Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Wildcard Edition
Villanova travels to Indiana to take on Butler in Big East action. Villanova, after a Final Four appearance in 2022, has struggled to gain its footing this season after losing long-time head coach Jay Wright to retirement and several key players removed from last year's squad. Butler has faired slightly better with an overall record of 10-8 heading into this matchup. The opening tap for this battle of Big East stalwarts is scheduled for 7:00pm EST.
The NFL, College Football, College Basketball, the NHL, and the NBA…oh my! Check out all my premium picks for a variety of premium events. My Best Bet of the week is available for only $49.99 (normally $100) if you use this link. Don't miss out as this comes with a profit guarantee. Win or get the money back in credit!
The Villanova Wildcats have not been used to being in this position in recent years. The team sits a game under .500 at 8-9 and, the perennial Big East power, finds themselves just 2-4 in conference play. After leading by a point, 31-30, at halftime, the Wildcats were done in by an early second half surge by DePaul in a 75-65 loss on the road. Eric Dixon had a double-double for Villanova with 22 points and 10 rebounds in the loss. Cam Whitmore chipped in with 16 points. The loss snapped a 22-game win streak for Villanova against DePaul.
“Hats off to DePaul,” said Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune after the game. “They came out and executed their game plan. I thought their kids played extremely hard. They made some timely, tough shots.”
Final. pic.twitter.com/sUu2B3HaoN
— Villanova MBB (@NovaMBB) Janua ry 11, 2023
Villanova had one of the most efficient offenses in the country last season but they have fallen short of that mark this season. They are still protective of the basketball, ranking 13th in the country in turnovers. They are scoring at the 153rd rate in the country. Last season, the Wildcats had several three-point shooters that made the team lethal from the perimeter. Thus far this season, Villanova ranks just 208th in the country in 3pt shooting. On the defensive end, the Wildcats are ranked 141st in scoring defense. They are just 235th in the country at defending the 3pt shot and are 277th in rebounding.
Key Injuries: The Wildcats are still playing without G Justin Moore as he recovers from an achilles injury sustained in last year's NCAA Tournament. The team hopes to have him back in late January.