The UConn men’s basketball team held Villanova to just 20 points on 20.8% shooting in the second half on Thursday night as Alex Karaban and Samson Johnson put the game away.

The UConn Huskies take on the Villanova Wildcats in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday, March 13.

Eric Dixon scored all 19 of his points in the second half after being held scoreless in the first. Wooga Poplar scored 13, two of them coming on a highlight reel dunk.

Three seasons as men’s basketball coach at Villanova yielded three consecutive missed NCAA Tournaments for Kyle Neptune, and on Saturday morning, school leadership decided to change course. Villanova fired Neptune less than 48 hours after the Wildcats were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament.

Although Neptune was given the unenviable task of filling the shoes of a coach who led Villanova to two national championships and four Final Fours, he struggled almost immediatel