BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Connecticut @ Villanova

February 13, 2006


Big Monday tonight in the Big East means Connecticut and Villanova will battle it out for conference supremecy. Both teams enter the game with 9-1 conference records and part of a three-way tie for 1st place in the conference. Both teams are coming off road wins, UConn 99-57 at Seton Hall and Villanova 61-51 at DePaul. A couple of long winning streaks are on the line tonight. Here are many of the pregame stories and previews from around the internet:

Fiery Talks Spur Gay into Action (Philly Inquirer).
UConn Hitting Crossroads in Philadelphia (Waterbury Rep Am).
On Guard: Villanova a Unique Challenge )Register Citizen)
Huskies Acclimated to Conditions (Hartford Courant)
Nova Has Waited for This One (Hartford Courant)
Contrasting Styles: Quick & Powerful (Connecticut Post)
UConn Set to Battle Villanova (Danbury News Times Live).
Tough Test Against Villanova Tonight (Norwich Bulletin).
Gay Turning the Corner (Norwich Bulletin).

For our preview and prediction on the game, click below!

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From the outset, Villanova/Connecticut was the circled game on the Big East schedule and their first of two meetings this season takes place tonight in Philadelphia. As expected, the stakes are high with both teams 9-1 in the conference and ranked in the top 5 in the nation. Connecticut has won eleven straight games and Villanova has won eight straight themselves.

This will be Connecticut's first look live at the Villanova 4-guard line-up. Mike Nardi missed the last two games for Villanova because he was sick, but he will be back in the line-up tonight. Villanova is definitely due for a good shooting game, but it will have to come against one of the toughest defenses they will face on the season. UConn holds opponents to 36.6% from the floor and just 28.5% from 3-pt range on the season. Of course, as usual, they also lead the nation in blocked shots per game as well.

Villanova is known for their 3-pt shooting, but in their last three games, they have gone just 16-60 (26.7%) from beyond the arc. To their credit, they have continued to find a way to win even when they are off. Excellent on the ball pressure has disrupted opponent's offeses and when the game is close and comes down to a possession by possession game, the Wildcats are tough to stop from scoring because they can isolate any of their four guards in a spread the floor set that really pressures the defense, because it is tough to help and leave one of their excellent shooters free. The experience of their senior guards, Allan Ray and Randy Foye, have also made them tough down the stretch as they have been through it all.

On the other hand, Connecticut is long and lean with as many athletes as some NBA teams. Their starting front court of Rudy Gay, Josh Boone and Hilton Armstrong could all see their names called in the 1st round of this year's NBA draft and they have depth with freshmen Jeff Adrien and senior Ed Nelson. Their backcourt is not too shabby either with Marcus Williams, Rashad Anderson, Denham Brown and Craig Austrie getting most of the time, but they are often overlooked with the strength of their front court, but they will be tested tonight, offensively and defensively by the guards of Villanova.

Looking at this game, it really hinges on one player: Marcus Williams. If he is successfully able to get Connecticut into their offense and into their comfort zones, they could really exert their strength's against Villanova. Williams will also have to contend with the Villanova guards on defense and be up to the athletic challenge they will pose. When Williams is motivated and challenged, he usually reponds with some added intensity that makes his game better.

Villanova is going to have to be "on" from beyond the arc tonight. If they are successfully breaking down the UConn guards, they need to make them pay when they kick it back out to the shooters and hit their shots. If they can do this at a good clip, it could force the Huskies to shuffle their line-up a little to match up with their quickness on the perimeter, which would negate some of UConn's advantages inside.

The way UConn has been playing in their 11-game win streak has been IMPRESSIVE. With Rudy Gay asserting himself as the go-to guy and Josh Boone picking it up on the offensive end and getting key contributions from just about everyone else in timely intervals, the Huskies have exerted themselves as the nation's #1 team. Villanova is not going to lay down before the mighty Huskies, however. Their guards are confident and Kyle Lowry brings them a fearless attitude. However, in their 8-game win streak, I just haven't seen them be consistently at the level of the Huskies. Some injuries in that time and sickness might be the reason, however, the UConn depth might be the difference in this one. In one of the biggest variations I have seen, the Pomeroy Computer rankings give Villanvoa a 3-pt edge, however, the oddsmakers have made Connecticut the 3-pt favorite.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Connecticut 76 Villanova 71