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UConn was pounded on the boards and inept in the backcourt Saturday against Villanova.

Ryan Boatright (Getty Images)

The end result: A major letdown following the exhilarating victory over Syracuse Wednesday. The Huskies (17-7, 7-5 Big East) gave up second, third and fourth chances to the Wildcats, the league’s No. 1 rebounding team. It’s tough to win when you give up 20 offensive boards. It’s even tougher when you combine that with 19 turnovers.

And it’s damn near impossible when Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright — good for 33 a night — go 3-for-15 for a measly six points.

Some notes and quotes from the XL Center:

*Villanova center Mouphtao Yarou had 11 points and a game-high 16 rebounds in what Jay Wright termed “maybe the best game of his career.”

*Ryan Boatright’s turnovers (5) matched his combined points (4) and assists (1). It may have been the worst game of his career.

*Kevin Ollie didn’t single anyone out — not his style — but he spoke in general terms about UConn’s “toughness.”

“It’s more about being tough,” Ollie said. “That’s tough on defense, tough on offense, tough on the boards. When tough situations happen, you have to have the mindset that, ‘I’m going to get thorugh this adversity.’”

*Leon Tolksdorf connected on two 3-pointers in the first half, which equaled his season total.

*Shabazz Napier (1-for-8 from the floor) talked about making an impact in other areas.

“You have to just give yourself up for the team — most players don’t know how to do that yet,” Napier said. ” I wasn’t able to score, but I tried my best on defense, tried my best passing the ball. (Boatright) just has to learn that you have to find other ways to be productive. I learned that my freshman year when Kemba (Walker) was the scorer and I was the defensive player. I don’t think (Boatright) really had a chance to learn that his freshman year trying to score, so he just has to learn that.”

*Omar Calhoun led the Huskies with 16 points and six rebounds. DeAndre Daniels (13 points, four rebounds) and Niels Giffey (11 points, three rebounds) were the only other Huskies in double-figures.  A combination of poor rebounding (often a theme) and careless ballhandling (a rarity) ultimately killed the Huskies’ chances.

“When you get knocked down, hopefully you pick up something,” Ollie said. “And hopefully we picked up that we have to be a little tougher.”

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Just three days after it knocked off No. 6 Syracuse, UConn played an uninspiring second half and fell 70-61 to unranked Villanova at the XL Center.

STAR OF THE GAME: Villanova freshman guard Ryan Arcidiacono scored 17 of his game-high 25 points in the first half. He hit a few 3-pointers and handed out assists —including an alley-oop from midcourt to James Bell — during a critical Wildcats run that opened up the lead.

KEY TO THE LOSS: Villanova, tops in the Big East in rebounding, hammered the Huskies on the glass, grabbing 12 of its 20 offensive boards in the second half. The Huskies, meanwhile, did not record a single offensive rebound in the first half. Villanova finished with a 41-25 edge.

*Villanova went on a 16-2 run to claim a 52-45 advantage midway through the second half. The Wildcats, dominating on the interior and limiting UConn’s guards, kept the lead the rest of the way. James Bell hit a 3-pointer with 1:30 left to put Villanova ahead, 67-57.

*Ryan Boatright, superb versus Syracuse, struggled mightily Saturday. He was held scoreless until 51.5 seconds remained and his backcourt counterpart, Shabazz Napier, scored just two points while dishing out 10 assists. Together, the dynamic duo was 3-for-15 from the floor and 0-for-7 from 3-point range.

*Omar Calhoun led UConn with 16 points and six rebounds.

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Shabazz Napier didn’t score a single point in Saturday’s first half against Villanova. Still, the junior point guard made all the difference, dishing out six assists in nine minutes to help UConn take a 33-30 lead into the break.

Napier picked up his second foul at the 16:49 mark and didn’t return until nine minutes remained. In that span, UConn was outscored 11-0. Upon his return, though, the Huskies went on a 16-3 run to grab the lead.

DeAndre Daniels had nine points and Omar Calhoun had seven for UConn. Vilalnova point guard RyanArcidiacono poured in a quiet 17, including a banked 3-pointer from the top of the key.

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WHEN: Today, noon

WHERE: XL Center

RECORDS: Villanova 15-10, 6-6 Big East; UConn 17-6, 7-4

LINES: UConn by 6 1/2

ON THE AIR: ESPN (Mike Patrick, Len Elmore); WTIC-AM 1080 (Joe D’Ambrosio, Wayne Norman)

UP NEXT: Thursday vs. Cincinnati, 7, XL Center (ESPN/ESPN2)

VILLANOVA

Ryan Arcidiacono G 6-3 Fr.: 11.4 ppg, 34% FG

Darrun Hilliard G 6-6 So.: 11.1 ppg, 40% FG

James Bell G/F 6-6 Jr.: 9.2 ppg, 41%FG

Daniel Ochefu F 6-11 Fr.: 4.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg

Mouphtaou Yarou F 6-10 Sr.: 9 ppg, 6.8 rpg

JaVaughn Pinkston F 6-6 So.: Team-high 12.5 ppg

Maurice Sutton F 6-11 Sr.: 4.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg

Achraf Yacoubou G 6-4 So.: 40% 3-point FG

Tony Chennault G 6-2 Jr.: 8-10 FG in past 3 games

UCONN

Shabazz Napier G 6-0 Jr..: Leads team in pts (16.9), assists (4.4), steals (2.1), 3-pt % (39.2)

Ryan Boatright G 5-10 So.: 17 pts on 10 FGA vs. Syracuse

Omar Calhoun G 6-5 Fr.: 9-for-20 3-point FG in past 3 games

DeAndre Daniels F 6-8 So.: Team-high 5.0 rpg

Tyler Olander F 6-9 Jr.: 4 pts, 4 rebs vs. Syracuse

Niels Giffey F 6-7 Jr.: Tied for 3rd on team with 3.7 rpg

R.J. Evans G 6-3 R-Sr.: 3 pts in 6 mins vs. Syracuse

Phil Nolan F 6-9 Fr.: 5 rebs vs. Syracuse

Leon Tolksforf F 6-8 Fr.: DNP vs. Syracuse

STORY LINES

MAN, WHAT A GREAT DEFENSE: The formula for success against UConn is no secret. Most teams employ a 2-3 zone, and up until recently, the Huskies have had difficulty cracking the defense. Against Villanova, though, UConn will likely face man-to-man, a welcomed change-of-pace. “I don’t know the last time we saw man-to-man,” coach Kevin Ollie said. “Seton Hall played zone, St. John’s played zone, Syracuse played zone.”

THE 3-BALL: Villanova is 12-0 when it sinks six or more 3-pointers in a game. When the Wildcats fail to it that mark, they’re 3-10.

HITTNG THE BOARDS: Undersized UConn needs another big-time effort on the glass. Villanova, which boasts three rotation players 6-foot-10 or taller, leads the Big East with 39.1 rebounds per game. It’s a figure that helps mask the Wildcats’ horrid 41.2 field goal percentage, dead-last in the conference.

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