UConn at Villanova: 2021-22 college basketball game preview, TV schedule
UConn travels to Philadelphia to take on Villanova after both teams lost last time out. Who will get back in the win column?
TV schedule: Saturday, February 5, 2022, on FOX at 12 p.m. EST
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia PA
After having their 5-game winning streak snapped earlier this week against Creighton, the No. 17 UConn Huskies (15-5, 6-3) have a huge opportunity in front of them for a quality win as they travel to Philly to take on the No. 12 Villanova Wildcats (16-6, 9-3) looking for their first win in the series since 2014.
In their last game, UConn struggled on the offensive side of the ball at the XL Center, falling to the Blue Jays 59-55. As a team, the Huskies shot under 30% from the field and under 24% from downtown. Senior forward Isaiah Whaley went off for a career-high 20 points with four three-pointers. The loss snapped UConn’s 5-game winning streak in Big East play, but all five wins were against the bottom four teams in the conference.
The Huskies have had a strong start to their second season after rejoining the Big East, winning at least 15 of their first 20 for the first time since the 2013-14 season, the year they won the National Championship. They even beat No.1 Auburn earlier this season to give the Tigers their only loss, so that’s something. They are led by sophomore forward Adama Sanogo, who averages 15 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 2.2 BPG.
Head coach Dan Hurley has stressed the importance of defense since his arrival to Storrs, and this season the Huskies have responded by having a Top-25 defense in the country according to KenPom. Sophomore guard Andre Jackson is one of the most athletic players in the nation and is extremely active on the defensive end. Senior guard R.J. Cole, who leads the team with 16 PPG, is also having a great season defensively and takes at least two or three charges every single game.
On the other side, head coach Jay Wright once again has the Wildcats in position to make a deep run in March. The Wildcats have won nine of their last 11 games (with both losses against Marquette). Last time out they fell to the Golden Eagles in Milwaukee, 83-73. Villanova did a poor job on the defensive end, allowing Marquette to shoot over 53% from the field and 41% from three. They are led by graduate student guard Collin Gillespie, who is exercising his extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic and is putting up a career-best 17.1 points per game.
Against Marquette on Wednesday, a lot of reliable Wildcats had poor shooting performances. Gillespie went just 4-12 from three and junior guard Justin Moore put up a goose egg from downtown, going 0-7. Senior forward Jermaine Samuels went just 4-11 from the field overall. Despite all of these struggles, a bright spot was senior forward Brandon Slater, who scored more than five points for the first time in a month with 18 points.
In their previous matchup last season, Villanova defeated UConn 68-60, led by Gillespie who had 20 points and six rebounds and really showed aggression in the post while guarded by the smaller Cole. That could be the game plan for the Wildcats again this matchup, especially if their shooting woes from last game continue. For the Huskies, Sanogo only had eight points but was being guarded by Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, who left for the NBA last year. I expect him to be a presence inside all throughout this time around.
Conference Player of the Year predictions. dark. Next
Overall, this should be a very close, down to the wire, Old Big East style matchup between two of the best teams in the conference. Despite both teams playing with senses of urgency after tough losses last time out, I think Villanova defends home court and takes the W.
Prediction: Villanova 72, UConn 65