Winning from 14-point deficit, one of UConn’s largest comebacks in Dan Hurley’s tenure gets props from Big East analyst

Dan Hurley's UConn Huskies were down by 14 points against Villanova on Tuesday with 12 minutes left, and it was looking bleak for the defending national champion. However, the Huskies went on a 27-6 run to pull off a 66-59 victory at XL Center.

The comeback drew praise from Big East analyst and Road to the Garden contributor Ryan Cassidy, who added several threads on X, commenting on the final four minutes of action.

"It capped a 14 point comeback. One of the largest in Dan Hurley's tenure. A very important win for the Huskies," Cassidy tweeted on Tuesday.

Villanova led 58-52 Villanova after senior guard Wooga Poplar hit a 3-pointer with 4:10 remaining but UConn did not let Kyle Neptune's team score another point until a free throw was converted with 51 seconds left.

The comeback was fueled by four free throws from freshman forward Liam McNeeley and key layups from Tarris Reed Jr., saving the team from another loss.

The Huskies, now 18-8 overall and 10-5 in Big East play, have not been as dominant as they were during their national championship runs in the past two seasons. They are fourth in their conference and are highly unlikely to win the regular-season title.

Dan Hurley reflects on bouncing back from Saturday’s loss against Seton Hall

This season has been a rollercoaster for Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies. Just 72 hours after a disappointing overtime loss to the Seton Hall Pirates, the team overcame a double-digit deficit to defeat Villanova.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Hurley talked about the team's resilience to bounce back quickly.

"We did way worse sh*t on Saturday than Villanova did," Hurley said (4:45). "I mean, for us, I thought we executed pretty good on offense, we got clean stops, whereas, things that went on on Saturday — you just couldn't make it up."

Hurley has led UConn through a season filled with ups and downs, from rallying back from large deficits — 14-point comebacks against DePaul and Villanova — to heartbreaking losses against Xavier, then-No. 10-ranked St. John's and Seton Hall.

The back-to-back national champions have five games remaining before the Big East Tournament. The Huskies' next matchup is against the No. 10-ranked St. John's Red Storm (23-4, 14-2 Big East), coached by Rick Pitino, in a rematch of their 68-62 loss on Feb. 8.