Villanova vs. UConn: 2018-19 college basketball game preview, TV schedule
A lot is at stake in this old Big East rivalry between UConn and Villanova. Which team has the edge in this game?
TV schedule: Saturday, November 22, 12:30 pm ET. CBS
Arena: Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York
It’s been a week since Villanova (8-4) fell on the road to the top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks last Saturday, losing by just three points in a near-upset. Phil Booth had a tremendous game with 29 points, while Eric Paschall and Collin Gillespie combined for 32 themselves.
But the rest of the team combined for just 10 points total in the loss, with zero production from their bench. It’s been a problem that has caused the Wildcats to already lose as many games as they did all of last season (4). With defeats to both Furman and Penn already on the resume, Villanova is a long way from the No. 1 overall seed that they were just a year ago.
They’ll look to avoid losing their fifth non-conference against UConn (9-3), currently riding a two game winning streak over Manhattan and Drexel. Tarin Smith was perfect from the field in the last game, scoring a team-high 20 points. Jalen Adams also chipped in with 20 in the win.
From a matchup standpoint, Adams for the Huskies will be seeing a lot of Phil Booth, Villanova’s leading scorer at 16.9 ppg. The Wildcats also have the edge down low, with senior forward Eric Paschall better than anyone on UConn’s side individually.
But from an overall team perspective, UConn has the depth edge, with six different players averaging at least 8.1 ppg. Along with Adams and Smith, Alterique Gilbert and Christian Vital give the AAC team both experience and talent on the perimeter. If Booth struggles, the Wildcats will struggle to keep up.
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Last season these teams faced each other in the middle of conference play, with Villanova handily winning by 20 points. Not only will this game be much closer but look for UConn to use their depth and guard play to beat the Wildcats in New York City for what now doesn’t seem to be an upset at the moment.