University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Villanova
No. 2 UConn Hosts Villanova For CvC Game Saturday
1/22/2026 5:57:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HARTFORD – The No. 2 UConn men's basketball team (18-1, 8-0 BIG EAST) is back in action after its first bye of regular season conference play when it hosts Villanova (15-4, 6-2 BIG EAST) on Saturday at PeoplesBank Arena. The Huskies are riding a 14-game winning streak and a perfect start to BIG EAST play into a matchup of the league's flagship programs. Tip is set for 12:30 p.m. and will air on FOX with Alex Faust and Nick Bahe on the call.
Saturday is UConn's Coaches vs. Cancer Game. Fans are encouraged to stop by Section 124 where Andrea Hurley and other members of the UConn family will be distributing buttons to honor loved ones affected by cancer. More info on UConn's CvC initiative can be found here.
The Huskies are at home for the first time since Jan. 10 on Saturday and have thrived of late in Hartford. UConn is 5-0 at PeoplesBank Arena this season and has won its last 24 contests played downtown. Connecticut's 14-game winning streak is tied for its longest single-season win streak since 1995, hitting the mark for the third time in four seasons with 14-game win streaks also reached in 2022-23 and 2023-24. Connecticut's 8-0 start to conference play is its third-best in its BIG EAST history and best since going 11-0 to open the 1998-99 campaign.
UConn is 38-40 all-time against Villanova in a series dating back to 1941, one which picked up in earnest when VU joined the BIG EAST in its second season. The Huskies have compiled a 7-4 record against the Wildcats since returning to the league ahead of 2020-21 and have taken six of the last seven in the series. A year ago the two sides split the regular season series, each winning on their home floor, before UConn knocked off VU in the BIG EAST Tournament Quarterfinals.
The Huskies were last in action on Saturday, Jan. 17 at Georgetown, where they gutted out a 64-62 win to stay perfect on the road. UConn jumped out to a 10-point first half lead but saw GU pull within four at the break before eventually going ahead early in the second stanza. The Huskies use a 9-0 run midway through the second to retake the lead and did not trail the rest of the way. Tarris Reed Jr. led the way for the Huskies with 15 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks and three steals for his third double-double of the season. He was joined in double-figures by Silas Demary Jr. who scored 12 points along with a game-high five assists, four rebounds and three steals. Braylon Mullins scored 11 points and Solo Ball added 10 as the Huskies survived their lowest shooting percentage in a game this season.
Reed Jr. leads the Huskies with 14.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game on the year, adding 2.1 blocks and shooting 60.9 percent from the field. Ball follows closely behind atop the scoresheet with 14.1 points per game, among the five UConn regular starters scoring in double-figures this season. All-America hopeful Alex Karaban is top-three on the Huskies in scoring (13.6 ppg), rebounding (5.3 rpg) and assists (2.0 apg) while posting a 48.2/42.0/84.6 shooting line as he continues to climb the program record books. Karaban recently moved into second in program history in career starts (129) and became the 19th player in UConn history to eclipse 1,600 career points.
Demary Jr. leads the BIG EAST with 6.1 assists per game, a number that swells to 7.5 per contest during conference play. He has also played a key factor in UConn's defensive prowess this season, acting as the 'head of the snake' on a unit currently ranked No. 6 in Kenpom defensive efficiency. The Huskies are top-10 nationally in scoring defense (63.3 ppg, 7th) and effective field goal percentage against (43.6 percent, 4th) and rank 11th in the country with 5.7 blocks per game.
Villanova visits Hartford with a 15-4 overall record and a 6-2 mark in BIG EAST action after a win over Georgetown on Wednesday. Bryce Lindsay leads the Wildcats with 14.7 pointers per game and is shooting 40.0 percent from three, followed in the scoring column by Tyler Perkins and Acaden Lewis both checking in with 12.3 points per game. Lewis leads VU and is among the conference leaders with 5.2 assists and 1.9 steals per game. Duke Brennan paces the Wildcats up front with 12.1 points and 10.6 rebounds per game while shooting 65.9 percent from the field.
Following Saturday afternoon in Hartford the Huskies will return to action on Tuesday, Jan. 27 to host Providence at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs.
