Devin Askew scored 20 points and Tyler Perkins supplied 19 as Villanova waltzed to an 87-73 victory over visiting Providence in Big East action on Friday.

The Villanova Wildcats came close to pulling an upset but lost 75-67 in OT to UConn, as the Huskies closed strong in a Big East thriller.

A deep bench has been crucial as Villanova maintains its hold on second place in the Big East. Just look at Saturday’s 69-56 win over DePaul at Finneran Pavilion. Senior guard Ryanne Allen accounted for 17 points for the Wildcats (16-5,

The Wildcats scored on their last five offensive possessions to salt this one away, and the Friars came no closer than five points in the second half.

The spring semester has tipped off in Storrs. Classrooms are full of students again, and on Saturday, so will PeoplesBank Arena.

The No. 2 UConn Huskies (18-1) look to extend their 14-game winning streak and remain unbeaten in Big East Conference play when they host the Villanova Wildcats (15-4) at Peoples Bank Arena in Hartford on Saturday afternoon.

The Friars have lost three straight as their season seems to be slipping away. They face the 15-5 Wildcats Friday night.

Sunday is the first day of February, which means March is right around the corner, which means it is officially no longer too early to think about the NCAA Tournament. Villanova is 20 games through its 31-game schedule,