Almost a year later, the revealing play still sticks out in their minds and serves as a reminder of everything that ailed the Huskies last season.

During one possession against top-ranked Villanova last January in Hartford, the Wildcats grabbed four offensive rebounds on the way to pinning a humbling 20-point loss on UConn.

"They were just a lot tougher than us," junior Christian Vital said. "They just played with a lot more urgency. It just felt like they wanted to win more than we did. ... That was definitely a play that I remember vividly."

The former Big East rivals battle again on Saturday in a nationally-televised game at at Madison Square Garden in New York (12:30 p.m., Ch. 3).

It will be UConn's last shot at securing a marquee non-conference win before entering American Athletic Conference play.

"It's a wonderful chance to play the defending national champions at the Garden in New York City before Christmas on Saturday on CBS," coach Dan Hurley said. "It's just a great thing to be a part of and a great opportunity for these guys to lock in on and for us to play our hearts out."

While compiling lowlights from last season to show his team after being hired in late March, Hurley picked the offensive rebounding play as an example of what should never happen. The Huskies lacked the kind of effort and intensity that Hurley demands.

"That came up in practice (Thursday) when we blew a block-out and gave up one offensive rebound," Hurley said. "The message to the team was that one possession, they weren't rebounds that were at a high point and above the rim. They were balls that were being picked up on the ground, below net level rebounds. That's effort, that's not having a nose for the ball, that's want-to."

Possessing the proper big game effort and intensity will be absolute must for the Huskies (9-3) to be in position to win.

Villanova has ruled the college basketball landscape in recent years, winning two of the last three national championships and posting at least 32 wins in each of the last four seasons. The Wildcats entered the season ranked ninth despite losing four key players but fell out of the poll last week after two straight losses, falling to No. 1 Kansas and Penn, both by three points.

It is a rare losing streak for the Wildcats (8-4), who have already dropped as many games as last season.

"They probably rarely have been in that position in the last several years," Hurley said. "We can't allow them to be more desperate than us to win the game on Saturday because we've won 30 games in two years, so we should be plenty desperate."

The Wildcats remain a tough matchup. They're play a smart, disciplined style of basketball on both ends of the court and limit mistakes.

They are powered by the 3-pointer, attempting about 30 per game. Five different players have made at least 13 from beyond the arc, so it's difficult to focus on stopping just one perimeter weapon. Redshirt senior guard Phil Booth is the team's top marksman, sinking 30 3-pointers this season.

According to Hurley, the Wildcats have shot around 40 percent from three in wins and about 30 percent in losses. They've taken more threes (350 overall) than twos (327) this season.

"If they're making a lot of threes, you're in trouble," Hurley said. "Guarding the three point line is critical. You have to be willing to give up some, at times, ugly twos — like the embarrassing layup or not help in the post twos sometimes to avoid probably the best thing they do."

There's bit extra incentive for the teams to win on Saturday. They'll both have to sit with the outcome during a 10-day break while waiting to begin conference play in early January.

After last season's lopsided defeat, the Huskies are looking forward to another shot at the Wildcats.

"It's definitely going to be a revenge game," Vital said. "This one has been circled for a while. It's fun that we get to go out and compete against each other again. We know it's going to be hard-fought game. Whoever wins, they're going to earn it."

g.keefe@theday.com

UCONN vs. VILLANOVA

Location: Madison Square Garden, New York

Tip: 12:30 p.m. (Ch. 3)

Records: UConn 9-3, Villanova 8-4

Last game: UConn beat Drexel, 97-65, Tuesday; Villanova lost at No. 1 Kansas, 74-71, Saturday

Probable starters: Villanova, 6-3 so. guard Collin Gillespie (11.9 pts, 2.9 assists), 6-3 r-sr. guard Phil Booth (16.9 pts), 6-8 r-sr. forward Eric Paschall (14.8 pts, 5.6 rebs), 6-8 fr. forward Saddiq Bey (7.8 pts, 4.7 rebs), 6-9 so. forward Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree (6.3 pts, 7.8 rebs)

UConn, 6-3 sr. guard Jalen Adams (17.3 pts), 6-0 redshirt so. guard Alterique Gilbert (12.3 pts, 4.3 assists), 6-2 jr. guard Christian Vital (11.9 pts, 5.3 rebs), 6-8 so. forward Tyler Polley (9 pts, 2.5 rebs), 6-10 so. forward Josh Carlton (8.1 pts, 4.3 rebs)

Noteworthy: Final non-conference game. ... Battle between two old Big East foes. ... Series: UConn trails, 34-31, losing last meeting 81-61 last Jan. in Hartford. Huskies shot 34.4 percent, led for just 28 seconds, outrebounded by 16. ... Wildcats defending national champions. Three of their four losses to teams currently ranked in top 25 (No. 1 Kansas, No. 4 Michigan, No. 24 Furman). ... Top reserve: 6-7 so. forward Jermaine Samuels (4.5 pts, 4.3 rebs). ... Villanova averages 29.3 3-point attempts per game, sinking 9.9. Booth top weapon from distance. ... Wildcats shooting 44.2 percent overall and scoring 74.7 pts, allowing 66.7 pts. Outrebound foes, 4.2 per game. ... Paschall and Vital former teammates at St. Thomas More. ... Hot: Booth averaging 23.5 pts in last two games. Cold: UConn 1-3 vs. marquee games this season. ... Fifth meeting between two teams at MSG, each winning twice in Big East tourney. Huskies played there 118 times overall in program history, going 63-55. ... Up next: UConn on a 10-day break before visiting South Florida Jan. 2 in AAC opener.

— Gavin Keefe