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Villanova-UConn preview: 'Cats face once-familiar foe

Villanova Georgetown Basketball
Camera icon ALEX BRANDON / AP
Villanova guard Jalen Brunson (1) reacts with his teammates before the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Georgetown, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018, in Washington.
by , STAFF COLUMNIST @SmallTerp | smallwj@phillynews.com
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John Smallwood

STAFF COLUMNIST

John Smallwood has been on our staff since 1994. He began as the beat writer for Villanova University basketball and was promoted to columnist in 1995. He has won several awards while covering almost every major sporting event, including the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Finals, Final Four, World Cup and Olympics. His focus now is on writing Philly.com's Sports Tonight columns.

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Villanova at Connecticut

More Villanova coverage

Saturday, noon., at the XL Center in Hartford

TV: CBS

Radio: 610 WTEL-AM

Livestream: villanova.com/collegesportslive/

Coaches: Jay Wright, 18th year at Villanova (525-247, 403-162 at VU); Kevin Ollie, sixth year at Connecticut  (123-68).

Series: Villanova leads, 33-31.

Last meeting:  Having just been booted out of the realigned Big East, Connecticut beat Villanova, 77-65, in the third round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament in Buffalo, N.Y. The Huskies went on to win the NCAA title.

The latest: The top-ranked Wildcats (17-1) mauled Georgetown, 88-56, on Wednesday in a game that wasn’t even that close.  Jalen Brunson scored 17, Mikal Bridges added 17, and Villanova made 17 of 33 three-pointers. Freshman guard Colin Gillespie returned after breaking a bone in his hand and played 15 minutes. Freshman Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree made his only shot and has made his last 16 field-goal attempts.  Connecticut (10-8) got throttled, 73-49, at Memphis in an American Athletic Conference game. UConn had won four straight. Junior guard Jalen Adams leads the Huskies with 18.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg and 4.2 apg. Connecticut averages 69 points, shoots 40.8 percent and commits 13 turnovers a game – not good numbers when facing the Wildcats.

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