Villanova WBB Preps for Big East Championship, No. 1 UConn

Villanova prepares to face the Goliath of Division I Women’s Basketball on Monday, March 9, facing No. 1 UConn, the reigning national champions, at Mohegan Sun Arena in the Big East Championship Game. The Wildcats (25-6) gave the Huskies their toughest test of the season back in February, leading them 40-37 after two quarters — the only team this season to hold a halftime lead over UConn.

The Huskies responded with a 26-12 onslaught in the third quarter of that game, going on to win 83-69.

“It’s a lot of work, but we got a taste of it. We’ve gotta do it for four quarters, can’t do it for a half,” Villanova head coach Denise Dillon said after her team’s semifinal win over Seton Hall.

“You want to continue to get better, and that’s been the mentality of this group all year. First getting to know each other and then getting better together each and every practice, each and every time you step on the floor. We weren’t very good at their place, we were better at our place, so we’ve gotta be the absolute best to be in position to compete against them, to beat them.”

Discipline is Key

True freshman guard Kennedy Henry said that their home performance against the Huskies instilled confidence in the Wildcats. She also noted that UConn’s talent only provides part of the challenge. They’re disciplined, setting an even more difficult standard for Villanova to compete with.

“Every time we play together as a team, we get out there, we can compete with anyone. UConn’s the number one team in the nation, and for us to be able to go out there, be up at the half… I think that just shows that we’re competitive and we’re gonna be up there, we’re gonna show up,” Henry said. 

“UConn’s a very disciplined team, and I think that challenges us to be just as disciplined as them because they have great players. They’re gonna run their actions, they’re gonna do it over and over again, so that challenges us to stop them over and over and over again.” 

Henry added that the Wildcats need to keep a short memory in order to succeed, taking the ups and downs of each play in stride as they try to weather the Huskies’ onslaught.

“And even if they make a shot, I think for us, especially being young, it’s like ‘okay, it’s fine, go down [the court], next play, and then come back and stop that same play that they just ran,’” Henry said.

Healthy Huskies

Recent Huskies teams endured a rash of injuries, keeping them from reaching their ceiling. Their 2025 national championship marked their first in nine years, but those injuries didn’t keep them from dominating the Big East, where they’ve won five consecutive conference titles. Dillon described how UConn’s health this season unlocks a new level to their game, adding the necessity for Villanova to focus on what they can control.

“They have a number of players who are just rotating through, so even when you mix things up — you might change it up defensively, what your scheme is — they have a player or two that they can throw into that,” Dillon said. “So it comes down to not so much the personnel, because you know UConn’s going to continue to do what they do, but us just continuing to be locked in defensively where we stand, and knowing how important the details are.”

The Wildcats put on a valiant effort against UConn on Feb. 18: can they stun the nation less than three weeks later?