Hurley criticized his team's defense after their loss to Creighton. The Huskies reversed course against Big East rival Villanova.
It’s only fitting that No. 5 UConn and Big East rival Villanova squared off Saturday night in Philadelphia.
Because in the hometown of Rocky, this game indeed was a heavyweight battle. At least in the first half.
A contest featuring two teams that combined to win five of the past 11 national championships wound up in favor of the Huskies, who defeated Villanova 73-63. With the win, UConn stays a game ahead of the Wildcats in the Big East -- and holds the tiebreaker -- and a game behind St. John's.
UConn (25-3, 15-2) shot 54.9% for the game, but the credit for the victory goes to the defense – a unit that head coach Dan Hurley severely criticized after the stunning 91-84 loss to Creighton at home on Wednesday.
The first half was played at a physical and frantic pace, with the teams exchanging runs and the lead.
UConn reversed Villanova’s early four-point lead to go up 23-18 on an emphatic Solo Ball dunk at the 10:23 mark of the first half. Villanova (21-6, 12-4) then capitalized on a strong of uncharacteristic UConn turnovers to seize the lead again, 30-27, with 4:35 remaining in the half.
But the Wildcats scored only once more in the half, with the Huskies taking a 34-32 lead at the intermission.
The second half was a different story. UConn combined tenacious defense and sharp shooting to dominate Villanova.
The Huskies went on a 13-2 run to start the half on 3-pointers by Ball and Braylon Mullins, four points from Alex Karaban and three points from Tarris Reed Jr. to open a 13-point lead with 14:50 remaining in the game.
Villanova cut the deficit to eight points, 49-41, when Matt Hodge hit a 3-point shot at the 12:08 mark, but UConn re-established its 17-point lead four minutes later. Villanova scored the final seven points in the last 90 seconds to narrow the gap, but the game wasn’t as close as the score indicated.
The Huskies held the Wildcats to 40.7% shooting. UConn controlled the boards, outrebounding Villanova 37-24, and also got 22 points off the bench.
Karaban scored 12 points, and Reed added 11 points and a team-high six rebounds. Mullins scored 10 before fouling out.
For Villanova, Tyler Perkins scored a game high 15 points and led his team with six rebounds. Hodge had 13 points and Acaden Lewis added 11.
Odds and ends
- Xfinity Mobile Arena, capacity 21,000, was filled Saturday night, and the crowd included some UConn dignitaries in the form of past stars Kemba Walker, Rudy Gay, Jeremy Lamb and Shabazz Napier. The four sat together behind the Huskies bench.
- At halftime, Villanova inducted its 2026 Varsity Club Hall of Fame class, headlined by former head coach Jay Wright. A member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Wright led Villanova to four Final Fours and two NCAA titles during his tenure (2001-22).
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