UConn mounts second-half rally to avoid Villanova upset as Dan Hurley says season was ‘hanging in the balance’

UConn turned a 14-point, second-half deficit into a 66-59 win over Villanova on Tuesday in what felt like a must-win moment for the Huskies after ̶c̶r̶a̶s̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶b̶u̶r̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ falling over the weekend to Big East cellar-dwelling Seton Hall. The win, which very much looked in doubt after falling behind 53-39 with under 12 minutes to play, came thanks to a 27-6 run to close the game for the Huskies led by a 16-point, second-half explosion from freshman Liam McNeeley.

UConn coach Dan Hurley — not known to be dramatic in any way, shape or form — said postgame he felt UConn’s season was “hanging in the balance” as it trailed by 14 points at home to the Wildcats. Their response showed fight when they “could have lost by 18, tucked tail and bailed” after things didn’t go their way for much of the game until late, Hurley said. 

“This could be galvanizing for us,” he said. “Just the way we showed so much heart. Down 14 with 12 to go. Guys like [Liam] McNeeley, Tarris Reed, Hassan Diarra, Solo Ball, Jaylin Stewart. … They wouldn’t let us lose.”

Nothing went right for UConn early and everything seemed to be breaking Villanova’s way. The visiting Wildcats made five of their 10 3s in the first half and held UConn to 1-of-9 shooting from distance in that same span. 

That continued into the second half until McNeeley — who had 16 of his 20 points in the final 16 minutes — flipped a switch and willed UConn to a win. Layups, free throws, rebounds, steals — you name it, McNeeley was doing it. He and big man Tarris Reed’s energy and physicality flipped the momentum in gut crunch time. 

McNeeley finished with 20 points and seven boards while going a perfect 9 of 9 from the free throw line. Reed scored 13 points on eight shot attempts and led the team with nine rebounds. That was Reed’s highest-scoring game in a month and his third-most rebounds in Big East play.

UConn entered the day a projected 9 seed in Jerry Palm’s latest bracket, bogged down in part by a brutal Quad 3 loss to Seton Hall over the weekend, so a win over the Wildcats gets the Huskies moving back in the right direction. Their resume is dangerously hovering near bubble territory for a team that has won the last two championships, but they are likely to be favored in four of the next five games to close out the regular season.

Then it’s March Madness, where things tend to go well for UConn.

“This team’s got to find a way to finish strong,” Hurley said. “UConn starts playing really well in March. So, can we get on a roll here late, get some of that March magic that we tend to have here?”