An early Villanova defensive lockdown decided things Saturday as the Wildcats closed out their regular season with a 78-59 takedown of Butler inside historic Hinkle Fieldhouse, traditionally a tough Big East stop for Villanova.
Next stop, the Big East tournament, with Villanova in strong contention for a No. 2 NCAA seed if the Wildcats are able to run the table at Madison Square Garden.
First half decided it
Actually, an immediate 23-4 Villanova runout decided it. Three Villanova reserves — Caleb Daniels, Jordan Longino, and Chris Arcidiacono – had combined for five field goals before Butler had its second basket from the field. Among Villanova starters, Jermaine Samuels got going quickly and had 11 points by halftime.
Longino made two straight 3-pointers to extend the lead to 23-4, while Butler (13-18, 6-14) didn’t score on two straight possessions until the last two minutes of the half, when the Bulldogs gave up on shooting 3s to score on four straight possessions, cutting the halftime lead to 38-24.
NFL royalty in the house
A couple of Super Bowl-winning coaches got to Hinkle Fieldhouse during the NFL combine. Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid got to know Jay Wright a bit during his time with the Eagles. He was in attendance Saturday, as was Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, who sat with Villanova athletic director Mark Jackson, who had worked for the Patriots during Carrroll’s time there.
Key first-half stat
Villanova made 6 of 13 3s, while Butler made just 2 of 14.
Stat that didn’t matter
Villanova had seven first-half turnovers.
Another stat that didn’t matter
Villanova had lost the previous season against Butler at Hinkle, and four of its past five trips there.
The second half began …
And Brandon Slater drove for a couple of scores and Justin Moore hit a couple of jumpers, pushing Villanova’s lead back out to 47-28. By the time Collin Gillespie connected on a three to give Villanova a 60-32 lead with 9 1/2 minutes left, his team had made 9 of 17 3s while Butler had made just 2 of 21. Moore led Villanova with 16 points.
What’s next?
Villanova, now 23-7 and finishing 16-4 in the Big East, will be the No. 2 seed behind Providence in the Big East tournament. That means a 7 p.m. quarterfinal game Thursday at Madison Square Garden against the winner of Wednesday’s 7-10 seed game, which could be No. 7 St. John’s. Villanova won their MSG regular-season meeting, 75-69.
