NCAA March Madness Tourney Bubble Watch: Big East blue-blood, Villanova, defeats Butler at Finneran Pavilion

Three weeks ago, the 2023-‘24 Villanova Wildcats blew an eleven-point lead against the Butler Bulldogs in the final five minutes of regulation; eventually losing that epic, double-OT thriller at “Indiana’s Basketball Cathedral”. Formally known as “Hinkle Fieldhouse”; Butler’s home arena is most affectionately remembered for hosting the Indiana high school state championship game in the infamous (1986) “Hoosiers” film. Starring Gene Hackman as a revitalized head coach alongside his improving squad of rural country boys in 1950s Indiana, the legendary actor played the role of the late, great Bobby Knight to perfection.

Refusing to skip a beat in his depiction of the three-time national champion, Hackman was a mirror image of Knight throughout the historic film; displaying his competitive spirit and hard-nosed demeanor convincingly. Moreover, the growth of Hackman’s team (in the movie) is a testament to the coach’s unwavering commitment to the game’s most basic truths; the fundamentals. For further context, Rollie Massimino and his eighth-seeded Villanova Wildcats pulled off one of the greatest upsets in NCAA Tournament history by beating the one-seeded Georgetown Hoyas in the 1985 national championship game; the year before “Hoosiers” appeared in theaters. To do so, the ‘85 Wildcats valued (what Jay Wright continued in) the crispness of their fundamentals; disciplined enough to possess the ball until the most high-percentage looks presented themselves and defending without fouling on the other end. Victors by two,

Villanova made 22 of their 28 shots and 22 of their 27 free-throws while the Hoyas were held to just 8 free-throw attempts and 29 for 53 - shooting from the floor. Fast-forward nearly 40 years, and it’s fitting to see the Wildcats compete in college basketball’s most historic stadium; given the program’s storied history and how fundamentally sound the ‘Cats have been in the last few decades. That said, the Massimino and Wright tenures are behind us, and the current version of the ‘Cats (under Kyle Neptune) isn’t living up to ‘Nova Nation’s expectations of them; at least not yet. Even though the Wildcats lost to the Bulldogs in the pair’s first matchup this season, Villanova gave its fan base a reason to believe when they beat Butler handily in the Pavilion on Tuesday night.

After torching the ‘Cats defense with 28 points of his own in his squad’s double-OT win, Butler’s DJ Davis missed all 6 of his three-pointers and managed to score just 4 points in his team’s 10-point loss against Villanova this time around. Senior Posh Alexander; a strong, physical defender at the point guard position with a good handle (and) who was St. John’s floor general before transferring to Butler ahead of the 2023-‘24 season, gave the Bulldogs a boost by surprisingly drilling 4 of his 6 3-balls including 4-of-5 in the first half against Villanova. Although Alexander isn’t known for his three-point shooting ability, he flipped that script in Philly and the short (/6-foot), physical point-guard kept his team afloat by dropping 15 points, securing 6 rebounds, recording 2 steals, and dishing out 3 assists to just 1 turnover in his team’s road loss.

In what’s becoming a likable theme, Villanova’s emerging sophomore guard, Brendan Hausen, is coming into his own; as the Amarillo native scored 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting including 3-of-4 from-3 in his team’s victory over Butler. Trailing only Eric Dixon (22 PTS) in ‘Nova’s individual scoring ranks, both Hausen and Justin Moore finished with 13 points and were able to do so despite their limited roles as ball-handlers. While it’s true Moore’s responsible for handling the ball and running ‘Nova’s offense to a greater degree than Hausen is, it’s not unfair to say guys like Mark Armstrong, TJ Bamba, and Jordan Longino have been enjoying the ability to play with the ball in their hands a lot; perhaps more than what’s optimal. In other words, Justin Moore is the quintessential team player; blending in on offense and making the “right” play or pass once the ball finds his hands even though he has more of a green light than some of his teammates do.

To be specific, Moore’s earned the trust of his coaches and if he decides to keep the ball in his hands and drive to the basket; then that’s a play his entire team lives with. As for Hausen, he has the greenest of green lights when it comes to shooting the basketball (and) from all over God’s creation. Excitingly, Hausen had a (made) 3-ball last night where he pump-faked before dribbling to his right and pulling up for a contested shot from the right wing that he drained. Moving forward, Hausen knows the next step for him is learning how to score off-the-bounce; as doing so will help him become more of a playmaker and less of a one-trick pony.

Villanova’s best player, its 6-foot 8-inch forward Eric Dixon, was the absolute man down the stretch of this big home win. On the surface, Dixon was just 6-for-16 from the field including 2-of-8 from-3; but the ‘Nova big man was the fundamentally sound post-player he was born to be and was rewarded with 8 free-throw attempts against Butler. More than that, the 86 percent free-throw shooter in Dixon proved his worth by going 8-for-8 from the charity stripe and played an enormous role in getting Butler’s 7-foot 1-inch center, Andre Screen, in foul trouble. A former double-digit per-game scorer in the Patriot League for the Bucknell Bison, Screen is a skilled big man who made the leap to the Big East this season and the Bulldogs have been benefiting from the move. Last night, however, Dixon’s innate ability to use his strength coupled with his superior footwork was too much for Screen to handle; as the towering center fouled out in just 16 minutes of playing time against Dixon & his ‘Cats.

Next-up for Villanova is the number 1 team in the nation on Saturday at 8 o’clock (@ U’Conn). Before U’Conn was upended by Creighton last night in Omaha, the Huskies were seemingly indestructible; and the Bluejays’ first win over a number 1 team in school history was another sign that the Big East Conference is the most exciting, competitive conference in Division 1 basketball. While the (/one) longtime college basketball analyst for ESPN, Seth Greenberg, may have his differences with my previous claim, I think he may agree with me that the Big East is (even) more a slaughterhouse than the Big 12 is; judging by the fact that any team can be beaten on any given night.

Thankfully, ‘Nova Nation reckons to be right in the thick of it as Selection Sunday approaches.

Go ‘Cats.