UConn beat Georgetown 98-82 on Saturday to extend its winning streak to four games. As a result, the Huskies are the No. 3 seed in what will be their first Big East Tournament appearance since 2013. And, all things considered, I think they're my pick to win it.
No, that doesn't mean UConn has a better resume than the top two seeds in the Big East Tournament -- Villanova and Creighton. It also doesn't mean I necessarily believe the Huskies should be ranked higher than those schools right now. But Villanova clearly isn't the same without the injured Collin Gillespie, and Creighton probably isn't the same without suspended coach Greg McDermott. Meanwhile, UConn is totally different now that James Bouknight is healthy and going full-speed.
UConn has been unranked much of this season.
Why?
Because Bouknight suffered an elbow injury midseason -- that's why. The injury cost him eight games with UConn going 4-4 in that stretch, which means the 14-6 Huskies are 4-4 without Bouknight and 10-2 with him. That alone underlines just how important he is to everything Dan Hurley's team does.
UConn is about to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016 and is currently projected as No. 7 seed, according to CBS Sports Bracketology expert Jerry Palm. That feels about right to me, evidence being that the Huskies are No. 25 in Sunday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. They'll play the Providence-DePaul winner Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament.
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Sunday's Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Gonzaga's perfect record includes double-digit victories over Virginia, Iowa and Kansas. The Zags won their 15 WCC games by an average of 24.1 points. | -- | 27-8 |
| 2 |  | Baylor is 10-1 in the first two quadrants with wins over Illinois, West Virginia, Kansas, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. The Bears are conference champions for the first time since 1950. | -- | 24-11 |
| 3 |  | Michigan is 13-2 in the first two quadrants with wins over Iowa, Ohio State, Purdue and Wisconsin. The Wolverines are Big Ten champions for the first time since 2014. | -- | 8-24 |
| 4 |  | Illinois is 14-6 in the first two quadrants with wins over Michigan, Iowa, Ohio State and Purdue. Five of the Illini's six losses are Quadrant 1 defeats. | -- | 29-9 |
| 5 |  | Alabama is 14-5 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss falling in Quadrant 3. The Crimson Tide are SEC champions for the first time since 2002. | -- | 25-12 |
| 6 |  | Iowa is 11-7 in the first two quadrants with wins over Ohio State and Purdue. The Hawkeyes are 6-1 in their past seven games with the lone loss in that stretch coming at Michigan. | -- | 19-15 |
| 7 |  | Arkansas is 11-5 in the first two quadrants with wins over Alabama and Missouri. The Razorbacks are 11-1 in their past 12 games and the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament. | 3 | 16-17 |
| 8 |  | Ohio State dropped to 12-8 in the first two quadrants after Saturday's loss to Illinois. The Buckeyes will take a four-game losing streak into the Big Ten Tournament. | -- | 22-14 |
| 9 |  | Houston is 6-2 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss falling in Quadrant 3. The Cougars are 5-1 in their past six games with the lone loss in that stretch coming at Wichita State. | -- | 32-5 |
| 10 |  | Oklahoma State is 10-6 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss falling in Quadrant 3. The Cowboys are 6-1 in their past seven games with the lone loss in that stretch coming at Baylor. | 4 | 12-20 |
| 11 |  | West Virginia dropped to 11-8 in the first two quadrants after Saturday's loss to Oklahoma State. The Mountaineers are 4-3 in their past seven games with two of the losses coming in overtime. | 4 | 9-23 |
| 12 |  | Kansas is 9-8 in the first two quadrants with zero losses outside of Quadrant 1. The Jayhawks are the only team that has beaten Baylor. | 1 | 23-11 |
| 13 |  | Florida State dropped to 9-4 in the first two quadrants after Saturday's loss at Notre Dame. The Seminoles' resume also includes a Quadrant 3 loss to UCF. | 2 | 17-16 |
| 14 |  | Villanova dropped to 8-5 in the first two quadrants after Saturday's loss at Providence. The Wildcats are 0-1 since losing Collin Gillespie to a knee injury. | 2 | 18-16 |
| 15 |  | Texas is 8-7 in the first two quadrants with wins over West Virginia, Kansas and Oklahoma State. Six of the Longhorns' seven losses are Quadrant 1 defeats. | -- | 21-13 |
| 16 |  | Loyola Chicago is 5-4 in the first two quadrants with wins over Drake and North Texas. The Ramblers are 15-1 in their past 16 games and MVC champions for the third time in the past four seasons. | -- | 23-10 |
| 17 |  | Virginia is 8-5 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss falling in Quadrant 3. The Cavaliers will take a two-game winning streak into the ACC Tournament. | -- | 23-11 |
| 18 |  | USC is 9-6 in the first two quadrants with wins over BYU, Oregon and UCLA. The Trojans recorded a league-best 15 Pac-12 victories. | -- | 15-18 |
| 19 |  | Purdue is 13-7 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss falling in Quadrant 3. The Boilermakers will take a five-game winning streak into the Big Ten Tournament. | -- | 34-5 |
| 20 |  | Creighton is 11-4 in the first two quadrants with three additional losses falling in Quadrant 3. The Bluejays are 1-0 since coach Greg McDermott was indefinitely suspended. | -- | 25-10 |
| 21 |  | Virginia Tech is 5-5 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. The Hokies' resume is highlighted by wins over Villanova, Virginia and Clemson. | -- | 19-15 |
| 22 |  | BYU is 7-5 in the first two quadrants with wins over San Diego State and Utah State. The Cougars will take a four-game winning streak into the West Coast Conference Tournament. | -- | 23-11 |
| 23 |  | Texas Tech is 5-8 in the first two quadrants with wins over Texas and Oklahoma. All eight of the Red Raiders' losses are to teams ahead of them in the Top 25 And 1. | 1 | 23-11 |
| 24 |  | Clemson is 10-6 in the first two quadrants with wins over Alabama, Florida State and Purdue. The Tigers are 6-1 in their past seven games. | 1 | 24-12 |
| 25 |  | UConn is 6-6 in the first two quadrants with wins over USC and Seton Hall. The Huskies are 10-2 with James Bouknight in the lineup. | NR | 37-3 |
| 26 |  | Wisconsin dropped to 9-10 in the first two quadrants after Tuesday's loss at Purdue. The Badgers close the regular season Sunday at Iowa. | -- | 22-14 |
In: UConn
Out: Missouri
