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No. 6 Villanova seeks 13-0 start Wednesday
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Published: 12/31/2014  at  4:03:00 AM
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BUTLER BULLDOGS (10-3)

at VILLANOVA WILDCATS (12-0)

The Pavilion - Villanova, PA
Tip-off: Wednesday, 2:30 p.m. ET
Line: Villanova -11

No. 6 Villanova looks to remain undefeated when it opens Big East play at home against Butler.

The Bulldogs (7-4 ATS) did not have a ton of expectations when entering this season, but they showed in a win against then-No. 5 North Carolina that they have the ability to play with the best teams. For Butler to compete in this game, it will have to force some turnovers and get some easy baskets. The defense of the Wildcats (7-3 ATS) has been great, as the unit ranks 41st in the nation in points allowed (59.3 PPG). The Bulldogs are coming off a 67-56 victory over Belmont on Sunday, and have done very well the past few seasons of avoiding a letdown after a big win, going 6-0 ATS after two straight double-digit wins in the past three seasons. Although Villanova has been great ATS as a double-digit favorite the past two years (17-5 ATS), the club has suffered two straight ATS defeats. The Wildcats won both meetings last season, but needed overtime to prevail on the road. The defense of Villanova made things very difficult for Butler, as the Bulldogs were held under 40% shooting in both meetings. The Wildcats are expected to get back their leading scorer, SG Darrun Hilliard, who missed the last game with a concussion.

Can No. 6 Villanova remain undefeated with a sizable victory? For the latest college basketball picks, check out The Platinum Sheet for all the StatFox Experts selections every week throughout the entire 2013-14 season. The experts have caught fires since Dec. 23, combining for a 71% ATS mark (22-9) in college basketball Best Bets. StatFox Gary is 7-0 ATS during this timeframe to improve to 68% ATS (25-12) for the season, while StatFox Scott is on a 6-0 ATS Best Bets run since Dec. 23. StatFox Zach has started the season strong, going 56% ATS (20-16) on his college hoops Best Bets, while StatFox Brian is close behind at 54% ATS (20-17).

The Bulldogs have really struggled on the offensive end of the court, as they rank 110th in the nation in shooting (45.2% FG), 111th in scoring (71.3 PPG), 113th in rebounding (36.8 RPG) and 227th in assists (12.0 APG). In their three losses, they have been able to average only 58.0 PPG. The Butler defense is clearly the strength of this team which ranks 15th in the nation in points allowed (56.2 PPG), and is 61st in steals (8.0 SPG). The Bulldogs have a nice one-two scoring punch in SG Kellen Dunham (16.6 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 46% threes) and PG Roosevelt Jones (11.2 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 4.3 APG). Jones is very good off the bounce, and he looks to get to the paint a lot. But he needs to start converting more free shots, as he has made only 56.7% FT (34-of-60) this season. But Jones' ability to drive forces defenses to have to collapse, leaving guys like Dunham open for the easy three-pointer. Dunham has scored at least 11 points in all 13 games this season, and is averaging 17.7 PPG on 49% FG (16-of-33) in the past three contests. SF Kelan Martin (10.0 PPG, 2.8 RPG in 16.2 MPG) has been solid in his freshman campaign, giving the Bulldogs another player who is capable of scoring, as he's averaging 24.6 points per 40 minutes.

The Wildcats won’t blow the doors off anybody with their offense, but they are very efficient and do a great job of making the easy play. The team enters this game ranked 29th in the nation in scoring (77.9 PPG), 36th in shooting (48.0% FG), 56th in assists (15.3 APG) and 181st in rebounding (35.3 RPG). They do a great job on the defensive end though with 9.3 steals per game and limiting opponents to a 40.6% FG clip (29.1% threes). Balance on offense is the key, as seven Wildcats players are averaging at least 7.6 PPG, with SG Darrun Hilliard II (12.6 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.1 APG) leading the way. Last season, he played great against the Bulldogs, as he averaged 13.0 PPG in the two matchups. PG Dylan Ennis (11.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.2 APG) gives the Wildcats a shooter in the corner (41% threes), as most of the other Wildcats players are looking to get to the rim. Ennis scored 17 points with four assists and two steals in the team's last game on Dec. 23. PF Jayvaughn Pinkston (10.7 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.3 BPG) was making plays mostly on the defensive end of the court early in the season, but he is starting to get it going on the offensive end. He is averaging 16.3 PPG (21-for-25 FT), 6.7 RPG and 2.3 BPG in his past three games, including a 25-point, 10-rebound performance against Syracuse on Dec. 20. In Wednesday's game against Butler, his defense will definitely be important, as he will need to help protect the rim against Roosevelt Jones.


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