Uconn Vs Villanova: No. 5 UConn Pulls Away in Second Half for 73-63 Win
In a matchup billed as uconn vs villanova, UConn turned a two-point halftime game into a 73-63 victory by dominating the second half. The win matters for the Huskies’ pursuit of a top NCAA Tournament seed and extends UConn’s recent advantage in the series.
Tarris Reed Jr. and a Decisive Second-Half Swing
Tarris Reed Jr. supplied a key finish late in the half and scored 11 points as UConn seized control after intermission. Villanova went without a field goal for the opening 5: 25 of the second half, which allowed UConn to run a 13-2 spurt immediately after the break and build a lead that reached 21 points on Reed’s spin move and finish. That scoring drought directly produced the margin that UConn maintained down the stretch.
Alex Karaban, Braylon Mullins and UConn’s Balanced Attack
Alex Karaban scored 12 points and Braylon Mullins added 10 for the Huskies, who finished 73-63. The roster balance followed a hump in the week: UConn rebounded from a Wednesday 91-84 home loss to unranked Creighton. As two-time champions in 2023 and 2024, the Huskies are pushing for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and this victory — the eighth UConn win in the last nine meetings with Villanova — will factor into that push.
Tyler Perkins and Matt Hodge Try to Keep Villanova Close
Tyler Perkins led Villanova with 15 points and Matt Hodge chipped in 13, but the Wildcats’ long-range shooting faltered; Villanova finished 6-for-24 from beyond the arc. Before the game, Villanova had been on a six-game winning streak since a 75-67 overtime loss to UConn on Jan. 24, the teams’ first meeting this season. Villanova has four regular-season games left.
Xfinity Mobile Arena, Betting Line and Rankings Context
The matchup had been set for Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, with a 5: 30 PM tip and broadcasts scheduled on TNT and truTV; fans were encouraged to participate in a White Out at the arena. Betting posted Villanova at +2. 5, and net rankings listed Villanova at 29 and Connecticut at 10 in Quad 1. How Villanova performed from distance and UConn’s ability to capitalize on the second-half opening were measurable influences on the final spread and on perception.
Kevin Willard, Coaching Milestones and Team Trajectories
Villanova is led by first-year coach Kevin Willard, who is on track to pass Jack Kraft for the most wins by a first-year coach; Kraft went 21-7 in 1961–62. Villanova’s standing in the conference and remaining schedule leave room for improvement, but the shooting woes in this game limited the Wildcats’ comeback options. For UConn, the result strengthens the argument for a high seed in the national bracket, while the late second-half surge underscored in-game adjustments that the staff executed after a tight first 20 minutes.
Finneran Pavilion Flashbacks, Women’s Game and Jasmine Bascoe
The rivalry produced a separate moment of intensity earlier in the week when Villanova’s women hosted No. 1 UConn at Finneran Pavilion. Villanova led at halftime — the first time all season that UConn trailed at the break — and the packed arena was at its loudest. Jasmine Bascoe scored 26 points, 18 of them in the first half, and added nine rebounds and seven assists while playing the full 40 minutes, but UConn pulled away in the third quarter and held a double-digit lead to win 83-69. That women’s result left UConn at 28-0 and 17-0 in Big East play and Villanova’s women at 21-6 and 14-4 in conference standings.
Geno Auriemma, UConn’s longtime coach, described the evening as a fleeting revival of the “old-school Big East” rivalry and reflected on the conference history after UConn rejoined the Big East in 2000 following a seven-year stint in the American Conference. He noted that mistakes in the first half were costly. The rivalry’s intensity has softened in the NIL and transfer portal era, but the crowd response and competitive moments provided a reminder of the old stakes. UConn’s women had previously rolled to a 99-50 victory over Villanova on Jan. 15, and the program has a 49-7 all-time edge in the series.
What makes this notable is how both programs produced high-stakes moments in short order: the women’s game revived historical echoes of the rivalry, and the men’s game demonstrated how a brief second-half drought can translate into a decisive run. For Villanova, progress in the women’s game and the men’s team’s remaining regular-season schedule offer distinct paths forward; for UConn, the men’s win and the women’s unbeaten run both reinforce the programs’ national and conference positioning.
Additional context from the men’s slate: UConn’s postgame record was listed as 25-2 overall and 15-2 in the Big East, while Villanova’s season was listed at 21-6 and 12-4 in conference on the men’s side in the immediate aftermath of the matchup. Pre-game listings had shown slightly different figures — Villanova at 21-5 (12-3) and Connecticut at 24-3 (14-2) — reflecting the inventory of records circulated before the contest. How those record notations reconcile with games played will track as the season finishes.
