No. 9 UConn is riding an eight-game winning streak and has moved into a first-place tie in the Big East, but nothing is coming easily for the two-time defending national champion.
Of those eight Huskies’ victories, five have come by six points or fewer.
When UConn (12-3, 4-0 Big East) hits the road to take on Villanova (10-5, 3-1) on Wednesday evening in Villanova, Pa., the Huskies may again have to lean on their familiar formula of close wins.
Even Sunday in an 87-84 victory at home against struggling Providence, UConn needed to rely on late-game heroics after it trailed by 14 points early in the second half.
“We cheated death in this one,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “We’re going to have to win games in this type of manner.”
After losing three games in the Maui Invitational in November, including two by a combined three points, UConn was searching for its finishing touch.
The Huskies found it in quality wins over ranked teams — Baylor (76-72 score) and Gonzaga (77-71).
But struggling to put away Providence and two other teams near the bottom of the Big East standings — Xavier and Butler — has brought a new wave of concern for UConn.
“There’s going to be a lot of bad film in this one for us,” Hurley said after Sunday’s escape act against the Friars.
The Huskies might have to get used to it, at least for the next month, as Liam McNeeley, their second-leading scorer (13.6 points per game) and rebounder (5.8 per game), is out with a high ankle sprain.
That leaves UConn needing to depend more on top scorer Alex Karaban (16.3 ppg) and point guard Hassan Diarra, who played a big role against Providence by scoring a career-high 19 points and dishing eight assists.
“The game for us was about Hassan Diarra and his will, his will to not allow us to lose,” Hurley said.
Villanova is on an uptick as well, winning seven of its last eight games, including a 100-56 domination of DePaul on Saturday as the nation’s leading scorer, Eric Dixon, tallied 25 points.
While Dixon is a stellar marksman from 3-point range at 49 percent, it was the shooting of his teammates that was the story against DePaul.
Jordan Longino hit all five of his shots from 3-point range in scoring 19 points. Meanwhile, Wooga Poplar (17 points) was 3-for-3 from deep and Jhamir Brickus (11 points, 11 assists) went 3-for-4 from long distance.
“My teammates and coaches have been trying to instill that confident mentality in me,” Longino said. “Obviously, it feels good to see the ball go in a little bit.”
Villanova is second in Division I in 3-point shooting at 41.5 percent. The Wildcats’ offensive efficiency has helped lift them after a 3-4 start.
It’s a role reversal for Villanova’s third-year coach, Kyle Neptune, whose previous teams have relied much more on their defensive presence.
“Each team is different. Even if you bring back an exact same team from a year prior, that team is different,” Neptune said. “It’s a completely different DNA, with different strengths and weaknesses.”
UConn has won the last four meetings with Villanova but still trails in the series 39-36.
–Field Level Media
