Junior guard Kolby King had 11 points in the loss against St. John’s. Photo by Jonathan Wang.
CALEB DENORME | MANAGING EDITOR | cdenorme@butler.edu
The men’s basketball team heads East on March 1 to take on Villanova in Butler’s third-to-last Big East game of the regular season. The Bulldogs fell in dramatic fashion on Jan. 1 against the Wildcats, blowing a 13 point lead with six minutes remaining and scoring only one point over that span.
In their last game, the Dawgs were handled by No. 7 St. John’s. Butler grabbed the lead against the Red Storm with seven minutes remaining, but ended up falling 76-70 for the Bulldogs 15th loss of the season.
Here is what you need to know as the Dawgs prepare to scrap with the Wildcats:
Who: Butler vs. Villanova
When: March 1, 12 p.m.
Where: Finneran Pavilion
How to watch: FOX
Holding onto a lead
If there has been one recurring issue for Butler this year, it is the Bulldogs’ inability to finish games and hold onto leads. Fans of the Dawgs got an early taste of these shortcomings in the first matchup with Villanova, but the problem reared its ugly head against St. John’s.
Butler often does just enough to get within striking distance, but shies away when the lights are the brightest. Even having a home crowd behind them with seven minutes to go against the No. 7 team in the nation, the Bulldogs could not muster enough to stay in the game and grab the victory.
This issue has been the defining quality of the Dawgs’ season. At the conclusion of this year, fans will wonder what could have been if Butler had the willpower to finish games, but the reality is it cannot pull out wins in crunch time.
In this game against Villanova, the Bulldogs have a chance to exorcise their demons. If the Dawgs can go on the road, grab a lead and finish the game strong with a win, they can begin to move forward with momentum.
Villanova scouting report
Villanova is currently sixth in the Big East with a conference record of 10-8, and an overall record of 17-12. After dropping two in a row against UConn and Providence, the ‘Cats rebounded with wins over a ranked Marquette and Seton Hall.
The Wildcats are led by graduate forward Eric Dixon and senior guard Wooga Poplar. This season Dixon has solidified himself as one of the best players in the Big East and college basketball. The graduate averages 23.3 points per game on 45.8% from the field and 42.6% from beyond the arc. Poplar has been the perfect complement to Dixon’s dominance. The dual-threat guard averages 14.5 points per game and leads Villanova in rebounding.
For Butler to win this game it starts with stopping Dixon and Poplar. Senior guard Jordan Longino is the only other Wildcat to average double-digits in scoring on the season, so if the Bulldogs can limit Dixon and Poplar they will be in good shape.
This game offers yet another opportunity for the Dawgs to get a good win on the road and gain momentum heading into the Big East Tournament. With this matchup against Villanova, a date with Xavier and a final Big East clash with Creighton on the horizon, Butler has its hands full for the next week.
