UConn men’s basketball storms back to beat Villanova, 66-59

The Huskies were down 14 in the second half but Liam McNeeley, Tarris Reed Jr., and some full-court pressure helped them come back late.

Tales of UConn’s demise are greatly exaggerated.

UConn men’s basketball found a way to save its season, dispatching Villanova 66-59 in a gut-check game that should hopefully exorcise some demons. The Huskies improved to 18-8 and 10-5 in the Big East, remaining on the right side of the bubble after Saturday’s disaster in Newark knocked the Huskies’ confidence.

The win was a microcosm of the season; the Huskies put on a 29-6 run to end the game, clawing back from a 14-point deficit with 10 minutes left.

For those 10 minutes, UConn looked like a one-seed. For the other 30, they looked like a team headed for an early, tumultuous offseason.

Liam McNeeley led the way with 20 points and seven rebounds, dropping 16 of those in the second half as Dan Hurley credited his late effort. Solo Ball added 13 points and six assists, and Tarris Reed Jr. poured in 13 points and nine rebounds. The transfer big man scored 10 of those points in the final six minutes.

With champs Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer in attendance, the Huskies overcame a lethargic start and red-hot shooting from Villanova by dialing it back to a throwback Hurley-coached performance; winning the points in the paint battle and rebounding margin. The Wildcats were held without a field goal for the final four minutes, and the 59 points is Nova’s lowest-scoring output of the season.

Hurley started with Alex Karaban on Eric Dixon and Hassan Diarra on Wooga Poplar, but it didn’t do much; Nova’s two mismatches combined for 12 early points. UConn’s offensive sets were clunky, going without a field goal until 14:12 and missing nine of their first 10 attempts.

Down 10 early after a 9-0 Nova run, it took a late-arriving XL crowd described by Jason Benetti as ‘nervous enthusiasm’ to get the Huskies unstuck, with McNeeley leading the charge per usual.

After UConn responded with an 8-0 rally of its own, Kyle Neptune eruditely told his team in the huddle, ‘its a game of runs.’ Well-documented turnover issues of late meant Nova opted for frequent three-quarter court pressure, but that opened up driving lanes for the Huskies.

After a cold stretch from Nova that UConn was unable to capitalize on, Jordan Longino poured in nine straight points, including two absurd jumpers over Samson Johnson. The last 30 seconds was a microcosm of UConn’s recent struggles; a bobbled turnover led to a soft foul with 0.03 seconds left.

Two Dixon free throws at 0:00 put the Huskies down eight at the break, a merciful end to a disjointed, uninspired effort devoid of complementary ball. When UConn’s offense came to life, the defense suffered, and when they got stopped, they were unable to convert on the other end.

Just when UConn whittled the Villanova lead down to four and looked ready to take over, the Wildcats rattled off an 8-0 run in the span of a minute, stunning a restless crowd. That same script played out over and over for the first 10 minutes of the second half.

Hurley went to freshman Ahmad Nowell looking for a spark, but Poplar and Dixon kept taking turns cooking the Huskies. Blitzes on McNeeley meant someone else would have to step up, and with so many of UConn’s players looking like their dog ran away, the season looked headed for a bleak end.

Nothing was going right; missed layups, turnovers, and deflections not going UConn’s way, it was Murphy’s Law out there.

Hurley told his team in the huddle at 9:56—“We have to chip away. Give us a five-point lead in the next five. Then the game pressure will come to them.” Down seven with 7:35 left, an ice-cold Karaban headed to the bench. But after a Jaylin Stewart putback, freebies from Diarra, and a McNeeley triple there was life in Hartford.

Villanova always seemed to have an answer but found themselves in the bonus, which bought the Huskies some precious possessions and settled down a skittish offense. In the midst of a 17-5 scoring run, UConn tied it up with Reed Jr feasting inside.

After a Ball triple rimmed out, Reed hobbled a botched layup. Yet the Michigan transfer gutted out the ensuing possession against Dixon, and after Diarra forced Longino into a tough shot, McNeeley snagged the rebound. Subsequent free throws gave the Huskies their first lead since it was 2-0.

The script was suddenly flipped; Villanova looked listless on offense and had no answer for Reed inside. After a Reed dunk, it was now a 23-5 run and a four-point UConn lead. With Nova playing out the possession at 34.6 seconds, McNeeley was able to turn the corner, attack downhill, and hit Reed for the finishing blow.

I wouldn’t call this a palate cleanser from Saturday, given how UConn looked for 30 minutes. But the frenetic nature in which the Huskies flipped the switch should give the team confidence going forward that they’re never out of anything. UConn has fallen behind by 14 or more in five games this season.

Their record in those games is now 4-1. Once more, it was McNeeley providing the emotional spark and winning plays in those critical last six minutes. On a team riddled with inconsistency and lacking edge at times, it’s clear Huskies will go as far as the freshman can take them. The good news is that could be pretty far given how unstoppable he looks at times.

A noon showdown in Storrs South looms Sunday against St. John’s in Madison Square Garden. Tip-off is at noon and the game will be televised on FOX.