The Bulldogs have won two straight games, including a Friday night win over No. 13 Xavier, to level their season mark at 13-13. Butler returns to the road for a Tuesday match-up at Villanova. Butler defeated Villanova, 79-71, Jan. 13 at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs, playing without Manny Bates, shot 57 percent from the field and went 18-for-21 from the free throw line.
 
Butler (13-13, 5-10 BIG EAST) at Villanova (12-13, 6-8)
Tuesday, Feb. 14;  8PM
Finneran Pavilion; Villanova, Pa.
 
PDF notes can be found here.
 
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Radio: 1430AM - @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)
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Bulldogs vs. Villanova
• The teams first met in the 1996 Puerto Rico Shootout; current Director of Athletics Barry Collier was Butler's head coach at the time.
• The remainder of the match-ups have come since Butler joined the BIG EAST prior to the 2013-14 season.
• Butler is 1-8 against Villanova in Philadelphia with that win coming Feb. 22, 2017 (74-66). At that point, Butler was the only BIG EAST team to have beaten Villanova at the Finneran Pavilion since the BIG EAST reconfigured prior to the 2013-14 season. The next BIG EAST team to defeat Villanova "on campus" was Marquette Jan. 19, 2022.
 
Series: Villanova Leads, 15-6
Streak: Butler, W1
In Philadelphia: Villanova Leads, 8-1
First Meeting: VU, 62-54; 11/30/96
Last Meeting: BU, 79-71; 1/13/23
 
• Jayden Taylor averaged 19.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in Butler's 2-0 week to earn BIG EAST Player of the Week honors as announced by the conference office Monday morning; it is the first weekly honor of Taylor's career.
• Taylor has scored at least 19 points in each of his last three games; his 20 points vs. Xavier Friday night was his third 20-point game of the season and fourth of his career.
• Only three BIG EAST teams are on a winning streak of at least two games; Creighton has won eight in a row, while Tuesday's match-up features the other two teams. Butler and Villanova have each won two straight.
• According to KenPom, Butler has played the nation's 15th-toughest schedule so far this season.
• Bates had 19 points on 9-of-10 shooting Friday night vs. Xavier. It marked his highest scoring output in a BIG EAST game this season.
• Bates tied a season-high with five blocks against Xavier. Jalen Thomas added three swats. Butler had nine blocks as a team, tying their second-most in a game this season.
• Butler is 35th nationally, averaging 4.6 blocks per game. 
• Butler limited Xavier to 67 points Friday, matching the second-lowest output of the season for the (then) No. 13 Musketeers. Butler held (then) No. 14 Marquette to only 60 points Feb. 4, which was the Golden Eagles' second-lowest output of the season.
• Butler had 19 assists on 23 made field goals in the Bulldogs' win over St. John's Tuesday.
• Tuesday's win over St. John's included overcoming a seven-point halftime deficit. It was the first time this season that Butler won when trailing at the half and the Bulldogs' first win of the season when the opponent registered a better field goal percentage than Butler. Butler is 12-0 this season when leading at halftime.
• After committing 22 turnovers in the Jan. 10 loss at St. John's, Butler only had 11 turnovers against the Red Storm in Tuesday's win.
• Butler has been without junior guard Chuck Harris for the last three games after he sustained a concussion in the Jan. 28 game against Seton Hall.
• Butler is committing only 13.1 fouls per game, which is third nationally.
• Butler is 11-0 this season when scoring 70 or more points.
• Butler has shot 40 percent or better from behind the arc 11 times this season.
• Butler has 11 games so far this season shooting 50 percent or better from the field; eight of those have come at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Butler has won all 11 of those games.
• In the team's 12 games away from home, Taylor is averaging a team-best 14.4 points per game.
• Lukosius, Harris, Manny Bates and Taylor have each led the Bulldogs in scoring in at least five games this season (includes ties).
• Bates has 47 blocks this season, which already places him in seventh on Butler's single-season list.
• Butler is 11-2 this season when Eric Hunter Jr. scores in double figures.
• Lukosius is fourth in the BIG EAST in three-point shooting at 41.9 percent on the season.
• In BIG EAST games, Butler is committing only 11.8 turnovers per game, which is third among league schools.
• Among active coaches with at least 10 seasons of NCAA Division I experience, Matta's .730 winning percentage ranks fourth (Few, Self, Calipari). The Jan. 13 win over Villanova was Win No. 450 for Matta.