The UConn men’s basketball team handled its business in Madison Square Garden and won the Empire Classic while three of the other top five teams in the nation were part of a loaded Maui Invitational tournament field during Feast Week.
Kansas lost to Marquette, then Marquette lost to Purdue the next day, reordering the top five with the Huskies (6-0) moving up to No. 4.
Purdue (6-0) claimed the top spot with 60 first-place votes as Arizona moved up to No. 2 with a six-point win over Michigan State. Marquette, despite suffering its first loss, remains ahead of UConn at No. 3 and Kansas, also 5-1, dropped to No. 5.
UConn received two first-place votes.
Creighton dropped to No. 15 after losing to Colorado State and Villanova returned to the top 25 (No. 18) with wins over Texas Tech, North Carolina and Memphis, making four ranked Big East teams.
Graduate point guard Tristen Newton was named to the Big East honor roll for the second consecutive week on Monday after claiming the Empire Classic MVP honor and recording a triple-double in Friday’s 30-point win over Manhattan. Newton passed Shabazz Napier for the program’s all-time triple-double record with three in just two years with the Huskies; his others came last year against Buffalo and Marquette.
“It’s unbelievable,” teammate Cam Spencer said after Newton humbly glazed over the feat. “I think it just speaks to the level of play that he has, he’s able to score, he’s able to pass, get his teammates involved but then the rebounding is very impressive. He’s leading us in rebounds right now and that just speaks to him as a player, just doing it all out there on the floor. A triple-double is no joke in the college game especially, so unbelievable job by him and he’s been great for us.”
Entering Monday’s game against New Hampshire, Newton leads the team in rebounds (7.8) and assists (6.8) and, averaging 15.3 points per game, is third in scoring behind Spencer and Alex Karaban.
UConn will be tested when it gets its shot at Kansas in the historic Phog Allen Fieldhouse on Friday and will then return to Madison Square Garden for a matchup with No. 17 North Carolina in the Jimmy V Classic. After a Dec. 9 buy game against Arkansas Pine Bluff, the Huskies will fly out to Seattle to wrap up their nonconference slate against No. 11 Gonzaga on Dec. 15.