Butler Basketball: Keys to success at Villanova in 2019-20

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 02: Aaron Thompson #2 of the Butler Bulldogs shoots the ball against Jermaine Samuels #23 of the Villanova Wildcats in the first half at the Wells Fargo Center on March 2, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – JANUARY 15: Baldwin of the Bulldogs posts up. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Butler basketball has dropped its last two games and is looking for a big win. What will it take to defeat Villanova on the road?

Butler basketball is in a tough place right now. After dropping back-to-back games during this past week, the Dawgs fell from the No. 5 spot in the AP Poll all the way down to No. 13. Now, the team only has a couple of days off to regroup before arguably its toughest challenge of conference play so far with a true road game against Villanova. Butler is now in danger of slipping to 3-3 in Big East play and falling well behind with regard to the regular-season title chase.

That is what makes this game so huge for the Dawgs. They will be desperate to get back on track after two straight losses and this represents a big challenge. Villanova currently holds the No. 9 spot in the AP Poll and has been rolling a bit as of late. Although the Wildcats have not looked particularly impressive through the eye test during the past few weeks, there is no doubt about the fact that the team simply keeps finding ways to win and that is what matters most.

This is certainly going to be a big game with major implications on the Big East standings. With that said, here is how the two squads match up on paper heading into the contest in Philly:

No. 13 Butler (15-3, 3-2 BE) at No. 9 Villanova (14-3, 4-1 BE)

NET Ranking: Butler – 7th | Villanova – 17th

KenPom Ranking: Butler – 11th | Villanova – 27th

Adjusted Tempo: Butler – 327th | Villanova – 290th

Adj. Off. Efficiency: Butler – 26th | Villanova – 13th

Adj. Def. Efficiency: Butler – 17th | Villanova – 79th

Now, without any further ado, let’s dive into this Butler-centric preview for the contest. This article will include some opponent intel, three keys to success for the Dawgs, and a pregame edition of Hark’s Bark.