As the eyes of the college basketball universe turn towards conference play, the national focus is on the Big East Conference–as the Xavier vs. Villanova tilt has has been on people’s minds for months.
The matchup has lost a bit of luster with the Wildcats falling to No. 16 in the AP Top 25 poll, but nonetheless, preseason and preconference favorites going head to head will never get old. The same night, Butler and Providence face off in perhaps the least talked about big time game of the year.
Xavier vs. Villanova
The surging Musketeers are heading out to Philadelphia for a showdown with the reigning champions, looking to cement their place as the conference’s top dog. But are they ready for that big of a stage at this point in the season? After the dud that Trevon Bluiett put up against Cincinnati, he’s gotten back to his old scoring, rebounding, and three point shooting ways. The key will be whether or not Xavier can speed up Villanova enough to avoid going against the Wildcats’ halfcourt defense.
Butler vs. Providence
We knew that both of these teams could be NCAA Tournament caliber in the preseason, but I don’t think any of us thought they’d be this good compared to the field. Obviously, Kris Dunn and Ben Bentil are studs for the Friars, but my main questions is, who will deal with Roosevelt Jones defensively? Jones is savvy enough to be a menace against the zone, while strong and skilled enough to overtake a man-to-man defense. Shutting him down will go a long way in ensuring a win for Providence.
