Top 25 And 1: UConn’s NCAA Tournament seeding could be hurt by weak Big East schedule

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Top 25 And 1: UConn’s NCAA Tournament seeding could be hurt by weak Big East schedule

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On Tuesday’s episode of the Eye On College Basketball podcast we did on CBS Sports Network, Matt Norlander and I got into a conversation about UConn and its work to date.

Simply put, I’m higher than him.

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 a No. 2 seed, Norlander said he’d have them lower, in part because UConn’s 22-1 record features just five Quadrant 1 wins.

Arizona and Duke have nine.

Michigan has eight.

Bracketology: Iowa State overtakes UConn for fourth No. 1 seed in projected NCAA Tournament brackets

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 all of that is subjective.) But it’s also worth pointing out that none of this is UConn’s fault as much as it is a commentary on the Big East.

The Huskies are 5-1 in first quarter games.

But did you know they had four returners on Dec. 9 thanks to a non-league schedule that ranked in the top 25 nationally? And did you realize they haven’t played a single game against a currently ranked team since?

It is UConn’s problem: Disappointing BIg East.

St. John’s is the only Big East team besides UConn currently ranked, there are no other Big East teams in the NET top 30 and more than half the conference is ranked outside the top 75. As a result, UConn has only had one Q1 opportunity so far in the league – last month’s game at Seton Hall.

The Huskies defeated the Pirates 69-64.

UConn is scheduled to play just four more games against its first-quarter opponents before next month’s Big East tournament.

Ultimately, 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 four years. So I decided to respect those things rather than get caught up in the fact that the Big East is barely giving the Huskies any first quarter chances, and that’s why UConn remains No. 2 in the daily CBS Sports Top 25 and 1 college basketball rankings updated Wednesday night after Tuesday night’s 92-60 victory over Xavier extended their winning streak to 18 games.