Villanova has three losses this season. Two of them have come at the hands of the Butler Bulldogs.
No. 22 BU dominated the second half on Wednesday night, outscoring Villanova 46-37 in the final 20 minutes. Kelan Martin, who's been relegated to a bench role, led the way with 22 points. Read below for a play-by-play recap.
Despite winning three of its last four games, No. 22 Butler ran out of time to catch No. 2 Villanova for the regular-season conference title, as the Wildcats wrapped up first place with a 92-70 win over Seton Hall on Saturday – their seventh consecutive victory. The Bulldogs are one of only two teams to knock off the Wildcats in conference play this season, a 66-58 win in Indianapolis on Jan. 4.
Players to watch
Butler forward Kelan Martin has 33 points and 17 rebounds in his last two games, bouncing back from a pair of games in which he scored only 10 combined points. The junior leads the Bulldogs with averages of 15.5 points and 5.7 rebounds.
Villanova guard Josh Hart is the front runner for Big East Player of the Year, shooting 50.8 percent from the floor while leading the Wildcats with 18.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per night.
Key stats
Since joining the Big East, Butler is 0-3 against Villanova in Philadelphia.
Villanova is averaging 77.8 points per game, while the Bulldogs are averaging 77.1.
The Wildcats are shooting 80.6 percent from the free-throw line.
The Bulldogs have blocked just 74 shots this season.
Butler is averaging 10.1 turnovers while forcing 13.4.
Villanova forward Kris Jenkins leads the Big East with 77 3-pointers.
Injuries
Villanova forward Darryl Reynolds has missed the last three games with injured ribs.
