This affiliate content is not influenced by our advertising relationships, but AP and Data Skrive might earn commissions from our partners’ links in this content.

NEW YORK, NY (WFSB) - The University of Connecticut men’s basketball teams begins its Big East Tournament journey on Thursday. Third-seeded UConn faces off against 6th-seeded Villanova some time after 9:30 p.m. at Madison Square Garden in New York. Fans can see the game on FS1. UConn is the defending Big East Tournament champion.

In an early January home game, Villanova beat UConn, the two-time defending champion. The Wildcats then led the Huskies by 14 points with 11 minutes to play last month on the road. But UConn closed the game on a 27-6 run and won by seven.