VILLANOVA, Pa. – The No. 14 Villanova Wildcats are set for their second Top 25 matchup of the week as they will host No. 17 Connecticut Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center. Tipoff is slated for just after noon.
 
The Fox television network (Fox 29 in Philadelphia) will kick off its Saturday coverage with this matchup of BIG EAST rivals from the original incarnation of the conference. Gus Johnson and Jim Jackson will be courtside at the Center to describe the action for the national television audience. Ryan Fannon and Whitey Rigsby will have the call on the Villanova IHeart Radio network.
 
These two teams met just once a season ago, with the Wildcats grinding out a 68-60 victory on Feb. 20 at Finneran Pavilion.
 
The Wildcats (16-6 overall, 9-3 BIG EAST) are seeking a bounce-back effort after an 83-73 loss Wednesday night at No. 24 Marquette. The 83 points were the most surrendered by Villanova in BIG EAST play this season and the most allowed in a 40-minute game in 2021-22 (UCLA downed VU 86-77 in overtime on Nov. 12). The Golden Eagles' 46 first half points were the second highest total permitted by Nova in a half this season.
 
"We prepared for their pressure, but we didn't handle it as well as we would have hoped," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright, taking note of four early turnovers that helped put the 'Cats in a 15-6 hole by the time the first official timeout came at the 15:23 mark of the first half. "When you commit turnovers like we did, your defense doesn't get set and they got some open 3's out of it."
 
Indeed, in two meetings with Marquette, the Golden Eagles converted 23-of-53 attempts from beyond the 3-point arc (.434).
 
One bright spot Wednesday night was the offensive success of senior forward Brandon Slater, who has been playing through a left ankle injury suffered in early January. His 18 points represented his most productive output in 12 BIG EAST games this season and he added four rebounds as well.
 
In addition, Caleb Daniels followed a 15-point effort in last Saturday's 73-62 win over St. John's with another 15 points against the Golden Eagles.
 
Prior to Wednesday night, Villanova had won nine of its last ten games. Yet Wright said Tuesday that he still sees significant room for improvement, and he reiterated that following the game in Milwaukee.
 
"I think we can get a lot better," Wright stated. "We're just not there yet. There are a lot of different reasons for that. We've had some injuries that have affected us, which everyone does. The key is being able to learn from a game like (Marquette) and to keep at it. It's a long season and every game in this league is a battle.
 
"We have another Top 20 matchup Saturday. It's a great challenge obviously but it's also an opportunity. These are the kinds of games you want to play, against great teams."
 
The Wildcats were scheduled to return home immediately after the game but were prevented from doing so by weather conditions on the ground in Philadelphia. Instead, they flew back to Philadelphia International Airport in the early afternoon Thursday and held a Friday morning practice at Finneran Pavilion.
 
As part of Saturday's game, UConn and Villanova will again celebrate the legacy of the historic Black Fives. The Wildcats represent the Philadelphia Panthers and will don shooting shirts honoring that team. At halftime, Villanova will salute members of its 2022 Varsity Club Hall of Fame class, which includes former Men's Basketball standout Malik Allen (1996-2000).