Villanova is looking for its first road win of the season when it travels to take on a reeling Butler in college basketball on New Year’s Day.
Butler looks to stay above .500 and end a five-game losing streak when it hosts its Big East rival Villanova on New Year’s Day. The Bulldogs are also looking for their first conference win of the season after losing back-to-back games against No. 9 Marquette and No. 11 UConn. The tests don’t get much easier against Villanova, but at least the Wildcats aren’t ranked coming into this matchup. The perplexing thing for Butler is that this losing streak is coming after a six-game winning streak. The Bulldogs are 7-6 overall and have a better record at home sitting at 5-3.
How to Watch Villanova at Butler in College Basketball Today:
Game Date: Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2024
Game Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
TV: FOX Sports 1
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Butler is coming off a close 78-74 loss two Saturdays ago against Uconn in where it nearly pulled off a tremendous comeback. The Bulldogs never led in the game and were down 14 at the half. But Butler was able to tie the game briefly at the end, outscoring the Huskies in the second half. Despite the loss, Andre Screen had an impressive game with a double-double, scoring 17 and adding 10 rebounds. The Bulldogs pulled it off with a 13-2 run ending with a made free throw by Kolby King to tie the game at 63 with 4:43 minutes left in regulation. The Huskies hit some clutch free throws to close out the game and avoid the upset.
Villanova is trying to bounce back from an 86-79 loss against Creighton two Saturdays ago. The loss ended a five-game winning streak for the Wildcats and dropped them to 1-1 in conference play. Villanova is looking for its first win on the road of the season. The Wildcats kept it close against the Blue Jays in the first, just being down by a bucket at half. But Creighton built a double-digit lead that Villanova wasn’t able to come back from. Regardless, Eric Dixon had a phenomenal game, scoring 27 points. It was the graduate’s fifth game in a row of scoring 20 points or more. Villanova will likely need a similar offensive output to pull off this road upset.
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