Butler @ Villanova preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 22, 2019 ) Villanova 80, Butler 72

With its top two players struggling and a fourth straight defeat looming, Villanova relied on an unlikely source to get its season back on track. The Wildcats escaped with a huge win against Marquette earlier this week and now must take on Butler in their final home game of the season.

Villanova had dropped four of five, including a loss at Marquette, before posting a hard-earned 67-61 victory against the Golden Eagles on Wednesday. Phil Booth and Eric Paschall combined to shoot 5-of-27 from the field, but sophomore Jermaine Samuels rose to the occasion with a career-high 29 points. "We've been trying to teach him what kind of decisions to make when they don't guard you," said Villanova coach Jay Wright, whose team was on its first three-game losing streak since January 2013. Butler, meanwhile, has lost three of its last four games and is looking to avenge an eight-point loss to Villanova earlier this year.

TV: 2 p.m. ET, FOX

ABOUT BUTLER (15-13, 6-9 Big East): The Bulldogs are looking to avoid a season high-tying third straight defeat after falling at Marquette (a game in which they led at halftime) and suffering an overtime defeat to Providence. Kamar Baldwin had 27 points and six rebounds against Providence and averages a team-high 17.6 points for the Bulldogs. “Baldwin’s one of the best players in the league, if not the country,” Providence coach Ed Cooley said of the junior guard, who has scored double-digit points in 26 of the team's 28 games.

ABOUT VILLANOVA (21-8, 12-4): Booth finished with 17 points against Marquette but shot only 3-of-18 from the floor, while Paschall totaled only four points - his first single-digit scoring effort since Thanksgiving. Collin Gillespie also needs to step up, as he averages 11 points per game but has not reached double digits in five of the last six contests. Paschall and Booth, both of whom are playing their final home game Saturday, combined for 40 points in the first meeting with Butler.

TIP-INS

1. After scoring a career-high 27 points against Marquette, Butler F Sean McDermott shot 0-of-6 and finished with two points versus Providence.

2. Samuels had gone scoreless in his previous three games, shooting only twice in 57 combined minutes.

3. In the last four games, Booth is 6-of-33 from 3-point land.

PREDICTION: Villanova 77, Butler 70