No. 4 UConn survives, beats Providence in overtime

One day after No. 2 Michigan was on the ropes in Happy Valley against Penn State, the Providence Friars (8-7, 1-3 Big East) gave the No. 4 UConn Huskies (15-1, 5-0 Big East) a run for their money. 

The Friars were up by 10 at halftime and maintained their lead throughout the second half, but Tarris Reed Jr. tied the game at 89-89 for UConn with 13 seconds to go to force the game into overtime. 

That was when Providence ran out of gas and UConn proved its championship pedigree. 

The Huskies outscored the Friars 14-9 in OT, and while Providence was able to make it a three-point game in the closing seconds, Silas Demary Jr. nailed a jumper with 10.9 seconds to go that iced the game. 

Braylon Mullins led the Huskies in scoring with 24 points, while Ryan Mela led Providence with 19. 

UConn stays hot 

The defending national runner-up has picked up where it left off a season ago. 

UConn's only loss this season came by four points to No. 1 Arizona on Nov. 19, and the Huskies certainly seem to be the cream of the crop in the Big East. UConn does not play a currently ranked opponent for the remainder of its regular season, and another No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament could be on the horizon.