UConn Basketball won convincingly against Villanova, 78-54.
Saturday was a significant and emotional day for basketball in Connecticut. For the first time in 10 years, Storrs played host to ESPN’s College Gameday with plenty of students camping out in front of Gampel Pavilion overnight in order to secure good seats for the show’s live broadcast. The events included Rip Hamilton coming out and making a half-court shot to show up former Duke rival Jay Williams one more time.
Fast forward to game time and Husky Nation was ready for a primetime matchup against longtime Big East rival Villanova. Whether it was because of the $2 beers, White-out crowd, Rip Hamilton’s jersey retirement, or avenging the loss at Creighton on Tuesday, Gampel Pavilion was rocking and ready to support their Huskies.Â
What a night at Gampel. From the Rip ceremony to Mr. Triple Double to Cam Spencer’s 25 and it all started with College Gameday in the morning #BasketballCapitaloftheWorld pic.twitter.com/DV2CZdlSIP
— Step Back Cardiac Review (@CardiacCTReview) February 25, 2024
The game started similarly to the previous matchup between these two teams where it was hard for both sides just to get a clean shot attempt, never mind a made basket. Both sides had incredible perimeter defense and forced each other to fight through the big bodies in the paint to get their early points. Eventually, jump shots started to fall and UConn basketball was hitting them at a quicker clip than Villanova as the Huskies managed to take a 10-point lead into the halftime break.
Despite what the final score may show, Villanova fought hard in the second half and cut the lead to as close as five points. Not committing their first turnover until 6 minutes into the second half certainly helped with cutting into UConn basketball’s lead. How did the Huskies respond to the Wildcats cutting their lead to five? With one of their patented kill shots, UConn went on a 12-point run to extend their lead and never looked back as they finished with a 78-54 victory.
Takeaway #1: Mr. Triple Double Strikes Again
Just when you think you’ve seen the peak of Tristen Newton, he pushes it even higher. Newton finished with 10 points, 10 assists, and 16 rebounds for his second triple-double of the season and fourth as a Husky. The final assist came on an Alex Karaban three (his first and only points of the night) which sent the Gampel Pavilion crowd into loud cheers. Tristen Newton extends his program record of triple-doubles to four (previously two) and is still the only Husky to ever get multiple triple-doubles in the same season which he has now done twice in his only two seasons for UConn basketball.
Perhaps it’s because of his calm and laid-back demeanor, but the narrative around Newton needs to change from continuously underrated to a bonafide superstar. Just because he isn’t the clear outspoken leader of this team doesn’t mean that he shouldn’t be in the same conversation as some of the UConn legends. It is so impressive what Tristen Newton has accomplished in just two seasons in Storrs and he deserves an extra loud ovation on Senior Night because of it.
.@UConnMBB players w/ at least 400 points, 160 rebounds, 150 assists & 1 triple-double through 28 games of a season (since 2010-11):
Shabazz Napier (2013-14) – 498 pts, 164 rebs, 153 asts, 1 triple-double
Tristen Newton (2023-24) – 426 pts, 203 rebs, 164 asts, 2 triple-doubles pic.twitter.com/Ew4a99XoKa
— tcf15 (@tcf_15) February 25, 2024
Takeaway #2: Villanova Needs to Finish Strong
Despite losing by 24 points on Saturday night, there are some positive takeaways for Villanova as they continue to push for a spot in the tournament. Outside of the big late second half run, their defense looked strong against a UConn team that ranks third in KenPom for offensive efficiency and they did a great job at taking care of the basketball in a hostile road environment. The struggles primarily lie on the offensive side of the ball. The Wildcats shot 33% from the floor, under 13% from deep, and only had 4 bench points on Saturday night.
Villanova ends their regular season with a tough stretch of games including hosting Georgetown and Creighton and traveling to Providence and Seton Hall. Squarely on the bubble, the Wildcats likely need to win three of those games to continue their season in March, and with the way they play defense that seems very attainable. If the Wildcats find themselves in the big dance then look out for them to give some six or seven seed a run for their money.
Takeaway #3: Thank You Mr. Spencer
While Newton may steal the post-game glory because of his historic statistical night, it is Cam Spencer who saved this game for the Huskies. The start of the game was ugly for UConn’s offense and Spencer played a huge part in creating separation from the Wildcats as he hit three shots from deep in the closing stretch of the first half. He stayed hot through the halftime break as he recorded 16 points in the second half to finish with 25 for the night.
The first matchup with Villanova was a classic Big East rock fight with both teams having a shot at coming out victorious. The second time around, Cam Spencer was able to remove some of that stress with a stellar offensive performance to take UConn basketball into a well-earned bye week.
Next game for UConn: vs. Seton Hall (Sun., Mar. 3 – Noon)
Next game for Villanova: vs. Georgetown (Tues., Feb. 27 – 6:30 p.m.)