Villanova Men's Basketball
Villanova Preview: Wildcats Begin 2025 at Butler

The Villanova Wildcats look to get back in the win column when they take on the Butler Bulldogs at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 1, ringing in the New Year at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Villanova sits at 8-5 on the season (1-1 Big East); Butler possesses a 7-6 record and has yet to pick up a win in conference, although they’ve had their work cut out for them against No. 8 Marquette and No. 11 UConn. The Bulldogs last won a game on Tuesday, Dec. 3 when they took down Eastern Illinois. Since then, they’ve entered an 0-5 skid with four losses to ranked teams.
As such, Butler sits at No. 66 in the NET rankings, largely on the strength of their schedule, having played seven Quad 1 games to date. Villanova, in contrast, has played just three, and slot in just behind the Bulldogs at No. 70. KenPom likes the Wildcats more, however, with their No. 54 ranking sitting 16 spots ahead of Butler’s No. 70. In terms of betting lines, ESPN Bet looks at Villanova as a -1.5 road favorite (-120 money line), with the over/under set at 146.5 points. ESPN Analytics, on the other hand, puts the Wildcats at a slight disadvantage, giving them a 48.3 percent chance of winning.
The Bulldogs gave Villanova an apt dogfight the last time they traveled to Indianapolis, taking down the Wildcats 88-81 in double overtime. They ended up trading home wins, with Villanova prevailing 72-62 at the Pavilion.
Where to Watch; Who to Watch
FS1 holds broadcasting rights for the New Year’s Day matchup. Forward Jahmyl Telfort leads the Bulldogs with 15.5 points and 3.4 assists per game, making 44.5 percent of shots and taking roughly a third of them from three.
Butler starting center Augusto Cassia went down with a knee injury in mid-December that will keep him out for an indefinite period of time, so it’s 7-foot-1 big man Andre Screen leading Butler in rebounds with 6.2 per game, a more than capable presence filling in inside.
Forwards Pierre Brooks II and Patrick McCaffery rank second and third for the Bulldogs with 15.0 and 13.2 points per game, respectively, as the Bulldogs’ 58th ranked offense (per KenPom) succeeds through a committee approach.
Villanova, on the other hand, relies on graduate wing Eric Dixon, whose 25.8 points per game lead the nation. Jhamir Brickus runs the point with an average of 5.6 assists, while guard Wooga Poplar leads the small-ball focused Wildcats in rebounds with 6.6 per game.
Three-point defense became a massive problem for the Wildcats in their last game, an 86-79 loss at Creighton. Butler’s 39.07 clip from beyond the arc ranks No. 22 in Division 1, a matchup that could prove pivotal in deciding this contest.