VILLANOVA, Pa. – It's been the front burner issue of late for Villanova, which moved up two spots in Monday's weekly Associated Press poll, from No. 10 to No. 8.
 
Defense is, after all, one of the foundational elements of the Villanova Basketball ethos.
 
A lack of preseason and in-season practice reps due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has made life at that end of the court a challenge for the 2020-21 Wildcats. Villanova ranks near the bottom of the BIG EAST statistical charts for defensive field goal percentage (.475) and 3-Point Field Goal Percentage Defense (.366).
 
But Saturday was a step forward in that area, as the Wildcats held Connecticut to 60 points and .367 shooting from the field. The Huskies were just 7-of-27 from beyond the 3-point arc.
 
One major reason they did so was junior wing man Brandon Slater. The 6-7 junior played in a major role in helping slow Huskies' standout James Bouknight, who sank 6-of-7 shots in the opening minutes of the first half. Slater ended the day with four points in 21:34 but those numbers don't well reflect the impact he had on the outcome.
 
"Brandon's got outstanding athleticism and length," said head coach Jay Wright. "He's one of those kids that had to get stronger and gain confidence. I think it's a credit to him and our strength coach, John Shackleton. When you get stronger, you gain confidence. Then he had to get into the games and play against some good players.
 
"We tried to get him on Marcus Zegarowski at Creighton but they were running so many actions we were getting him switched off of him. Now, he's playing against a lot of good players and I think you're starting to see his confidence grow."
 
For his part, the graduate of Paul VI High School, is eager to assist the cause as the Wildcats begin to prepare for the home stretch of the regular season, with four games remaining.
 
"My teammates and coaches keep telling me to be confident and keep playing with aggression," Slater said. "It's just understanding that we all belong here on the team. We all play together and we all play for one another.
 
"It means a lot for them to trust me.  I'm going to keep playing hard for my teammates and coaches."
 
The next opportunity to do so comes Tuesday evening at Finneran Pavilion. The Wildcats will host St. John's (14-9 overall, 8-8 BIG EAST) at 8 p.m. The game will be televised via CBS Sports Network with Andrew Catalon and former Villanova head coach Steve Lappas on site. On the radio dial, the Nova Nation can find the game at 95.7 Ben FM and the Tune In app everywhere. Ryan Fannon and Whitey Rigsby will have that call.
 
The Red Storm handed Nova its first BIG EAST loss of 2020-21 earlier this month, earning a 70-59 victory over the 'Cats on Feb. 3 at Carnesecca Arena. St. John's forced 17 turnovers, a Villanova season high.
 
There are four regular season games remaining on the schedule, including this one. Villanova is then slated to visit Butler on Sunday, host Creighton on March 3 and travel to Providence on March 6 to conclude the campaign. The BIG EAST Tournament is set for the following week at New York's Madison Square Garden.