Big East Basketball: Five takeaways from Butler’s win over Villanova

On what was a memorable night at Hinkle Fieldhouse, the 18th ranked Butler Bulldogs knocked off Villanova in a Big East basketball battle.

Behind 13 points from Andrew Chrabascz and Kethan Savage, the 18th ranked Bulldogs used a tremendous defensive effort and a balanced offensive attack to halt Villanova’s winning streak at 20 games.

In what was an extremely tight game throughout, the difference makers were Savage and freshman guard Kamar Baldwin (the X-Factor I named in the preview of this game), who came up with huge steals and finishes towards the end of the game.

Villanova shot just 37.3 percent from the field, a season low, and 23.1 percent from three. For the second straight game, Jalen Brunson led the Wildcats in scoring with 23 points, following up his 27-point outburst at Creighton. In the end, however, it was not enough to prevent the loss.

“We beat an unbelievable program and an unbelievable team. Our kids performed at a high level.” – Butler coach Chris Holtmann said in postgame.

Despite trailing for much of the second half, Savage made a lay-up with just under three minutes to play that gave Butler a one-point advantage. Following that play, Kelan Martin made a floater to extend the lead to three. On the ensuing possession by Villanova, it was Savage again who came away with a big-time steal that led to an and-one. That completed a 7-0 run, where Savage scored five.

From that point on, the Bulldogs needed to make free throws. And they did just that, finishing the night 100 percent from the line on 15 attempts.

Martin, a potential All-American, was not at his best. He recorded just 12 points on 4-for-10 shooting. But neither was Villanova star Josh Hart, making the star play rather equal.

This game really showed that both of these teams are just that, teams. Great teams always have a star, but they need to have a really good supporting cast that can come through in close games like this one.

Hinkle Fieldhouse has seen many things over the past several years, but the court storming by the Butler University students after this one is something that will be remembered forever. As for what else can be derived from this game, let’s take a look at five key takeaways from the Butler “upset.”