A midseason checkup on the Huskies

Looking at where UConn has been and where it’s going

When next week’s Associated Press Top 25 poll drops on Monday at noon, it is possible that Auburn will be the No. 1-ranked team in the nation.

More likely, it’ll be Gonzaga. Still, Auburn entered Saturday night’s matchup against Ole Miss with an overall record of 15-1. That one loss? Yup, to UConn. The Huskies’ 115-109 win over Auburn on Nov. 24 in the Bahamas was one of the best games of this college basketball season so far. It was easily UConn’s best victory of the season — perhaps of Dan Hurley’s four-year tenure in Storrs.

It was also proof that, when fully healthy, UConn is a damn good team. Maybe one of the best in the country.

So why, when Monday’s rankings are revealed, will UConn (11-4 overall, 2-2 Big East) likely not be among the Top 25 for a fifth straight week? Because the Huskies have come up just short in some of their other chances for a resume-boosting victory: Michigan State in the Bahamas, at West Virginia, at home to Providence, at Seton Hall.

The common denominator for all four of those losses? The Huskies were either missing key players, or were affected by COVID-19 issues. Isaiah Whaley didn’t play against Michigan State. Adama Sanogo and Tyrese Martin were absent from the West Virginia loss. Sanogo also didn’t play against Providence.

UConn had everyone available against Seton Hall, but the team had had just one full, 5-on-5 practice in the preceding 2 weeks, due to a COVID-19 pause.

Now, if that all sounds like excuse-making — well, it is. There are two sides to every coin. Other teams have suffered injuries, and most have grappled with some sort of COVID issues.

St. Bonaventure was without leading scorer Kyle Lofton in a Dec. 11 loss to UConn. The Huskies won at Marquette with the Golden Eagles’ best overall player, Darryl Morsell, sidelined by CO

Jessica Hill / Associated Press UConn coach Dan Hurley talks to his team during a timeout earlier this season.