Butler rings in the New Year Wednesday, hosting Villanova at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Butler is 6-5 against Villanova in games played at Hinkle Fieldhouse, including winning four of the last five contests.
 
Butler (7-6, 0-2 BIG EAST) vs. Villanova (8-5, 1-1)
Wednesday, Jan. 1 • 6:30PM
Hinkle Fieldhouse • Indianapolis, Ind.
 
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ITEMS OF NOTE:
• In two games against Villanova last season, Jahmyl Telfort averaged 20.5 points and 9.0 rebounds. He shot 56 percent from the field, including 6-for-11 from three-point range.
• The Bulldogs' current five-game losing streak coincides with a five-game stretch that included four Top 25 opponents (Houston, Wisconsin, Marquette, Connecticut).
• The Bulldogs went 23-for-28 from the free throw line in the team's most recent outing, a 78-74 loss to UConn Dec. 21.
• The Bulldogs rank 14th nationally in free throws made per game (19.0) and 26th nationally in attempts per game (24.8).
• Butler ranks 42nd nationally in free throw shooting at 76.7 percent.
• Telfort leads the BIG EAST in both free throws made (59) and is second in free throws attempted (73) despite not going to the line in the game against UConn. Telfort is seventh in the BIG EAST in free throw accuracy at 80.8 percent; teammate Pierre Brooks II is sixth at 82.0 percent.  
• Andre Screen had the best game of his Butler career in the Dec. 21 loss to UConn. Screen's 17 points and 10 rebounds were his respective highs in a Butler uniform (his career-highs came while at Bucknell).
• The double-double was his first in a Butler uniform, while Screen also matched his career-high with four blocks and set a new career-best with nine made free throws (going a perfect 9-for-9).
• Screen is sixth in the BIG EAST at 1.6 blocks per game, while his 6.2 rebounds per game rank ninth.
• At 39.1 percent, the Bulldogs rank 23rd nationally in three-point percentage.
• Patrick McCaffery's 46.6-percent accuracy from three-point range is 19th nationally. He has hit multiple three-pointers in 10 of the team's games, including five twice.  
• Telfort's seven assists against UConn tied for the most handed out by a Butler player this season.
• Kolby King pulled down eight rebounds against UConn; he has six or more rebounds in six of Butler's last eight games. The 6-2 guard ranks second on the team in rebounding at 5.1 per game.
• Telfort leads the BIG EAST in minutes played at 34:59 per game; McCaffery (fourth) and Brooks (eighth) are also among the conference leaders.
• UConn hit 11 of 24 attempts from three-point range (45.8 percent) in the win over the Bulldogs; entering the game, Butler had allowed opponents to hit only 29 percent of their attempts, which included a combined mark of 12-for-55 over the previous two games (21.8 percent).
• Despite committing only 12.2 turnovers per game, Butler ranks 348th nationally in turnover margin (-4.5 per game) due to forcing opponents into only 7.7 per game (which is 352nd nationally).
• Down 16 against UConn early in the game, Butler clawed all the way back to tie the game before falling. Butler's Dec. 10 loss to North Dakota State also included the Bulldogs fully overcoming a 23-point deficit.
• The Bulldogs defeated Northwestern and No. 25 Mississippi State in taking the Arizona Tip-Off title over Thanksgiving.
 
Volumes on Villanova
• Villanova ranks among the Top 10 nationally with a 40.6-percent mark from three-point range, averaging 10.5 makes per game. The Wildcats also shoot 80 percent from the free throw line, which is among the Top 15 nationally.
• Eric Dixon leads the nation in scoring at 25.8 points per game; he is shooting 50 percent from three-point range (eighth nationally), making more than three per game.
• Of Villanova's eight players averaging 10 or more minutes per game, Dixon and Jordan Longino are the only two who were on the Wildcats' roster a season ago. Villanova is relying heavily on transfers Jhamir Brickus (La Salle), Wooga Poplar (Miami), Tyler Perkins (Penn), and Enoch Boakye (Fresno State).
• Villanova's 8-5 record includes a 1-4 mark in games played on the road or on a neutral court. 
 
The Series with Nova
• The Bulldogs and Villanova first met in the 1996 Puerto Rico Shootout; the other 23 meetings in the series have come since Butler joined the BIG EAST prior to the 2013-14 season.
• Butler is 6-5 against Villanova in games played at Hinkle Fieldhouse, which includes two victories over the Wildcats when they were ranked No. 1 in the national polls (Jan. 4, 2017 and Dec. 30, 2017).
 
Series:  Villanova Leads, 17-7
Streak: Villanova, W1
At Hinkle: Butler Leads, 6-5
First Meeting: Nov. 30, 1996; VU, 62-54 (Puerto Rico Shootout)
Last Meeting: Feb. 20, 2024; VU, 72-62 (at VU)