The University of Connecticut punched its ticket to the Sweet 16 on Saturday night with a 77-65 upset win over No. 2 seed Villanova in the East Region.
This is the first time that UConn has reached the Sweet 16 since its national championship season in 2011.
The seventh-seeded Huskies will play the winner of Sunday’s matchup between No. 3 seed Iowa State and No. 6 seed North Carolina.
Sophomore guard and Roxbury, Mass., native Shabazz Napier led the Huskies with 25 points on 9-for-13 shooting. UConn went into halftime with a 25-24 lead, and then its offense exploded for 52 points in the final 20 minutes, outscoring the Wildcats by 10.
Villanova made it interesting with a couple of baskets in the final two minutes to trim the UConn lead to five, but the Huskies hit their free throws to secure the victory. The Wildcats shot just 35.3 percent from the field and missed 20 3-point attempts.
Photo via Twitter/@BleacherReport
