Villanova faces another noisy test at Butler
INDIANAPOLIS - Four days after dealing with a hostile road environment, top-ranked Villanova gets to do it all over again Wednesday night at the historic Hinkle Fieldhouse against No. 18 Butler.
INDIANAPOLIS - Four days after dealing with a hostile road environment, top-ranked Villanova gets to do it all over again Wednesday night at the historic Hinkle Fieldhouse against No. 18 Butler.
At Hinkle, which is just one year younger than the 90-year-old Palestra, the Wildcats (14-0, 2-0 Big East) will encounter a crowd of around 9,100, or roughly half the number that turned out in full voice Saturday at No. 10 Creighton, site of an 80-70 victory that extended 'Nova's school record winning streak to 20.
Wednesday's crowd, however, will be just as loud and passionate. The loyalists will try to carry their team to an upset, remembering that the Bulldogs (12-2, 1-1 Big East) nearly defeated the Wildcats in three previous meetings here since the reorganization of the Big East before the 2013-14 season.
The visitors have won all three. Villanova needed overtime to prevail, 76-73, on New Year's Eve of 2013; used a Darrun Hilliard three-pointer with 1.5 seconds to play for a 68-65 win on Valentine's Day in 2015, and got a strong second half from Josh Hart (22 points, 11 rebounds) in last year's 60-55 victory.
"We expect the same type of game, we hope for the same outcome," Wildcats coach Jay Wright said.
"They're just as good as they've always been. They're so disciplined and physically tough, and also mentally tough. I think it's going to be another really tight battle. I'm sure it will go down to the end and I hope we find a way to make a play."
Wright knows his veteran leaders – Hart, Kris Jenkins, and Darryl Reynolds – can deal with the noise when it becomes deafening on the road. He saw it against Creighton when the Cats got down by 10 early, then controlled much of the second half.
"Even though we were down, there was still no panic," Wright said. "We had great leadership and that's a credit to Josh, Kris, and Darryl. In that first half they stayed focused."
The Wildcats, who are spending their fifth straight week at No. 1, were paced in scoring Saturday by Jalen Brunson. He scored a career-high 27 points and is averaging 16.8 points and 4.8 assists in his last six games.
Junior Kelan Martin is Butler's top scorer with an 18.1-point average, but Wright also is concerned with 6-foot-7 senior Andrew Chrabascz, who often directs the team's offense.
"He's really one of the few guys in the country that plays like a point forward," he said. "They run their offense through him. He's big and he can hit the outside shot. If you put a smaller guy on him, he'll post you up. He's a great passer. We don't play anyone else like him."
Wright said junior guard Phil Booth, who still suffers from pain in his left knee, is "still a way's away" from playing. Booth will miss his 12th consecutive game.
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