#TWITBE Ep. 12.5 - Kevin Willard, Tarris Reed Jr. and Spero Dedes

Villanova head coach Kevin Willard, UConn center Tarris Reed Jr., and TNT Sports' play-by-play announcer Spero Dedes are the guests on the fifth episode of This Week in the BIG EAST . Now in its 12th season, This Week In The BIG EAST (#TWITBE) is distributed by Westwood One radio and is available wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. This week's BIG EAST Spotlight shines on Villanova head coach Kevin Willard. In his first season with the Wildcats - and his 12th season in the BIG EAST - Willard has fast-tracked the rebuilding process on the Main Line. He talks about the process of building a roster from scratch and how influential former Villanova head coach and Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Jay Wright was in his decision to return to the league. Reed Jr. joins the show as this week's BIG EAST Focus. Now in his second season at UConn, the 6-11 senior has emerged as one of the top post players in the country. He talks about the Huskies' hot start to the 2025-26 season, what it is like to play for head coach Dan Hurley, and rising up to the challenge of lofty expectations in Storrs. For the National Perspective, TNT Sports' Spero Dedes joins the show to discuss what he has seen so far in his first full season of calling BIG EAST basketball. Dedes, who has been calling NCAA Tournament games since 2010, provides his thoughts and perspective on the teams and the players in the conference and the impact they will make in March. This Week in the BIG EAST is hosted by John Rooke, a longtime play-by-play voice in the league, and Kevin McNamara, radio host, columnist, author, and U.S. Basketball Writers' Hall of Famer. The show will run through the end of the 2025-26 regular season, providing a comprehensive look at the teams, coaches, players, and storied tradition of the top basketball conference in America in each episode. To join the conversation and send questions to Rooke (@JRbroadcaster) and McNamara (@KevinMcNamara33), use on Twitter. Fans may submit questions to be featured on the show. Please

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#TWITBE Ep. 12.5 - Kevin Willard, Tarris Reed Jr. and Spero Dedes is an episode from This Week in the Big East - Weekly Overview of NCAA College Basketball's Top Conference by John Rooke & Kevin McNamara .

This episode is 44:54 long.

This episode was published on Jan 30, 2026.

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