In the blink of an eye, the Big East regular season title is up for grabs between three different teams. Saturday afternoon gives us two of those teams in action as UConn faces off against Villanova in a matchup that looms large for both sides. The first matchup nearly a month ago needed overtime, but how will things shake out in round two?
They’ve been one of the nation’s best teams, but UConn (24-3) suddenly finds themselves cornered in this title race. They built quite the momentum with their 18-game winning streak before losing at St. John’s a couple weeks ago, but the clear Big East favorites just compounded that problem. The Huskies lost at home on Wednesday night to a middling Creighton squad and are now 14-2 in the league standings.
This season’s story at Villanova (21-5) has been about the bounce back, as first-year head coach Kevin Willard has done some great things with this group. The Wildcats have a few nice wins and are 12-3 in the Big East while riding a 6-game winning streak. Their last loss came to the Huskies and they also fell at home against Creighton over a month ago, but Villanova is right in the middle of this race to the top of the Big East.
UConn vs. Villanova: When and Where
Date:Â Saturday, February 21, 2026, 5:30 pm ET
Location:Â Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
UConn vs. Villanova: Where to Watch or Stream
Watch:Â TNT, truTV
Streaming: FuboTV
UConn vs. Villanova: Betting Odds
Spread: UConn -1.5, Villanova +1.5
Moneyline:Â UConn -146, Villanova +122
Total:Â 140.5
UConn vs. Villanova: Series History
All-time series:Â Villanova leads 40-39
Last meeting:Â UConn 75, Villanova 67, OT (January 24, 2026)
Projected Starting Lineups
Connecticut Huskies
Solo Ball (14.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg)
Alex Karaban (13.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg)
Silas Demary Jr. (11.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 6.5 apg)
Tarris Reed Jr. (13.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg)
Braylon Mullins (12.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg)
Villanova Wildcats
Tyler Perkins (13.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg)
Acaden Lewis (12.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 5.3 apg)
Bryce Lindsay (12.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg)
Duke Brennan (12.3 ppg, 10.7 rpg)
Matt Hodge (9.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg)
The last time these two teams faced off, Villanova came unafraid even in a hostile road environment. The Wildcats led for a great portion of the game before falling flat in overtime, with a great performance from Brennan. They’ll be hoping to control the boards and make a big statement this time around, especially after their interior offense really struggled against the size and strength of the Huskies. However, let’s not ignore the fact that Dan Hurley will have his team really motivated coming off this week’s loss. UConn’s defense hasn’t been playing at a high level recently and it’ll be interesting to see how the team comes out in Villanova.
Will we see a highly-motivated UConn squad proving that they truly are the best team in the Big East? Can Villanova find the offensive and slow down the Huskies enough to secure perhaps their most important win of the entire season?