UConn Must Rebound Against Villanova After Inexcusable Road Loss To Seton Hall
The UConn Huskies were embarrassed by the Seton Hall Pirates on Saturday. Although the Pirates secured a measly one-point victory over the Huskies, they controlled the pace from the jump and overcame two late-game deficits as arguably the worst team in the Big East.
Unfortunately, the Huskies can’t go back and right their wrongs, but they should view Tuesday’s contest against the Villanova Wildcats as a must-win situation.
Yes, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi’s latest NCAA Tournament projection has the Huskies receiving the No. 8 seed in the West region. However, this is more about rebounding from a horrific loss than improving their odds of reaching the Big Dance.
Villanova is struggling again under Kyle Neptune. The team boasts a disappointing 15-11 record and has failed to hit its stride in Big East play.
Still, it wouldn’t be wise for UConn to underestimate the unranked Wildcats, considering they possess the No. 1 scorer in college basketball, Eric Dixon, who finished with 23 points when the Wildcats defeated the Huskies on Jan. 8.
Without Dixon, it’s reasonable to assume Neptune’s crew’s record would be flipped, at the least. As a dynamic stretch forward who’s a mismatch nightmare for many opponents, Dixon thrives while operating out of the triple-threat position.
Whether the left-handed phenom is jabbing to his strong side to create separation for long-range jumpers or lowering his center of gravity before ripping through to the basket and powering his way up, the fifth-year senior routinely makes game-changing plays for the Wildcats.
Dixon averages 23.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, shooting 46.4% from the field and 42.1% from downtown.
If the Huskies shoot the ball well early and often and neutralize Dixon for 40 minutes, they could earn a massive feel-good win to start the week.
Hopefully, UConn is prepared to fire on all cylinders on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. on FS1.
More NCAA: UConn Collapses Late, Suffers Embarrassing 69-68 Overtime Loss To Seton Hall
Caleb Hightower is a graduate of Hofstra University and can write about any sport, but he has a particular passion for basketball – specifically college and NBA. He has written for publications such as FanBuzz and Busting Brackets since graduating. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "UConn Huskies On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org Twitter: https://x.com/CalebHightower1