UConn will begin a three-game series with Villanova on Jan. 20, 2018 at the XL Center in Hartford, the school announced on Thursday.

The series will shift to a neutral site, Madison Square Garden, on Dec. 22, 2018, with the final game being played at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center on Jan. 18, 2020.

Villanova owns a 33-31 all-time advantage over the Huskies, including a 70-61 win at XL in the teams' final meeting as Big East foes on Feb. 16, 2013.

Of course, a little over a year later, they'd meet again in an NCAA tournament second-round game. And UConn won that one, 77-65, en route to its fourth national title.

Here's the press release sent out by UConn:

UConn and Villanova, former longtime rivals in the Big East Conference, have agreed to a three-game series in men’s basketball that will begin this coming season and run through 2019-20.

The series will bring together two of the past four NCAA champions -- - UConn in 2014 and Villanova in 2016. The schools will start the series on Jan. 20, 2018, when they meet at the XL Center in Hartford.

The second game of the series is scheduled for Dec. 22, 2018, at Madison Square Garden as a neutral-site game. The final game of the series will be held on Jan. 18, 2020, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

“We are very excited to renew our series with Villanova, and especially pleased to be able to play one of the games in the tremendous basketball atmosphere of Madison Square Garden,” UConn had coach Kevin Ollie said. “We have had so many memorable games against Villanova over the years and Coach (Jay) Wright obviously has one of the very best programs in the country. I know our fans will be thrilled to see the Wildcats back on our schedule.”

UConn has an overall 31-33 record against Villanova in a series that began in 1941. As Big East rivals for 33 years, beginning in 1980-81, the Huskies were 28-31 against the Wildcats -- 1-17 during the first eight seasons and 27-14 during the last 25. In their final game as conference colleagues in 2013, Villanova took a 70-61 decision at the XL Center.

UConn, however, has won five of its last six games against Villanova, including a 77-65 victory in their last meeting, on March 22, 2014, in the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo. The Huskies went on to capture the 2014 National Championship, the fourth in the history of the program.

“UConn and Villanova have enjoyed exciting games over a long history. This series honors the great tradition of Villanova and Connecticut basketball,” said Villanova coach Jay Wright. “Facing UConn was always a challenge and will be again. Coach Ollie was one of the toughest and smartest players in Big East history and he instills those same qualities in his team.”

Over the last five years, Villanova has compiled an outstanding 149-31 record (.828) and made five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including winning the program’s second national championship in 2016.

Kevin Ollie and Geno Auriemma will be among the renowned group of basketball coachese on a visit to the Pentagon Wednesday for a strategy seminar with military officials. They will also conduct a panel discussion on leadership for more than 400 service members.

The event will be carried live on the Pentagon Channel and webcast starting at 1:30 p.m.

Joining Ollie and Auriemma will be Jim Boeheim, Jamie Dixon, Tom Izzo, Tubby Smith and Jay Wright. Jay Bilas will moderate the panel discussion.

     

Jim Calhoun was honored last night at the eighth annual Dick Vitale Gala, which raised money for the fight against pediatric cancer through the V Foundation for Cancer Research, along with Bobby Bowden and Bill Self. Among the celebrities in attendance were Billy Donovan, Jim Larranaga, Tom Izzo and Jay Wright. Here's the press release sent out by the V Foundation:

Celebrities from the world of sports and entertainment crowded the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota on Friday for the Eighth Annual Dick Vitale Gala to raise money in the fight against pediatric cancer through The V Foundation for Cancer Research. The event was hosted by ESPN’s Dan Shulman and honored three sports icons: former Florida State University and Hall of Fame football coach Bobby Bowden, former University of Connecticut and Hall of Fame basketball coach Jim Calhoun, and University of Kansas head men’s basketball coach Bill Self.


The sold out event hosted more than 800 people and featured over 70 celebrities. Attendees included the this year’s ACC championship coach University of Miami’s Jim Larranaga, back-to-back national championship coach University of Florida’s Billy Donovan, and former Virginia Tech head men’s basketball coach and current ESPN college basketball analyst Seth Greenberg. Other NCAA men’s basketball coaches in attendance included Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, NC State’s Mark Gottfried and Villanova’s Jay Wright. Attendees enjoyed an after party with live music from The Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards.

Since the event’s inception in 2006, the Vitale Gala has raised more than $10 million for cancer research. This year, net proceeds of the event will benefit pediatric cancer research.

A few of the more interesting quotes following UConn’s disappointing, 70-61 loss to Villanova on Saturday:

I could be very wrong, but Kevin Ollie seemed to be directing this specifically at a player or two without naming any names:

“We need effort. We need to hit people. We need to have an attitude that it’s my rebound, nobody else is going to get it. I’m willing to knock people over. I told them, they’ve got to see it.

“And it just doesn’t start in the game, it starts in practice. It starts as you walk. When you get to the scorer’s table, when you walk for a jump ball, they should see that intensity on your face. ... You’ve got your chest out.

“It starts more than just talking, it starts with your body. How you’re talking to yourself. I’m getting 10 rebounds today. that’s the key to life. I don’t think we were in that state of mind today. We have to get back there.”



Shabazz Napier, on the team’s chances of a Big East regular-season crown taking a big hit with the loss:

“We’ve just got to understand that we’ve still got a lot of games left. We’ve got to go out there and play with the toughness we didn’t play with today. It’s always hard to play in the Big East, you can lose on any given day. Our goal is to try to win the Big East season championship. You never know, that’s still maybe up in the air. If we continue on the travel we’ve been going on, I think we’ll be OK, we’ve just got to sharpen some edges up.”

Napier on how tough it is for UConn to win when he and Ryan Boatright combine for six points and 10 turnovers:

“Especially when we don’t find other ways to help the team. Offensively, we weren’t there today. We’ve got to find other ways to help the team.”

Napier did have 10 assists, but just two points. All four of Boatright’s points came in the final 51 seconds, when the game’s outcome had been determined.

Niels Giffey:

“We missed Enosch (Wolf) out there. He’s just a big body, getting a couple of rebounds for us, gives us good minutes. He changes shots – he might not block too may shots, but he changes shots just by his presence.”

Jay Wright (who's as classy as Jim Boeheim isn't):   "I don't know if it's the last time around for the Big East or not, but it's been great coming up here. This is special basketball country up here. We've had some great games against UConn I I have so much respect for Coach Calhoun, I got to see him before the game, and I really appreciate that he came to say hello. I think he's one of the all-time greats. Kevin Ollie is doing a really good job here. That's why this was a very good win for us, because I think we beat a very good team."

Jay Wright isn't exactly sure when he first met Kevin Ollie, but figures it was during one of Ollie's three different stints with the Philadelphia 76ers.

His respect for Ollie was immediate, and it grew greater when the two would cross paths on the recruiting trail after Ollie had become one of Jim Calhoun's assistants three years ago.

"I just really like him, he's just a really good guy," Wright said. "My respect for him as a player, and seeing his work ethic as an assistant coach, I've got great respect for him. I'm very impressed with what he's doing."

And that respect is mutual.

"He's always a personable guy, somebody you can go up to and talk to, easy-going, always encouraging," Ollie said of Wright. "He'd tell me if Coach Calhoun decided to retire, if I get the job, then I'll have your back."

At Big East Media Day back in October, Ollie and Wright shared a nice conversation.

"I really respect him as a coach, and as a man and a person," Ollie said. "He's really one fo the coaches I look up to and admire."

Wright has seen other coaches have to replace legends (Rollie Massimimo, for instance) and knows what a difficult task it's been for Ollie to step in and replace Calhoun.

"I don't think anybody can understand what comes with replacing a legend," he said, "even if you played for him. "The stuff behind the scenes ... it's very difficult. Kevin's doing a very good job."

Kemba Walker is one of 10 members of the USA Basketball Select Team that has accepted an invitation to participate on another men's select team that will train against the 2010 USA men's world championship team in New York from Aug. 9-13.

Walker joins Purdue's JaJuan Johnson, Wisconsin's Jon Leuer, Butler's Shelvin Mack, Duke's Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith, Florida State's Chris Singleton, Georgia's Howard Thompkins, Illinois' Mike Tisdale and Dayton's Chris Wright. They will be coached by Jay Wright, who also coached the select team that recently trained against Team USA out in Las Vegas.

The 10 returning members of the USA Select Team will gather in New York on Aug. 9, and train against the USA World Championship Team finalists on Aug. 10 (1-3 p.m. at John Jay College); Aug. 11 (1-3 p.m. at John Jay College); Aug. 12 (time and site TBD); and Aug. 13 (11 a.m-12:30 p.m. at the New York Knicks practice facility, Tarrytown, N.Y.).