Big East giants Villanova and No. 2 UConn clash
While Villanova's improvement from recent seasons is putting them within striking distance of the Big East lead, while surviving a few close calls allowed No. 2 UConn to maintain its lead and 14-game winning streak.
The Wildcats hope to draw even more notice about its strong season Saturday afternoon when it attempts to knock off the Huskies in Hartford, Conn.
"We're gonna have to defend at a high level, but more importantly, we have to rebound on the road. Really, really good basketball team," Villanova coach Kevin Willard said about UConn.
Villanova (15-4, 6-2 Big East) has not earned a top-three seed in the Big East tournament since Jay Wright's last season in 2022 but is a half-game ahead of Creighton for third in Willard's first season. The Wildcats are facing their second test in a week after an 86-79 home loss to St. John's last Saturday and are hoping their third game against a ranked team goes better than their 71-66 loss to then-No. 8 BYU and an 89-61 rout by then-No. 2 Michigan earlier this season.
The Wildcats bounced back from the St. John's loss by pulling away in the second half for a 66-51 win over visiting Georgetown on Wednesday night. Tyler Perkins scored 16 and has scored 80 points over his past five games. Acaden Lewis added 15 after being held to 10 points in his previous two games but the freshman guard also has a pair of 20-point games against Creighton and Marquette.
"Each game is a new game," Perkins said when asked about his comfort level. "I was here last year, so I was able to feel some teams out and stuff like that. But, I'm just playing basketball."
UConn (18-1, 8-0) is attempting to win 15 straight for the first time since starting 1998-99 on a 19-game winning streak. The Huskies' past four wins are by a combined 26 points and they eked out a 64-62 win at Georgetown last Saturday when Tarris Reed Jr. totaled 15 points and 11 rebounds for his third double-double this season.
"We'll take 18-1, 8-0 in the league," UConn's Alex Karaban said. "Obviously very hard to do, so we'll take it. It wasn't the prettiest out there, offensively or defensively, but glad we've got a week now to rest, regroup ourselves and get ready for Saturday."
Reed's double-double occurred in an imperfect showing for the Huskies. UConn earned the win despite shooting a season-worst 36.2% and hitting 5 of 26 from 3-point range.
The Huskies were also outrebounded for the third time in four games but committed only six turnovers after nine straight games with at least 10 giveaways.
"There's no perfect teams. Rebounding is still an issue for us taking care of the ball is an issue for us," Huskies coach Dan Hurley said. "I don't think we should have our fanbase or anyone like nitpicking an 18-1 team. I think you should just be thrilled that you have a program and a team that is 18-1."
Reed battled hamstring and ankle injuries in the opening weeks but has scored 64 points in his past four games.
The Huskies are also hoping for an improved showing from behind the arc from Braylon Mullins. Mullins is shooting 36.5% from 3-point range but was 2 of 8 at Georgetown, marking his third time missing at least five 3s this season.