Villanova Wildcats vs. Butler Bulldogs Pick & Prediction JANUARY 13th 2023
Villanova continues to muddle in unfamiliar territory, scuffling below .500 under first-year head coach Kyle Neptune.
Still trying to find its way with the Jay Wright era in the rearview mirror, Villanova (8-9, 2-4 Big East) will look to snap a two-game losing streak when it visits Butler in Indianapolis on Friday.
The Wildcats fell 75-65 to DePaul on Tuesday in Chicago to snap a 22-game win streak in the series dating to 2008.
Ethan Wilson
Eric Dixon had 22 points and 10 rebounds, and freshman Cam Whitmore added 16 points, but it wasn't enough.
"I thought we were resilient in the first half," Neptune said. "We got some stops down the stretch in the first half. Unfortunately, in the second half they got it going. We just didn't get enough stops in the second half."
The short-handed Wildcats will continue to play without Justin Moore (Achilles) and Jordan Longino (left leg).
Butler, facing some struggles of its own, will also aim to avoid a third consecutive loss on Friday.
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The Bulldogs (10-8, 2-5) committed 22 turnovers and lost 77-61 at St. John's on Tuesday.
Chuck Harris led Butler with 17 points -- the fifth time he has been the leading scorer this season -- and Simas Lukosius added 15. Harris had three of Butler's 12 steals in the game; Lukosius was responsible for five of the turnovers.
"You can't take a night off in this league and not come to play, not come to compete," Butler head coach Thad Matta said. "Those are things to correct."
The Bulldogs trailed 39-29 at halftime, closed within seven early in the second half, yet never fully recovered.
All 10 Butler victories this season have followed the same trend. It's 10-0 when leading at halftime and 0-8 when trailing after 20 minutes.
"We've got to get tougher," Matta said.
Butler is 5-15 all-time against Villanova and 4-5 at home.
--Field Level Media
Villanova Wildcats vs. Butler Bulldogs Recap MAR 5TH 2022
Justin Moore scored 16 points, Jermaine Samuels added 15 and No. 11 Villanova cruised past host Butler 78-59 Saturday in Indianapolis.
Caleb Daniels and Collin Gillespie had 11 each for the Wildcats (23-7, 16-4 Big East), who already had clinched the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Big East conference tournament. Jordan Longino also scored 10 and reached double figures for the first time in his career.
Chuck Harris led Butler (13-18, 6-14) with 19 points and Bo Hodges added 12.
The Bulldogs, who shot just 5 of 25 from beyond the 3-point arc, finished the regular season with a five-game losing streak.
Longino dropped in consecutive 3-pointers and Villanova went ahead 23-4 with 10:51 left in the first half. The second trey capped a 20-1 run for the Wildcats.
Butler went more than six minutes without a field goal.
Samuels drove to the basket and threw down a one-handed dunk for a 25-9 advantage with 8:35 remaining.
Harris was 4 of 6 from the field, but the rest of the Bulldogs struggled mightily (6 of 23) and trailed 32-15 with less than four minutes to go in the first half. The frustration became evident as usually mild-mannered Butler head coach LaVall Jordan was whistled for a rare technical foul.
Villanova led 38-24 at halftime thanks in large part to Samuels' 11 points.
Butler shot just 10 of 29 in the opening half.
Brandon Slater and Moore hit consecutive shots on the Wildcats' first two possessions of the second half as they quickly extended their lead to 18.
Hodges finally snapped a cold shooting streak with a layup.
But Moore responded with a deep 3-pointer for a 45-26 advantage with 16:15 remaining.
Villanova tightened defensively and moved ahead 54-30 when Chris Arcidiacono dropped in two free throws with 12:09 left.
Butler continued to misfire while Slater and Gillespie knocked down 3-pointers and the Wildcats led 60-32.
Villanova breezed to the victory from there.
--Field Level Media
- NCAAB
