Busting Brackets
Fansided

Butler Basketball: Keys to success vs. Villanova in 2019-20

By Lukas Harkins

VILLANOVA, PA - JANUARY 21: Kamar Baldwin #3 of the Butler Bulldogs shoots the ball against Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree #21 of the Villanova Wildcats in the first half at Finneran Pavilion on January 21, 2020 in Villanova, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
VILLANOVA, PA - JANUARY 21: Kamar Baldwin #3 of the Butler Bulldogs shoots the ball against Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree #21 of the Villanova Wildcats in the first half at Finneran Pavilion on January 21, 2020 in Villanova, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – FEBRUARY 01: Baldwin/McDermott high-five. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – FEBRUARY 01: Baldwin/McDermott high-five. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Butler basketball suffered a home loss in its last game. What will it take for the Dawgs to defend Hinkle this time with Villanova coming in?

Butler basketball lost its last game in disappointing fashion as the team was unable to defend its home court against Providence. The continued absence of point guard Aaron Thompson was glaringly obvious in that contest and the Dawgs are eager to both get him back on the court and get back on track with a win in their next game. Neither is a guarantee, though, as taking down Villanova is a tough task and Thompson’s status for the contest remains up in the air.

Hinkle Fieldhouse is usually a rowdy environment that can give Butler a serious home-court advantage, but the team has dropped two of its last games in the famed building. It won’t be easy to come away with a victory over Villanova on Feb. 5th but the team will likely be favored. The Dawgs still hold a very strong 17-5 (5-4 BE) record and this game is very important if they want to continue to compete near the top of the conference.

Villanova (17-4, 7-2 BE) represents easily one of the top teams in the conference and will come into this game ranked at No. 10 in the AP Top 25 poll. The Wildcats did drop their last game by 15 points at home against Creighton, though, in what was a disappointing performance for the team. They will also be hoping to regain their winning ways on the road in this game.

Now, with tip-off approaching quickly, let’s dive a bit deeper into this matchup from the side of the home team. Considering Butler has already faced Villanova this season, there will not be an opponent intel section of this preview. Instead, I will jump right into analyzing three potential keys to success and a pregame edition of Hark’s Bark.