Uconn Vs Villanova: uconn vs villanova — UConn uses dominant second half to beat Villanova 73-63

In Philadelphia, uconn vs villanova ended with UConn defeating Villanova 73-63 after a dominant second half, a result that bolsters the Huskies’ push for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The win continues UConn’s recent dominance in the series and leaves Villanova with regular-season decisions to make under its first-year coach.

Second-half surge decided the game in Philadelphia

The teams were tied at halftime, but UConn opened the second half by forcing Villanova into a drought — the Wildcats went without a field goal in the opening 5: 25 of the half. UConn answered with a 13-2 run after intermission and stretched the lead as much as 21 points later on a spin move and finish by Tarris Reed Jr. Final scoring for the Huskies included Alex Karaban with 12 points, Tarris Reed Jr. with 11 and Braylon Mullins with 10.

Villanova line-up and shooting struggles

Villanova’s backcourt production came from Tyler Perkins, who scored 15 points, and Matt Hodge, who had 13. The Wildcats struggled from long range throughout the game, finishing 6 for 24 from beyond the arc. Before this matchup the Wildcats had won six in a row since losing 75-67 in overtime to UConn on Jan. 24 in the teams’ first meeting; they now face four remaining regular-season games.

UConn’s record, recent setbacks and tournament implications

UConn entered the stretch of the season as recent national champions — the 2023 and ’24 title teams — and this victory will help as the program chases a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed. The Huskies’ postgame record was listed at 25-2, 15-2 in Big East play; earlier pregame listings showed Connecticut at 24-3 (14-2). UConn also rebounded from a 91-84 home loss on Wednesday to unranked Creighton.

Pregame slate and local buildup at Xfinity Mobile Arena

Pre-game materials identified the matchup as Connecticut at Villanova at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, with a listed start time of 5: 30 PM and television on TNT and truTV. Betting notices had Villanova at +2. 5 (subject to change), and radio coverage was noted as available on the Villanova Sports Radio Network. Net rankings in the pregame listings showed Villanova at 29 and Connecticut at 10 in Quad 1 classifications.

Villanova coaching milestone, NCAA drought and first-year coach context

Villanova remains in position to end a three-year NCAA Tournament drought under first-year coach Kevin Willard. Willard is on track to surpass Jack Kraft for the most wins by a first-year coach; Jack Kraft went 21-7 in 1961–62. Those milestones arrive as the Wildcats try to address shooting inconsistency and closing stretches in the remaining regular-season games.

Women’s matchup at Finneran Pavilion evoked old-school Big East memories

Separately, a packed Finneran Pavilion for Villanova women’s basketball produced flashbacks of the old Big East when Villanova led undefeated No. 1 UConn by three points at halftime — the first time all season UConn trailed at the half. Villanova coach Denise Dillon said the atmosphere was tremendous and that the crowd made a difference. The Huskies pulled away in the third quarter and finished with an 83-69 win.

Geno Auriemma, rivalry history and standout performances in the women’s game

Geno Auriemma, described in the context as the 41-year UConn coach who grew up in Norristown, called the scene a fleeting revival of the "old-school Big East" and said, "Every mistake we made in the first half, we paid for it. " He noted that UConn owns the all-time series record 49-7. The women’s program entered that game undefeated at 28-0, 17-0 in Big East play, while Villanova’s women were shown as 21-6, 14-4 in conference standings; the two teams held the top two places in the league at that point.

Villanova women’s growth, Jasmine Bascoe and past meetings

Denise Dillon said the team’s growth since an earlier blowout loss was significant: UConn had routed Villanova 99-50 on Jan. 15 at the Huskies’ home court, a game Dillon called "a train wreck at their place. " On the night at Finneran, sophomore guard Jasmine Bascoe scored 26 points, with 18 coming in the first half, and added nine rebounds and seven assists while playing all 40 minutes. A separate roster note mentioned that Denae Carter has spent three seasons at Villanova; further detail about how Carter joined the Wildcats was unclear in the provided context.