UConn basketball gets a much needed bounce back victory over Villanova, 66-59.
UConn versus Villanova, a tale as old as time. The Huskies entered this matchup up 32-23 in the all-time series, but were looking for revenge in this one after falling to the Wildcats last month in Finneran Pavilion. Like most of their matchups, this one was another rock fight where both teams played physical and methodical throughout the contest.
Villanova had full control of the first half as they quickly built a 10-point lead and held onto an 8-point lead going into the halftime break. They were fueled by the duo of Eric Dixon (12 first half points) and Jordan Longino (13 first half points). The Wildcats shot an efficient 5 for 10 from three point range while making life difficult for UConn basketball who shot just 1 for 9 from three in the first half.
The second half opened with much of the same as Villanova continued to grow their lead which reached it’s highest at 14 points with 12 minutes remaining in the game. UConn looked a lot like they did in their embarrassing loss to Seton Hall over the weekend, not aggressive and not confident.
Something happened during the under-12 timeout because UConn basketball came out looking like the competitors that fans have grown accustomed to. The Huskies completely flipped the script as they had two separate “kill shots” (runs of 10 or more straight points) and held the Wildcats to just 6 points over the last 11 minutes of the game. UConn elevated their play on both sides of the court and ended up erasing the 14-point deficit to claim victory.
The Huskies were paced by Liam McNeeley who finished with 20 points, 7 rebounds. Solo Ball added 13 points, 6 assists and Tarris Reed Jr. had 13 points, 9 rebounds.
Villanova was led by Wooga Poplar who scored 19 points with 6 rebounds and Eric Dixon who had 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Found a way 💪@keybank pic.twitter.com/Kk3EV6UnFV
— UConn Men’s Basketball (@UConnMBB) February 19, 2025
Takeaway #1: Cool hand Liam
When in doubt, draw something up for Liam. The freshman has turned into perhaps the only reliable offensive option on the team and proved it yet again as he scored 11 points over the final 5:24 of this game to secure the victory.
It’s hard to expect a freshman to step onto a team that is coming off of back-to-back national championships and be the “go-to” guy, but Liam has found himself in this role and is growing in it. From 26 points in MSG to 38 points at Creighton to now scoring 20 of his team’s 66 points, McNeeley is not only a star but a true leader of UConn basketball.
Takeaway #2: The bubble has burst
A win tonight may have entered Villanova into some bubble discussions for March Madness, but this loss firmly takes them out of contention. With just four regular season games remaining, the Wildcats’ tourney chances are contingent on a run through the Big East Tournament in MSG.
This season has been frustrating for the Wildcats who over the past three games have a win over St. John’s, a double digit loss to Providence, and a blown 14-point lead on the road in Connecticut. That is quite the roller coaster ride and is reflective of this season as a whole. The talent is certainly there for this team to be on the bubble and even in the field of 68 come March, but something has to change moving forward to find that consistency to get over the hump.
Takeaway #3: Those final 11 minutes
The last four days have been some of the darkest UConn basketball has experienced in a while. It started with the embarrassing loss in Newark to Seton Hall, continued through Dan Hurley’s gloomy media availability yesterday, and was topped off with a truly disappointing 30 minutes of basketball against Villanova. Fortunately, the Huskies finished this game off incredibly strong. Was it strong enough to renew everyone’s confidence in this team’s trajectory? Likely not, but it is certainly a step in the right direction.
It is encouraging to see UConn pull themselves out of a dark place to comeback and win a game, which is something this team has gotten a lot of experience doing this season. It’s a valuable skill for the Huskies to have to be able to shift their own momentum, but that also means the Huskies keep digging their own hole. Which team is going to show up when the lights are brightest? Right now, no one knows.
Next for UConn (18-8, 10-5): at St. John’s (22-4, 13-2) – Feb. 23 at 12 p.m. EST
Next for Villanova (15-12, 8-8): vs. Marquette (19-6, 11-4) – Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. EST