On Wednesday, Feb. 25, Villanova (21-6, 12-4 Big East) men’s basketball will face Butler (15-13, 6-11 Big East), at the Finneran Pavilion in Villanova, PA. The two teams last met up on Jan. 3, where the ‘Cats had a decisive 85-67 victory.
The Wildcats will be looking to get back in the win column following their 73-63 loss to the University of Connecticut (25-3, 15-2 Big East) on Feb. 21. The result marked Villanova’s second loss to UConn and its sixth of the season.
Hopes were high heading into the UConn matchup, as students poured into a sold-out Xfinity Mobile Arena. After a promising first half, Villanova’s offense struggled coming out of intermission, allowing the Huskies to take a 21 point lead midway through the second half.
“Every once in a while you get your ass kicked,” head coach Willard said. “You have to bounce back. It’s not the end of the world.”
Villanova will be looking to do just that on Wednesday.
In Villanova’s previous meeting with Butler in early January, the Wildcats defeated the Bulldogs, 85-67.
Villanova went 32-for-58 (55.2%) on field goal attempts, 7-for-21 (33.3%) on three-pointers and 14-for-20 (70.0%) at the free throw line. In comparison, Butler went 24-for-63 (38.1%) on field goal attempts, 6-for-27 (22.2%) on three-pointers and 13-for-14 (92.9) at the free throw line.
The ‘Cats are currently led in points by junior guard Tyler Perkins, who is averaging 13.8 points per game this season. Graduate forward Duke Brennan leads against the glass with 10.4 rebounds per game, putting him at ninth place in the nation. The Grand Canyon University transfer has also tallied 11 double-doubles this season.
In Villanova’s last matchup against Butler, sophomore Bryce Lindsay scored a team-high, 18 points. Prior to that, Lindsay remained relatively quiet, with the exception of a 15-point performance on Feb. 17 against Xavier.
Villanova will be looking for the 6-foot-3 guard to get back into his old scoring habits from the beginning of the season, especially as March approaches.
The Wildcats currently average 45.7% from the field, 35.8% from three-point range and 68.8% on free throws for the season.
The Bulldogs are led in points by junior guard Finley Bizjack, who averages 17.5 points per game. Senior forward Michael Ajayi leads in rebounds, with 11.1 per game, making him fourth in the country.
Butler will be looking to extend its win streak to three. Before that, it suffered a six-game stretch of losses.
The Bulldogs currently rank at seventh place in the Big East. Villanova sits at third.
Following Butler, Villanova will have three more regular season games remaining, including one of its most formidable Big East opponents, No. 15 St. John’s. The Red Storm (22-5, 15-1 Big East) currently ranks at the top of the Big East Conference.
Following conference play, the team will compete in the Big East tournament in March.
