The intensity of rivalry has faded but not the fond memories.

During the old Big East Conference glory days, any UConn-Georgetown game required special preparation.

"We used to do all kinds of things," said Kevin Ollie, who experienced the rivalry as a player and now as head coach at UConn. "We wouldn't cut our hair before Georgetown. We wanted to be as rugged as them.

"So we've got a lot of memories with those guys. ... We always had great wars."

The two former Big East combatants renew acquaintances at noon Saturday at the XL Center in Hartford. It's the first meeting since UConn's final Big East season in 2012-13. Then seventh-ranked Georgetown escaped with a 79-78 double-overtime victory in Storrs on Feb. 27, 2013.

UConn assistant Ricky Moore and director of basketball operations Kevin Freeman, two former Huskies, played in some of the series' classic encounters.

Perhaps the most legendary game occurred in the 1996 Big East Championship, pitting No. 3 UConn versus No. 6 Georgetown and featuring stars Ray Allen and Allen Iverson, two future NBA all-stars.

Staring at an 11-point deficit with under five minutes left, the Huskies scored the game's last 12 points to cap an epic comeback. Moore, a freshman guard, helped contain Iverson, while Kirk King scored eight points down the stretch and Allen converted an awkward, off-balance game-winning runner with 13.6 seconds after missing his previous 14 shots.

"Earlier in the year, they destroyed us," Moore once said of his recollection of the instant classic. "As a competitor, you just want to come back and compete. The whole team felt that way. We went out and gave it everything that we had.

"We finished with a 12-0 run. We played terrific defense. The coaching staff did a great of job of preparing us for that game. The fans really were great. It was awesome. I tell people all the time that the atmosphere that night was incredible."

UConn and Georgetown continued to fight for supremacy of the Big East until the Huskies departed for the American Athletic Conference in 2013. The two elite programs still share the lead for most Big East tournament titles with seven apiece.

Saturday's game will be the 65th meeting in the rivalry. UConn trails the overall series 35-29.

Of the current players on the roster, only Omar Calhoun and Phil Nolan faced the Hoyas, who reside in second place in the Big East, in 2013. Seton Hall transfer Sterling Gibbs also participated in Big East battles prior to coming to UConn this season. Georgetown's D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera also played in the last meeting.

Ollie has already started to tell his team about the rivalry's storied history. He pointed out that the Huskies won all three meetings in his senior season of 1994-95.

"It's a great game," Ollie said after beating Tulane on Tuesday. "I just told the guys about the atmosphere and great history. ... Good memories, good battles. We always had great wars. Seeing coach (Jim) Calhoun and big John Thompson over there battling against each other, it was quite some memories.

"We'll bring those memories back."

UConn completes the two-game contract by visiting Georgetown next season. The Huskies are trying to set up a game with Syracuse, a former Big East rival now residing in the Atlantic Coast Conference, for next season.

"(UConn deputy director of athletics) Paul McCarthy and all the people in his area did a great job scheduling to get Syracuse, hopefully, next year and then Georgetown this year and give our fans what they've been kind of dying for since the Big East got dismantled," Ollie said. "It's going to be a great game. They're playing a lot better now."

Georgetown is staging its own reunion tour this season, hosting former Big East rival Syracuse in early December and posting a 79-72 victory. The Hoyas (12-7) are coming off their most impressive win of the season, winning at No. 5 Xavier 81-72 Tuesday.

g.keefe@theday.com

Twitter: @GavinKeefe