Philadelphia — The Big East Conference regular-season title race is shaping up to be a doozy. Must-watch television.

Heading into Saturday’s night’s action against Villanova, top-ranked UConn had sole possession of first place at 6-1 after Seton Hall lost to No. 18 Creighton 97-94 in triple-overtime earlier in the day and fell to second at 6-2.

For the Huskies, it’s the first time since the 2008-09 season that they’ve been a legitimate league title contender in a conference race — Big East or in their former home, American Athletic Conference — at this stage of the season.

They’re off to the best league start since that aforementioned season during which UConn started 13-1 and ended up 15-3 and tied for second place in the Big East.

Last year at this time, UConn had a 4-5 league mark.

“It’s early,” coach Dan Hurley said earlier this week. “There’s so much season to go. … Last year, we played from behind in the conference and it sucked. To do what this team has done dealing with the injuries that we dealt with with Donovan (Clingan), we put ourselves in a great spot.”

Seton Hall’s surprising contender status is the story of the Big East season so far. Picked ninth in the Big East preseason coaches’ poll, the Pirates have far exceeded expectations.

Then again, the league coaches whiffed last season on Marquette, which won the regular-season title after residing in eighth in the preseason poll.

Don’t count out teams like defending regular-season champion Marquette, Villanova, Creighton and Xavier, all teams in the top five that could be major factors in the race.

“The difference between the top and eighth- or ninth-place is razor thin,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott said after Wednesday’s loss in Storrs. “It’s execution, it’s shot-making, it’s being disciplined enough to play for 40 minutes.”

Looking ahead, the regular-season champion could come down to the March 3 game between UConn and Seton Hall in Storrs. The Pirates won the first meeting 75-60 in a Big East opener Dec. 20 in Newark, N.J.

The Huskies have won or shared 10 Big East regular-season titles during the program’s rich history but have come up short since last accomplishing the feat in 2006.

Since 2006, UConn has won three national championships (2011, 2014, 2023).

Bright future for UConn

The Wells Fargo Center where UConn faced Villanova Saturday night is about 14 miles away from the high school home of future Husky Ahmad Nowell.

Nowell, a Philly tough 6-foot guard at Imhotep Institute, is having a terrific season. He had 20 points and nine assists in a win over DeMatha Catholic last weekend in the HoopHall Classic in Springfield, Mass.

He was the first recruit that the Huskies offered a scholarship following last April’s national championship.

“You just know when Ahmad comes in here, he’s going to have a chance to be one of the better freshman guards in the country, one of the better freshmen in the country just because of his physical strength and his basketball experience at this point and the people around him,” Hurley said recently.

“He loves (basketball). He’s played at the highest level, grassroots wise. And he’s a serious guy. You can’t do this without serious people. You’ve got to have very serious people.”

Nowell joins 6-7 forward Isaiah Abraham in the incoming class for next season. Abraham attends Paul IV High School in Chantilly, Va.

“Ahmad and Isaiah both have had great years,” Hurley said. “Both teams are doing great. You could see how a lot of what they’re doing is going to translate to college. Isaiah’s all-over-the-court abilities, which we value, and multi-positional type of guy.

“And then Ahmad, he just looks great. He looks like a college guard.”

Hurley will likely have plenty of playing time available in the backcourt next season. Graduate guards Cam Spencer and Tristen Newton will be finished with their eligibility and fellow starter Stephon Castle, a projected NBA first-round pick, could opt to declare for the 2024 NBA Draft.

News and notes

Hurley plans to continue to have Clingan come off the bench for now. He played in his second game on Saturday since returning from a foot injury. “We’re just so happy to have him out there. Obviously, there will be an increase in minutes. We can’t put him into the lineup until we feel like he can give us 25 (minutes),” the coach said. … Here’s a testament to UConn’s team-first play: The Huskies are ranked first in numerous offensive and defensive categories in the Big East overall despite not having a player in the top 10 in scoring or rebounding. Entering Saturday’s action, Cam Spencer is tied for 11th in scoring and Tristen Newton 15th in rebounding. … Up next: UConn is off until Jan. 28 when Xavier visits the XL Center in Hartford.

g.keefe@theday.com