VILLANOVA, Pa. – Saturday will offer BIG EAST fans a primer for the future as No. 14/15 Villanova welcomes past and future conference rival Connecticut (10-6 overall, 1-3 American) to the Wells Fargo Center for the first time since Feb., 16, 2013. Tipoff is set for noon.
 
This game will air nationally on FS1 with Brian Custer and Len Elmore calling the action. Villanova fans can find the Nova Nation radio broadcast, featuring Ryan Fannon and Whitey Rigsby, at 610 ESPN Radio in the Delaware Valley and the TuneIn app everywhere.
 
The Wildcats and Huskies have played in each of the previous two seasons, reigniting a rivalry that went quiet when the BIG EAST split in 2013. Villanova won in Hartford in January 2018 (81-61) and followed that with an 81-58 victory last season at Madison Square Garden. This contest completes the original three-year deal agreement between the schools.
 
Villanova held off DePaul 79-75 in overtime on Tuesday night to improve to 13-3 overall, 4-1 BIG EAST.
 
"We're kind of like UConn in that we've got some guys back and we're fitting in some new guys," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "We're still growing. We haven't had the consistency that we would like.
 
"The experience we had against DePaul can help us: not getting off to a good start, making a good run, taking a lead, not playing consistently down the stretch. Hopefully it's something we can learn from."
 
Connecticut is led in scoring by senior guard Christian Vital (14.8 points per game). Its pressure defense forces 16.0 turnovers per game and it also blocks 7.1 shots per game.
 
"Connecticut looks like a Big East team – tough, physical, hardnosed," stated Wright. "They play up-tempo and have great length with their bigs. The guards are quick and aggressive. (Coach) Danny (Hurley) does a good job of getting them to execute in the half-court. They're unique but they kind of attack the rim the way Butler does yet they go up and down almost like Creighton."
 
Next season, of course, this will be a BIG EAST matchup, giving Saturday's meeting a unique vibe.
 
"One of the things we feel makes the Big East really unique is its authenticity," Wright said. "Every school makes decisions for basketball reasons. All of its fan bases are really passionate about basketball. There is no place in the league where you go and say, 'they've got a good basketball team, but they're a football school.
 
"UConn, over the years, has been one of the great basketball schools in the country. It's an original Big East school that's in our footprint. I think it's a natural and it keeps our league's authenticity."
 
This game is the third of four straight on home courts for the Wildcats. Villanova will close out this run on Tuesday night, when No. 5 Butler is at Finneran Pavilion for a contest that gets underway at 7 p.m. (CBS Sports Network/610 ESPN Radio).
 
On Monday night, Wright will be honored with the "Good Guy" Award by the Philadelphia Sportswriters Association at the organization's annual banquet at the Cherry Hill, N.J. Hilton.
 
The 2019-20 season – Villanova's 100^th college basketball campaign – is presented by Hartford Funds and Coca-Cola.