The No. 2 UConn men’s basketball team looks to continue its good run in Big East play this weekend as the Huskies return to Hartford after a week off to take on Villanova (15-4, 6-2) on Saturday afternoon looking to extend their winning streak to 15 games and remain undefeated in conference play.
The Wildcats are ranked 24th in KenPom, 33rd nationally in offense and 33rd in Nets. After several disappointing seasons with Kyle Neptune at the helm, Kevin Willard took over at Villanova this past offseason and led Villanova back to prominence nationally and in the conference. The Wildcats don’t have a significant loss on their resume and appear poised to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since Jay Wright exited the program after the 2022 season.
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As for UConn (18-1, 8-0), the Huskies are ranked No. 11 by KenPom and No. 7 by NET. Their defense ranks fifth in the country and their offense ranks 37th, according to KenPom. The Huskies have won 14 straight games since their only loss of the season to Arizona. They won a good game on the road against Georgetown last Saturday, but they fell behind early in the second half.
UConn has had a pretty easy schedule in conference play so far, all things considered, avoiding the three teams that were directly below them in the standings before Saturday. Maybe this being the toughest Big East test so far this season will cause some problems?
date/time: Saturday, January 24 at 12:30 p.m. ET
TV/Streaming: Fox, Fox Sports Network
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radio: UConn Athletic Network, Sirius XM 201, Sirius/XM Online Streaming
Odds: UConn-9.5, O/U 134.5
Place: Peoples Bank Arena – Hartford, Connecticut
KenPom Predicted Score: UConn 72, Villanova 63
Series History
The Huskies and Wildcats have met 78 times in history, with UConn holding a slim 40-38 advantage. The Huskies have gone 7-4 since rejoining the Big East in 2020, but the two teams did meet three times during UConn’s time in Conference USA, with Villanova winning all three games. They last met on March 13, 2025, when UConn defeated Villanova 73-56 in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden. Alex Karaban leads four Huskies with double-digit 18 points
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Availability report
The Huskies expect all 15 players to be healthy as they have performed well over the past four games.
What to pay attention to
The cat is back
After a few years of being pretty mediocre by their standards, the Villanova basketball team appears to finally be back on the map as a conference contender. Willard has done a great job building his roster, which includes key freshmen and underrated transfers that fit together well. The Wildcats won the games they should have won and lost the games many expected them to lose, including a loss to BYU in Michigan. John and Creighton.
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Nova is a perfect 4-0 on the road in Big East play, winning both close games and blowouts. They have four players averaging at least 12 points per game, including James Madison transfer Bryce Lindsay, who is shooting 14.7 points on 40 percent shooting from three-point range. Acaden Lewis, who attended UConn’s last four schools before committing to Kentucky and joining the Wildcats shortly after retiring, was one of the best freshmen in the league with four games of 20 points or more.
much needed rest
This past week, UConn had its first “bye” on the Big East schedule, ending a tough 14-day stretch of five games and having a full week off after playing Georgetown. Considering how some of the Huskies have been performing recently, a period of not playing could be very beneficial.
Solo Ball probably needs it more than anyone. The young guard has committed three times as many turnovers as three-point field goal attempts over the past four games, in which he is averaging 8.8 points and shooting 17 percent from three. Overall this year, Ball’s long-range shooting rate is 27.5%, sometimes becoming a major burden on the offensive end. Ball, who injured his left wrist in a win over Butler on Dec. 16, will need some time off to clear his head and allow his left wrist to recover.
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Malachi Smith could also benefit from rest. Since entering the calendar in 2026, Smith has dished out a total of 10 assists in five games and is averaging under two points per game. While Smith’s playing time has decreased due to the emergence of Silas DeMarri Jr., the Dayton transfer is still a guy who needs to get it right at UConn to reach his peak.
Offensively, UConn’s bench as a whole could use a reset to get back on track. Over the past five games, the Huskies are averaging 76.2 points per game, with only 10 of those coming off the bench. The second team was considered one of the best in the country when healthy, but their performance was anything but that. A week of reset and practice might change that.
Another boardroom battle
UConn and Villanova are both in the middle-to-lower half of the league in terms of rebound average, but the center battle between Talis Reid Jr. and Duke Brennan will be one to watch. Reed is averaging 8.3 rebounds per game in Big East play, while Brennan is averaging 9.3 rebounds per game.
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With the two star big men threatening to cancel each other out, it will be crucial for the rest of the Huskies to break the glass. Guys like Karaban, DeMarie Jr. and Braylon Mullins will have to be confident and defend the glass.
Welcome to the big leagues?
Through eight games on the Big East schedule this season, UConn’s toughest opponent is No. 48 Seton Hall, according to KenPom, and that’s just once. What’s the next most challenging thing? No. 58 Butler’s home court. The Huskies still have rematches with the Buccaneers and Bulldogs, as well as all six games against Villanova, St. John’s and Creighton over the next five weeks. Eight of their remaining 12 games are KenPom Top 60 games, which means we’ll soon know what this team is made of.
18-1 is 18-1
Considering how critical everyone is of the team, UConn still ranks second in the nation with an 18-1 record, with its only loss coming to the undefeated team ahead of them.
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“I think our fans shouldn’t be picky about an 18-1 team that’s 8-0 in the Big East. I think you should be excited to have a team that’s ranked No. 2 in the country,” Dan Hurley said after the win over Georgetown.
No matter how the team ends up finishing the game, whether it’s fighting back, taking control from the start, or losing a lead just to recover (we’ve seen all three), winning is what matters most. Of course, KenPom or NET could be affected, which does affect seeding, but the metric that most people seem to ignore these days is the good old fashioned “W”.