No. 8 Villanova Wildcats square off against the No. 20 UConn Huskies

UConn Huskies (23-8, 13-6 Big East) vs. Villanova Wildcats (24-7, 16-4 Big East)

New York; Friday, 9 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: The No. 20 UConn Huskies and the No. 8 Villanova Wildcats square off.

The Wildcats are 12-1 on their home court. Villanova ranks ninth in the Big East in rebounding with 31.9 rebounds. Eric Dixon paces the Wildcats with 6.6 boards.

The Huskies are 13-6 against Big East opponents. UConn ranks fourth in the Big East with 25.2 defensive rebounds per game led by Andre Jackson averaging 5.6.

The teams play each other for the third time this season. UConn won the last matchup 71-69 on Feb. 23. Adama Sanogo scored 20 to help lead UConn to the victory, and Collin Gillespie scored 17 points for Villanova.

TOP PERFORMERS: Gillespie is shooting 44.7% and averaging 16.2 points for the Wildcats. Justin Moore is averaging 9.9 points over the last 10 games for Villanova.

R.J. Cole is shooting 34.6% from beyond the arc with 1.8 made 3-pointers per game for the Huskies, while averaging 15.8 points and four assists. Sanogo is averaging 9.9 points and 6.5 rebounds over the past 10 games for UConn.

LAST 10 GAMES: Wildcats: 8-2, averaging 72.9 points, 30.8 rebounds, 10.2 assists, 5.3 steals and 2.2 blocks per game while shooting 42.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 66.5 points per game.

Huskies: 8-2, averaging 68.3 points, 37.4 rebounds, 10.8 assists, 3.2 steals and 6.5 blocks per game while shooting 42.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 62.9 points.

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