University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Villanova University
#14 Huskies Wrap Up Regular Season At Villanova
3/3/2023 8:32:00 PM | Men's Basketball
UConn Athletic Communications / March 3, 2023
As the UConn men's basketball team heads into its final game of the regular season Saturday in Philadelphia, there are a number of postseason questions still to be answered.
First and foremost is, where will the Huskies be seeded in next week's BIG EAST Tournament?
The No. 14/18 Huskies (23-7 overall, 12-7 BIG EAST) could be seeded third, fourth or fifth depending on the results of Saturday's league games, including UConn's contest against Villanova (16-14, 10-9) at the Wells Fargo Center (7:30 p.m., FOX), as well as the outcome of various tiebreakers that may be necessary.
All that is known for sure is that the Huskies have earned a bye through the first round and will open BIG EAST Tournament play on Thursday, March 9, at Madison Square Garden. If UConn is the #3 seed, it will play at 9:30 p.m. Thursday night against the winner of Wednesday's #6 Villanova vs. #11 Georgetown game. If the Huskies are the #4 or #5 seed, they will play Thursday at 2:30 p.m. against the leftover #4 or #5 seed, which will be either Providence or Creighton.
Then there is the matter of UConn's seeding for the NCAA Championship, which begins in two weeks. A win over Villanova and success in the BIG EAST Tournament can go a long way toward helping UConn's seeding in the Big Dance.
Saturday's game features two teams seemingly peaking at the right time of year. UConn has won four straight games and seven of its last eight, while Villanova has won its last three and six of its last seven.
It's no coincidence that Villanova's surge has coincided with the return of senior guard Justin Moore from the achilles injury that caused him to miss the first 20 games of the season.
Moore is averaging 13.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game  since his return, but his experience and leadership are invaluable to the Wildcats, who are battling to put together a late run to an NCAA tourney bid. UConn defeated Villanova, 74-66, on Dec. 28 in Hartford.
"You bring a player of Justin Moore's quality and his leadership … it really send a message to the players by returning to a team that wasn't going particularly great," said UConn Coach Dan Hurley. "The confidence, the energy of the team is a lot different and obviously, the quality he brings at both ends. He'd be up for Player of the Year in the league if he played from the beginning." Â
Junior forward Eric Dixon leads Villanova in scoring (16.0) and rebounding (6.5), while guards Caleb Daniels (14.9) and Cam Whitmore (12.6) are also averaging double figures. The fifth starter is grad forward Brandon Slater (9.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg).
As usual, Villanova is the top foul shooting team in the country (.829) and the Wildcats shoot .440 overall and .336 from three-point land. They are 10-3 at home this season.
UConn, 5-5 in true road games, is coming off a lopsided 88-59 victory over DePaul at the XL Center last Wednesday. Junior forward Adama Sanogo had 26 points in that game, to raise his average to a team-leading 17.2 points per game. He is also the Huskies' rebounding leader at 7.2 rebounds per game. Close behind in scoring is sophomore Jordan Hawkins (16.1), with senior Tristen Newton also averaging double figures (10.1) and leading the team in assists (4.5).
Junior Andre Jackson Jr. (6.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 4.3 apg) and freshman Alex Karaban (9.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg) complete the UConn starting lineup.
"We're one of the few teams in the country that's proven they can win a tournament against really good teams," Hurley said, referring to the Huskies' title in the early-season Phil Knight Invitational. "This is a really an important game (Villanova) for us, but at least in the back of our mind, we know we've won a high-level tournament."
There are only high-level, high-importance games remaining on the Huskies' schedule, starting with Saturday's game in Philadelphia.
"There's not many teams in the country that have a chance to get to 24 wins in the regular season," Hurley said. "And 24-7 just sounds a lot better than 23-8."
