HARTFORD, Conn. — Just a week after receiving six first place votes and holding at No. 2 in the nation, the UConn men’s basketball team plummeted, but held on to a Top 25 ranking, as it came in at No. 25 in this week’s AP Poll.

It is the program’s lowest ranking since the first week of the 2022-23 season, after it was unranked in the preseason poll.

The last week featured more losses (three) to nonconference opponents than the program has experienced in each of its last two seasons combined (33-1). UConn lost to Memphis on the final possession in overtime to begin the Maui Invitational, then to Colorado in similar fashion in regulation the next day and finished the event 0-3 with an implosion late against Dayton in the seventh-place game.

None of those opponents were ranked at the time they played, though Memphis went up to No. 16 this week and Dayton received votes in the latest poll.

UConn closed an incredibly long week with another buy-game blowout, taking down lowly Maryland Eastern Shore– ranked No. 362 of 364 in the first NET rankings, released Monday morning– by 55 points.

The reigning back-to-back national champions (5-3) opened at No. 39 in the NET and fell to No. 24 in KenPom’s rankings on Monday, where their offense is ranked sixth and their defense 83rd. UConn also dropped out of the USA Today Coaches Poll, where it was No. 2 last week.

There will be opportunities coming up to regain some votes as the team welcomes No. 15 Baylor to Gampel Pavilion on Wednesday before rounding out its nonconference slate at Texas (receiving votes) on Sunday, Dec. 8, and at Madison Square Garden against No. 7 Gonzaga on Dec. 14.

Marquette continued to hold strong for the Big East, moving up to No. 5 in the AP Poll after improving to 8-0 on the season. Both Creighton and Xavier dropped out and received votes, as did St. John’s and DePaul, which has started 7-0 in its first year under head coach Chris Holtmann.

Kansas held at No. 1 with 35 first place votes and Auburn, the Maui Invitational champion, received 26 first place votes and moved up to No. 2. Tennessee and Kentucky, both 7-0, came in at No. 3 and 4.

AP Top 25 Poll: Week 5

Kansas (35)

Auburn (26)

Tennessee

Kentucky

Marquette

Iowa State

Gonzaga

Purdue

Duke

Alabama

Wisconsin

Oregon

Florida

Cincinnati

Baylor

Memphis

Houston

Pittsburgh

Illinois

North Carolina

Oklahoma

Texas A&M

Ole Miss

San Diego State

UConn

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