Revenge is at stake for the UConn men’s basketball team (17-8, 9-5 Big East) as they host Villanova (15-11, 8-7 Big East) in a rivalry showdown at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn. on Tuesday night.
Connecticut is coming off its worst loss of the season, losing at Seton Hall for its first loss to a team outside the KenPom top 200 since 2019.
Even though the team suffered its worst loss in years, they are still considered a team expected to make the NCAA Tournament with time to improve their resumé.
In the last meeting between the two legendary programs, Villanova squeaked past UConn after Alex Karaban missed both free throw attempts, which would have put the Huskies on top. Eric Dixon, as he has done for most of the season, led the team in scoring with 23 points.
What is still threatening to opponents is Villanova’s lethal offense. They rank 19th in offensive efficiency and are No. 4 in three-point shooting (39.7%). If this game were to come down to free throws, only one team in the country shoots better from the foul line than Villanova: Wisconsin. The Wildcats have shot 80.9% from the charity stripe this season and have shot 89.3% in the last five games.
While Dixon appears as the most threatening player, leading the nation in scoring at 23.2 points per game, Wooga Poplar has been spectacular lately. The former Miami Hurricane averaged 20 points and 7.5 rebounds in the last two games, including a team-high 22 points in a massive upset win over St. John’s. In the last five games, Poplar has been a better scorer than Dixon, averaging 19.8 points per game to Dixon’s 17.4.
Jhamir Brickus leads the team in three-point shooting at 46.9% (third in Big East). Dixon shoots 42.1% (ninth in Big East) and Poplar is 40.3% from deep (15th in Big East). Poplar (40.3%) and Dixon (84.4%) lead the team in free throw shooting as well, along with Jordan Longino (84.7%). The Wildcats have five players who shoot over 80% from the free throw line on good volume.
The Huskies have gone positionless in the last two games, starting Solo Ball, Jaylin Stewart, Liam McNeeley and Samson Johnson along with Karaban. This is due to Hassan Diarra’s knee injury, that will see him struggle to stay on the court despite being one of Connecticut’s most important players.
An interesting matchup will be in the paint between Tarris Reed Jr. and Enoch Boakye. These two big men are rebounding machines that could provide second-chance opportunities. UConn has been strong at seizing second-chance opportunities, averaging 12.6 second-chance points per game in their last five outings. On the other hand, Villanova has been poor in this category, ranking in the fourth percentile nationally in the last five games.
Despite all the criticism fans share about the XL Center, UConn is 6-0 in their downtown Hartford home this season. Even though they have not lost in Connecticut’s capital city, they have had close calls. They needed overtime to beat Xavier on Dec. 18 and Butler on Jan. 21, the latter being a surprise as the Huskies were heavy favorites. They had to overcome a 14-point deficit to beat DePaul on Jan. 29.
One of the most memorable games in the Dan Hurley era came at the XL Center on Feb. 22, 2022, when the Huskies upset Villanova in Jay Wright’s last season as the head coach before retiring.
The Wildcats last beat the Huskies in Hartford on Jan. 20, 2018, blowing out UConn 81-61 en route to a second national championship in a span of three seasons.
Villanova is looking for its first regular season sweep over Connecticut since the 2000-01 season. UConn swept the Wildcats last year, including a close 66-65 win at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa.
Villanova leads the all-time series 40-36 but are 8-10 all-time at the XL Center (formerly known as the Hartford Civic Center) when facing the Huskies.
The XL Center will be surrounded by blue and white stripes for the team’s “stripe out” game. UConn came out victorious in the last stripe out game, beating Marquette 81-53.
Two of the Big East’s best offenses face off on Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. on FS1.