Friday’s Arizin: Bring on UConn (Feb. 19)

Happy Friday!

The Villanova Wildcats are looking to bounce back from a loss to Creighton with a game against the UConn Huskies on Saturday. The ‘Cats and the Huskies were supposed to play earlier in the season, but a postponement brought out by COVID pauses delayed their first meeting since UConn rejoined the Big East. Check out Bridget Hyland’s preview later today. With James Bouknight back, tomorrow should be a good one.

The “news”:

Villanova-UConn, a thrilling 80-year old rivalry filled with thrilling finishes, star power | Hartford Courant
UConn and Villanova first met in men’s basketball 10 months before the attack on Pearl Harbor, on Jan. 31, 1941. In eight decades since, they’ve met as nonconference opponents and Big East rivals, moving back and forth.

No. 10 Villanova looks to rebound vs. surging UConn | Sports Illustrated
After a rough outing at then-No. 19 Creighton, Villanova will look to regain its winning ways when it hosts Connecticut on Saturday.

(Subscription required) Can Villanova fix its defensive problems before its too late? | The Athletic
After reviewing the film, here are five reasons why Villanova struggled against the Bluejays and what it needs to focus on the rest of the way, starting Saturday against UConn.

(Subscription required) Who’s the next Juwan Howard? 25 alums to take over 25 college basketball programs | The Athletic
When retirements or vacancies come, which alumni would make great head coaches at their alma mater? Duke, Indiana, Syracuse, Villanova, UNC, and more.

Selection committee chair Mitch Barnhart explains new NCAA Tournament bracketing process | CBS Sports
It has become an annual staple to have a pre-March Q & A with the chair of the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee. This season that person is Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart.

Blue Bloods of Men’s College Basketball are rarely this bad (Looking at you, Duke and Kentucky) | FiveThirtyEight
Unexpected power outages for college basketball royalty are neither exclusive to Tobacco Road nor to this season. But 2020-21 is shaping up to be a bizarre banner year for blue bloods.