VILLANOVA, Pa. – The Villanova Wildcats have already faced a pair of Top 10 opponents away from home this season (BYU and Michigan). On Saturday, they'll get another crack at a highly ranked foe when they meet No. 2 Connecticut (18-1 overall, 8-0 BIG EAST) at PeoplesBank Arena in downtown Hartford at 12:30 p.m.
 
The Huskies have won 14 consecutive games after suffering their only loss to Arizona, 71-67, in November.
 
"The good thing about league play is you get to watch everybody now," said Villanova head coach Kevin Willard, who notched his 350^th career win on Wednesday night when the Wildcats defeated Georgetown 66-51. "Danny (Hurley) has done a phenomenal job. He's got all veteran players, and the young kid (Braylon Mullins) can really shoot the lights out. It's so fun to watch him play – he hunts shots.
 
"We're going to have to defend at a high level. More importantly, we're going to have to rebound (well) on the road. UConn is a really good basketball team."
 
All five UConn starters average in double figures and senior center Tarris Reed was named to the BIG EAST weekly Honor Roll on Monday. He averages 14.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per contest while connecting on .609 of his field goal attempts. Fellow senior Alex Karaban continues to loom as a threat at all levels, averaging 13.6 ppg.
 
The Wildcats currently sit in third place in the BIG EAST at 15-4 overall, 6-2 in league play. They have won eight of 10 since the last time they faced the nation's No. 2 ranked squad, Michigan, in Ann Arbor on Dec. 9 (an 89-61 loss). UConn sits atop the conference standings with St. John's in the second spot.
 
With only one returnee who saw game action in 2024-25 (Tyler Perkins) and a new coaching staff, the Wildcats have adapted well as they prepare for their 20^th game of the regular season. They have been particularly effective on the road, capturing their first four BIG EAST road games for the first time since 2018-19.
 
Saturday looms as their biggest league test yet.
 
"It's the same approach," said freshman guard Acaden Lewis about this matchup. "Every league game is important. It's the same things we always do."
 
Added Perkins: "Just stick to our fundamentals."
 
Lewis (Washington, D.C.) was dynamic again on Wednesday night, delivering 15 points to go with a season-high seven rebounds.
 
"Each game is a new game," said Perkins, who scored 16 points to go with five rebounds against the Hoyas. "I was here last year so I was able to feel some teams out. It's just playing basketball."
 
Alex Faust and Nick Bahe are the announcers for the game that airs on the Fox network (Fox 29 in Philadelphia) at 12:30 p.m. Ryan Fannon and Whitey Rigsby will have the audio call on the Villanova Sports Radio Network (Fox Sports Radio Philadelphia, iHeart App, SiriusXM channel 389 and the TuneIn App).
 
Last season, the Huskies took two of three meetings between the teams. Each team prevailed on its home court and UConn eliminated Villanova from the 2025 BIG EAST Tournament at Madison Square Garden, 73-56.