The Villanova Wildcats have picked up right where they left off last season. Nova cruised through the NCAA Tournament to secure its second national championship with a victory of North Carolina. Entering this season as the No. 1 team in the country, the Wildcats haven’t disappointed by winning all 14 of their contests. The Big East figures to be a strong conference again and Wildcats will put their undefeated record on the line with a visit to No. 18 Butler on Wednesday night.
At 6:30 p.m. ET, tune into FS1 for live television coverage of this NCAA basketball game on Wednesday, January 4, 2017, at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
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The Wildcats overcame the label as a choker en route to a national championship last season and the success has just continued. This isn’t the same club as last season, but this group has to deal with the impact of last season’s accomplishments. They’ve done a nice job so far. The Wildcats have taken everyone’s best shot and they’ve come out ahead each time. Nova held onto the No. 1 ranking and is one of just three undefeated DI teams. Villanova is 14-0 SU and 8-5 ATS and will play just its fourth true road game of the season. The Cats are 3-0 SU and ATS in those games.
Butler is four points away from being in the ranks of the undefeated, but those two losses were pretty damaging. After starting the season 8-0 with wins over Arizona and Utah, the Bulldogs were upset 72-71 on the road as a 9.5-point favorite by Indiana State. They opened Big East play with a 76-73 loss at St. Johns as 8.5-point chalk. Those teams are currently a combined 16-13. Butler is 3-0 against top 25 teams and is 8-0 SU and 4-2 ATS at home.
Player to Watch
He’s just a sophomore, but as Jay Wright said after the Wildcats knocked off previously undefeated Creighton on Saturday, “he’s out there like a senior.” He’s talking about Jalen Brunson, who had his biggest game of the season when the Wildcats needed it most. With Josh Hart and Kris Jenkins struggling early, the scoring load fell on Brunson and he responded with a career-high 27 points on 10 of 14 shooting and he didn’t let the raucous road environment affect his play.
Brunson is another weapon that opponents have to respect, and his play on Saturday forced Creighton to make defensive adjustments. When the Bluejays did, Brunson worked the ball around the floor and got the team’s leading scorers more involved as Nova used a pair of second half runs to pull away.
Matchup to Watch
One area where the Bulldogs will have an advantage is in depth. Butler uses a nine-man rotation and Chris Holtmann rotates four guards throughout the lineup. Starters Tyler Lewis and Kamar Baldwin each play around 22 minutes per game while reserves Kethan Savage and Avery Woodson contribute 13 and 18 respectively. That could be a factor against the Wildcats, who go just seven-deep off the bench.
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Villanova has lived up to its ranking and could be as good as the team that won the national title last season. The Wildcats have a legitimate Player of the Year candidate in Hart and Jenkins isn’t that far off. The emergence of Brunson gives Nova three quality starters and the team will go as far as that group can take them. My only concern with Villanova is the lack of depth. With Phil Booth sidelined, Wright uses only two bench players in his rotation and that could come into play when playing a heated conference game on the road.
Butler has more depth, but the starters aren’t as good and that could be a problem. Villanova has gone to unfriendly territory and has proven it can win. The Wildcats won’t be rattled against a good Butler team on the road, but the game will be close. Villanova has the advantage up front and will utilize the skill of its big three to offset anything Butler throws at them. As long as the Wildcats don’t get into foul trouble, they should escape with a narrow victory.
College Basketball Odds: Villanova 69, Butler 65
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