The Huskies Down the Wildcats 73 – 63 at a Sold Out Xfinity Mobile Arena
PHILADELPHIA, PA 2/21/2026 –
The Villanova Wildcats came into the game looking for a significant win against a nationally ranked opponent, and one near the top of the Big East standings. Such a win would key as the end of the regular season looms. Could be a feel good going into the Big East Tournament, and getting a national ranking. But it was not to be as a physical team who played well especially on defense, as fifth ranked UConn takes home a 73 – 63 win.
“I thought they were really physical with us,” said Villanova Coach Kevin Willard. “They got into us and had us on our heels offensively.”
Tyler Perkins scored a game-high 15 points and Matt Hodge added 13 for Nova. UConn had balanced scoring as all 9 Huskies who played scored at least 4 points. Alex Karaban led the way with 12 points.
The Second Half Was the Difference
Villanova played UConn even in the first half holding an early lead. Nova did not sustain that advantage, and the Huskies took a 34 – 32 lead into halftime.
The start of the second half pointed the game totally towards Connecticut who started the last twenty minutes with a 13 – 2 run. Villanova did not get a basket until the 14:35 mark. During that stretch the Wildcats missed 5 shots and turned the ball over 4 times. The only points came via two free throws by Bryce Lindsay.
“Give them credit. They’re an older team that can impose your will at times,” said Willard.
“We were too soft at the start of the second half,” said Hodge. “They came out ready to go. It’s been a problem for a couple of games, so we really have to take care of that.”
Later in the half Villanova got to within 49 – 41 on a three-pointer by Hodge. UConn responded with a 12 – 2 run to open a 61 – 44 edge with just under 8 minutes to play in taking control of the game. The lead would grow to as many as 21 points with under 5 minutes to play.
“We didn’t come out with enough urgency,” said Perkins. “They set the tone at half. We neve gave up. We fought back, cut it to 8 or 9. They set the tone at that.”
The Connecticut Front Line Defense Made a Difference
Huskies forward Tarris Reed, Jr. scored 11 points, had 6 rebounds and blocked 3 shots. Again, all 9 Huskies players contributed at least 2 rebounds.
“Defensively, he was just phenomenal,” Willard said about the play of Reed. “He was jumping our high post action. His action on the pick and roll defense was really smart.”
Villanova forward Duke Brennan was held to 7 points, all in the last 3:45 of the game. He pulled down 3 rebounds. Acaden Lewis scored 11 points for the Wildcats.
Villanova shot 24 – 59 (40.7%) to 54.9% (28 of 51). Nova had 8 more shots than UConn, and both teams made 6 three-pointers. The Wildcats had less turnovers 14 – 10, and managed to outrebound the Huskies on the offensive glass 11 – 10. UConn owned the defensive bords 27 – 13. It did not allow Villanova to get on a sustained run.
Up Next
“Just got to bounce back, it’s not the end of the world,” Willard said. “That’s a good basketball team.”
Villanova (21 – 6, 12 – 4) hosts Butler on Wednesday before going to St. John’s next Saturday. They will start practice with a bounce back mentality.
“We’ve been through it before, we played Michigan and got our (expletive) kicked,” Hodge said. “We just stayed together. We still have a long season left.”
UConn (25 – 3, 15 – 2) hosts St. John’s on Wednesday in Hartford. It will be a battle of the top two teams in the Big East. The Huskies sit a half game back of the Red Storm in the conference standings.
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
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