Villanova Wildcats 15-4 (6-2) at #2 Connecticut Huskies 18-1 (8-0)
Where: PeoplesBank Arena (Hartford, CT)
When: Saturday, Jan. 24 at 12:30 PM
Betting Line: TBD
How to Watch: FOX
How to Listen: Villanova Sports Radio Network
Net Rankings: Villanova 33, Connecticut 7 (Quad 1)
KenPom: Villanova 24, Connecticut 11
Torvik: Villanova 34, Connecticut 4
About UConn: The Huskies have one loss this year: against #1 ranked and undefeated Arizona, withiit Tarris Reed Jr. and Braylon Mullins, by 4 points. There have been
a number of close calls, including three of the last four in league, but this team could easily be undefeated at this point. It will be a challenge on the level of the Michigan game back in December.
The majority of UConn’s scoring comes from the starting lineup, with 64 of the 78.5 points per game coming from those five players. The aforementioned Reed Jr. leads the team in scoring, averaging 14.5 points, along with a team-leading 7.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per contest. Joining Reed Jr. in the frontcourt is two-time champion Alex Karaban. The 6’8” senior is the ultimate role player, averaging 13.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2 assists while shooting 48.2% from the floor, 42% from three and 84.6% from the stripe.
The backcourt is led by a returnee and a transfer. Solo Ball decided to return for his junior season, and thus far is putting my nearly identical numbers to a year ago. The 6’4” Ball averages 14.1 points per outing, but his three-point percentage has dipped from 41.9% to 27.5% thus far on the season. Ball is joined in the backcourt by fellow 6’4” junior Silas Demary Jr. The transfer from Georgia leads the team with 6.1 assists per game, while also averaging 10.2 points and 4.2 rebounds. Unlike Ball, Demary Jr. is a major concern from the arc, shooting 41.7% on the year.
Last, but not least, is the freshman wing Mullins. The 6’6” sharpshooter missed the first six games of the season and started slowly, but of late he is coming on. He is averaging 12.89 points over his last 9 games. On the year, Mullins’ averages are 11.6 points and 3.8 rebounds. Between Mullins and Karaban, the Huskies have two volume shooters that need to not be left alone.
Connecticut mainly plays a nine-man rotation, with freshman center Eric Reibe leading in scoring at 7.1 points per game. The 7’1” big man is very capable off the bench, having scored 15 points as a starter against Arizona.
The Huskies have wins against BYU, Texas, Florida, Kansas, Illinois, Butler, Providence and Seton Hall. Georgetown narrowly lost to UConn prior to facing Villanova.
Notes on Nova: The Wildcats hope to perform better on the road against a championship contender this team around, hopefully leaning on the experience gained at Michigan in December. the team has shown to be a good road team on the year, so I wouldn’t expect them to be intimidated. That said, it’s going to take a better performance from Matt Hodge, as well as Bryce Lindsay building off of his second-half production against the Hoyas, in order to have a chance in Hartford.
