highest preseason ranking at No. 5 and, after a two-point loss to No. 2 Auburn, have climbed to their highest ranking in decades.

The Cyclones beat No. 6 Marquette by 11 and blew out Jackson State, earning them a No. 3 ranking in the poll — highest since 1956-57. Keshon Gilbert was named the Big 12 player of the week after scoring 24 points and adding seven assists in the win over Marquette.

Iowa State has what should be an emotional game, playing at rival Iowa. The Hawkeyes are off to a solid start at 7-2, but are coming off a two-point loss No. 14 Michigan.

Vols on top

Tennessee lost four starters from last year’s SEC championship team, but it has done nothing to slow the Vols down.

Led by dynamic senior guard Chaz Lanier, Tennessee (8-0) is off to its best start since opening the 2000-01 season 9-0 and is No. 1 in the NET rankings. The Vols moved to No. 1 for the first time…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/no-18-uconn-hoping-continue-173929986.html

Author : NBC Sports

Publish date : 2024-12-10 17:39:00

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