Men’s Basketball: No. 1 Huskies travel to Philly for classic showdown with Villanova 

Fresh off their double-digit victory over Creighton at Gampel Pavilion, it’s once again  time for the UConn men’s basketball team to hit the road for a battle with Villanova at Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia on Saturday. 

This is certainly an important matchup for both teams, especially Villanova. After surrendering a 13 point loss to Marquette in Milwaukee, they currently sit in third place in the Big East conference. While that certainly isn’t a bad spot to be in as a member of one of the most loaded conferences in college basketball, they’re also just one loss away from being in a three-way tie with Creighton and St. John’s. If they want to continue to remain top three in the Big East, while also creating separation in the standings, they’ll need to take care of business at home. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, they’ll be facing the No. 1 team in the nation. 

Looking at the flip side, this is not a game that Connecticut will take lightly either. After dismantling the Blue Jays at home in front of a sold-out crowd, they’re now tied with Seton Hall for first place in the conference, who have established themselves as one of the biggest surprises during in-conference play. With the Pirates still being the only Big East loss on the Huskies’ schedule, they’ll have to wait for revenge and pray that Creighton takes down Seton Hall on Saturday at the Prudential Center, a feat that both Connecticut and Marquette couldn’t do. With that being said, if Creighton and UConn walk out of their matchups with a respective win, the reigning national champions will have a firm hold on the No. 1 spot in the Big East. 

On top of that, this is another crucial matchup for Donovan Clingan. After dropping six points and six rebounds in his first minutes since his team’s loss to Seton Hall, the Bristol native had a massive impact on both ends of the court. As one of the most impactful players in the country, coach Dan Hurley has often talked about how this lineup is completely different when his star sophomore is in the lineup. If fans needed any reminder of that, Wednesday’s blockbuster victory proudly displayed that, especially on the rebounding end where his size helped UConn beat Creighton 21-6 during his minutes for plenty of second-chance scoring opportunities. 

But, as many college basketball fans are well aware, it is hard to win on the road in this sport, especially in the Big East. Villanova fans are certainly going to let the reigning national champions hear them and they’ll need all hands on deck to grind out a win in Philadelphia, especially with the talent that the Wildcats have on their roster. 

While they weren’t able to come out of Marquette with a win, Villanova was able to get back the services of Justin Moore, the second leading scorer on this roster at 11.9 points per contest. He certainly is not at full strength just yet, but that is huge for a roster that could be in great use of his services on the court. 

Aside from Moore, this roster has plenty of differences from previous Villanova teams, while also having some familiar faces. Eric Dixon has been a massive part of this roster as a veteran leader and its leading scorer. The Huskies have certainly gotten to see plenty of Dixon during his time with the Cats and they know that they’ll need to keep their eye on the 6-8 big man as one of Villanova’s top weapons.  

But, there are two players that this Huskies team hasn’t been able to see with the Wildcats:  TJ Bamba and Tyler Burton. While Villanova’s starting small forward has been one of their preferred scoring options, Burton has been a force as the team’s leading rebounder at the four spot. It will be interesting to see how both attack this Huskies roster, especially with more size thanks to the return of Clingan. 

The key for this Connecticut roster is not letting their opponents get to the free throw line. While an average of 20 free throw opportunities a game isn’t the most bizarre mark for a team in college basketball, the efficiency from Kyle Neptune’s squad at the line definitely is. The Wildcats own an 81.8% mark from the free throw stripe, good for the top rate in the country. Simply put, everyone from UConn needs to limit the fouling to have a great shot in this one. 

While the NFL playoffs may be on, don’t let this game slip past your radar. With high stakes on the line for both teams, this should certainly be another exciting showcase of Big East Basketball. It will all go down at 8 p.m. and will be broadcast on Fox Sports One.