UConn’s Shabazz Napier Hits Game-Winner Against Villanova (Video)

UConn had to absolutely, positively find a way to win last night’s game against Villanova. They had to.

With UConn’s NCAA tournament hopes dwindling and losers of seven of nine, the Huskies had no choice but to win last night’s game. And thanks to Jeremy Lamb‘s 32-point performance and a shot from Shabazz Napier, they did.

Napier, who wasn’t even expected to play earlier in the day due to injury, received a lot of criticism after some choice words about his teammates following a loss to Marquette on Saturday. No one knew what to expect with him and the rest of the team against the Wildcats.

But, in the end, it was indeed Napier that had the ball in his hands with a chance to win it for UConn:

And UConn fans can breath a sight of relief…..at least for now.

The win puts UConn at 17-10 on the season and back up to 7-8 in the Big East. But while this win was big, a win against second-ranked Syracuse on Saturday would be even bigger.

With the Huskies sitting squarely on the bubble, gaining a quality win against the second best team in the nation would be quite the boost towards getting into the tournament. It would also put them back at .500 in the Big East, with winnable games against Providence and Pittsburgh remaining on the schedule.

Perhaps Napier’s shot will give the Huskies some much-needed momentum heading into the matchup with the Orange on Saturday night.