The No. 2 UConn Huskies notched their fifteenth consecutive win when they pulled off a 75-67 comeback win against the Villanova Wildcats on Saturday. The Huskies have a 19-1 overall record this season, accounting for their lofty ranking in the AP Top 25 Poll.
The Huskies’ win streak has not always been smooth, trailing by four points at halftime against the 15-5 Wildcats and also needing overtime to beat the Providence Friars last week.
UConn Living Dangerously Despite 15-Game Win Streak
Despite being clear favorites for the game against Villanova, the Wildcats pushed the Huskies to the limit, even leading by 8 points in the second half, requiring senior forward Alex Karaban to score all 17 of his points in the final 14 minutes of the game to force overtime.
The Huskies’ national championship-winning teams of the past excelled at rebounding, finishing in the top fifteen in both defensive and offensive rebounding. This year’s Huskies are No. 16 in the offensive rebounding rankings and a distant No. 131 in the defensive rebounding rankings.
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During his postgame news conference after beating Villanova, Hurley was frank about his team’s rebounding shortcomings and gave them a timeline to address them.
“One of my biggest concerns is the rebounding,” Hurley said. “The rebounding is an issue. You can’t win championships unless you’re…Villanova’s a smaller team. Duke Brennan is an a**-kicker, but Tyler Perkins, that guy, went and got ten rebounds (Saturday). Our wings and our guards need to get on the glass.”
“Our guys on the perimeter gotta rebound the ball like Tristen Newton used to rebound the ball, like Steph Castle used to rebound the ball, like Cam Spencer used to rebound the ball, like Andre Jackson used to rebound the ball. We’re just not rebounding the ball,” he added.
UConn is averaging 37 rebounds per game, compared to 32.2 for its opponents, for a +4.8 margin. In the Huskies’ national championship-winning teams, they outrebounded teams by 9.2 rebounds (2022-2023) and 8.7 rebounds (2023-2024), validating Hurley’s concerns about this year’s team.
Hurley further admitted that his team was not yet at the standard of playing winning basketball consistently. “I think we got a will to win,” he said.
“We don’t have an ability to sustain the level of basketball that we need to play at both ends of the court. We’re just not playing at that level yet. It’s late January. We gotta get this sh** tied up within the next weeks or month.”
The Huskies have ground out tough wins against the Seton Hall Pirates and the Georgetown Hoyas as Big East opponents have challenged their winning streak.
The slate does not get any easier with clashes against Providence, the Creighton Bluejays, and Xavier Musketeers still to come.
