Uconn Huskies Preview And Prediction: Big East Tournament vs Villanova

The Uconn Huskies are set to begin their Big East Conference Tournament journey on Thursday, as head coach Dan Hurley and his squad will take on the No. 6-seed Villanova Wildcats in round two.

Here's everything you need to know before the Huskies' first conference tournament matchup.

Uconn Huskies vs Villanova Wildcats
Maidson Square Garden, 9:30 PM EST
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In the last outing between these two heavyweights, the Huskies managed to pull away with a victory in Storrs, 66-59. Big East Freshman of the Year Liam McNeeley fueled Uconn's 27-6 run by scoring 16 of his 20 points in the second half.

Despite Hurley's squad getting the best of the Wildcats in the last time out, each program has been on a roll heading into Thursday's contest, winning four of their last five games. Both teams are coming off a win against Seton Hall, as the Uconn defeated them on Mar 8, 81-50, while Villanova took them down shortly after, 67-55.

Villanova's Players To Watch

The No. 1 threat to the Huskies' potential Big East Conference Championship will be senior forward Eric Dixon, who is has been one of the best scorers in all of college basketball this season. Dixon currently leads the nation with 23.5 points per game this season and has been the Wildcats' main catalyst on offense this year.

Uconn did a remarkable job of limiting Dixon in their last face-off against Villanova, as the star forward was held to just five points in the second half. If the Huskies can once again find a way to contain Dixon on Thursday, they will put themselves in a prime position to win.

In addition to Dixon, Hurley must keep senior guard Wooga Poplar in check.

The 6-foot-5 starter for Villanova currently leads the team in rebounds per game with seven, while also being the second-leading scorer for the Wildcats with 14.7 points per game this season. Poplar finished with 19 points in the last matchup between these two programs and is coming off a double-double performance against Seton Hall.

The "X" Factor: Uconn's Frontcourt

With the Huskies set to take on the leader in points per game this season for the third time, Uconn must get everything out of its bigs on Thursday night.

Junior forward Alex Karaban played a key role in limiting Dixon back in Feb, but has struggled offensive in both games against the Wildcats this season. In those two games, the veteran has averaged just 8.5 points, which makes it more important for McNeeley to step up once again on offense.

Luckily for the Huskies, the young freshman is due for another big game after averaging 7.5 points in his last two games. If the duo of McNeeley and Karaban can get on the same page, Uconn can punch their ticket to a semifinals matchup on Friday.

Uconn Huskies Preview And Prediction: Big East Tournament vs Villanova

Villanova's Players To Watch

The "X" Factor: Uconn's Frontcourt

Prediction: Uconn 66, Villanova 61

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