The UConn Huskies hosted No. 1 Villanova Saturday afternoon at the XL Center in an old Big East reunion with marquee billing on CBS. Things off alright for the Huskies in front of the national audience, but a late first-half run by Villanova broke the game open and it ended in a rout, 81-61.
Few expected UConn to put up much of a fight in this one, but early on it looked like the Huskies might, similar to how they competed against their previous ranked opponents, Wichita State and Arizona. The game was tied after four minutes as Villanova began the game cold from the field, allowing the Huskies to hang around even though they weren’t playing too hot either.