- The Field of 68 Daily
- Posts
- Villanova gets some luck
Villanova gets some luck
Cats hold off UConn, but only after Alex Karaban somehow misses two free throws in the final seconds. Meanwhile, Texas A&M completes a wild comeback vs. Oklahoma, Alabama rolls, Kansas turns it on in the second half, and more from Tuesday. Plus, who's the best in the Big West, and the AAC makes a classy move.
Sean Paul
January 09, 2025
Good morning! Just another glorious day of college basketball. Well, maybe not for UConn fans. We’ll get to that.
1. Villanova holds off UConn
The last two seasons haven’t been kind to Villanova, especially when it’s played UConn. The Wildcats hadn’t beaten their conference rival since the 2022 Big East Tournament, but Tuesday looked like it was their night.
The Wildcats controlled the game and led for most of the second half. They were nursing a six-point lead with just minutes remaining when UConn hit a few shots, and trailed by one with a chance to win the game.
UConn got four looks at the basket to tie or win the game, then Alex Karaban got fouled on a drive. UConn fans probably felt great about since he's an 84% free-throw shooter.
Alex Karaban missed BOTH free throws with a chance to win the game... 😳🤯
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68)
1:46 AM • Jan 9, 2025
Dan Hurley tried to put the misses in context.
Dan Hurley on Karaban's missed free throws: "It's like life, sometimes you've got to eat shit. Sometimes you're gonna have bad moments. His first two years in college have been a fairy tale."
— Joe Arruda (@joearruda9)
2:40 AM • Jan 9, 2025
The 69-67 win over No. 9 UConn gives Villanova (11-5, 4-1 in Big East) a much-needed Q-1 win to headline its NCAA Tournament resume. Playing on UConn on campus for the first time since 1995 (they usually play UConn at the Wells Fargo Center) surely helped.
Eric Dixon wasn’t an efficient shooter (6-of-20 from the field), but still managed 23 points because he hit all nine of his free throws. Wooga Poplar contributed 18 points and Jordan Longino added 12 points.
In close conference games, you have to win games in the margins. Nova did all the little things, such as winning the free-throw and turnover battles. The Wildcats went 12-of-13 from the line compared to 2-4 from UConn. On the turnover side, Villanova forced 13 UConn turnovers, while turning it over just six times.
“They have are really hard to scout. They have great players, obviously a great coach, great system. I thought our guys took on the challenge and try to pressure them as much as much as we could and I thought our guys played hard, they were physical and rebounded,” Villanova coach Kyle Neptune said.
Villanova will be underdogs in its next two games on the road against St John’s and Xavier. UConn (12-4, 4-1) will travel to Georgetown.
2. Texas A&M pulls off an SEC surprise
The SEC is must-watch television. It’s as simple as that.
