UConn, one of the most successful programs in college basketball history, has only made it to the second weekend when it was lower than a 3 seed THREE times:
1991 - UConn was an 11 seed, went to Sweet 16
2003 - UConn was a 5 seed, went to Sweet 16
2014 - UConn was a 7 seed, won National Championship.
Beating a few mediocre teams and losing in the Big East semis will get UConn an 8 or 9 seed. That means a second round exit. If UConn wants to give itself as good a chance of success as possible, it should figure out a way to get itself a better seed that does not involve a win over Villanova.
I think this team is good enough for a second weekend run if it gets the right draw. But maybe UConn fans are happy with just making the tournament now.