The No. 11-ranked Villanova Wildcats (13-2) head to Butler to take on the No. 18-ranked Bulldogs (12-3) in what should be a high-scoring game. Action begins at 7:30 pm ET on Sunday, Jan. 10 and can be seen on FS1.
The Bulldogs enter this game hoping for similar success after topping DePaul 77-72 in their last matchup. Andrew Chrabascz played a pivotal role with 16 points, four steals, and four rebounds. The Wildcats, meanwhile, are coming off a 72-63 win against Seton Hall in their last game. Daniel Ochefu claimed his sixth double-double of the season with 20 points and 18 rebounds.
Josh Hart and Ochefu have upped their production over the last five games for the Wildcats. Hart has averaged 17.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.6 three-pointers during that stretch, while Ochefu has put up 14.4 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.0 block.
This showdown pits one of the nation’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses, as Butler currently ranks sixth in offensive efficiency and Villanova is 16th in defensive efficiency.
Notes
The Butler Bulldogs rank sixth for their offensive rating of 122.7. The Villanova Wildcats have a defensive rating of 91.6 (ranked 16th).
On average, Butler has 70.5 possessions per game and scores 1.227 points on each possession. Villanova has both fewer possessions (66.5) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.169).
Villanova has an average effective field goal percentage of 55.0%. Butler is an even 2-2 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
The Butler Bulldogs average 18.0 three point attempts per game, and the Villanova Wildcats attempt 27.0 per game. When going for at least 20 three pointers in a game this season, Butler is a perfect 4-0, while Villanova also has a winning record (11-2).
The Butler Bulldogs are among the best in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.71 (ranked eighth). Ranking 14th, the Villanova Wildcats have an A/TO of 1.61.
Butler makes 7.4 steals per game. In games where it gives up 7 or more steals, Villanova is undefeated at 5-0.
