No. 6 Villanova hosts Butler in Big East opener

Villanova, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - For the second straight year, the Butler Bulldogs and Villanova Wildcats will begin Big East Conference play against each other on New Year's Eve, this time clashing at The Pavilion.

This bout marks only the fourth all-time meeting between the two schools, with Villanova winning each of the first three, including a 76-73 overtime decision in Indianapolis on Dec. 31, 2013.

Butler is off to a solid start to the 2014-15 campaign, as the team has won 10 of its first 13 games. The Bulldogs, who have split a pair of games against ranked foes already, are in the midst of a modest two-game win streak after taking down visiting UT-Martin (64-37) and Belmont (67-56) on Dec. 22 and 28, respectively.

Villanova is perfect after the first month and a half, going 12-0 as it gets set to embark on another difficult Big East slate. The team's impressive start matches that of two other VU teams for the second-best ever -- the 1948-49 and 1961-62 squads each began the season with 12 straight victories, both of which however, lost in the 13th game. The best start in program history came in 1937-38, when the team won 13 in a row on its way to a 24-4 finish.

The Wildcats, who are currently ranked sixth in the nation and routed NJIT at home on Dec. 23 (92-67) in their last outing, reeled off 11 straight victories to open the 2013-14 campaign before losing at No. 2 Syracuse. They recently topped the Orange in overtime, 82-77, in Philadelphia on Dec. 20.

Roosevelt Jones poured in 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Kellen Dunham contributed 15 points and five boards in Butler's 11-point win over Belmont. The Bulldogs made good on 48.1 percent of their field goal attempts, which included just a 5-of-16 showing from 3-point range, but they held the Bruins to 40.4 percent success from the floor, despite the visitors draining 10 treys. A massive 38-21 edge on the boards certainly helped matters, as did a 12-4 advantage in points from the foul line.

Butler boasts three double-digit scorers on the season, led by Dunham and his 16.6 ppg. Jones and key reserve Kelan Martin round out the trio with 11.2 and 10.0 ppg, respectively, as the team is generates 71.3 ppg in hitting its shots 45.2 percent of the time, including 33.8 percent from out on the perimeter. Defensively, the Bulldogs are permitting only 56.2 ppg, with foes converting only 39.5 percent of their total launches and a mere 28.1 percent from beyond the arc. BU also owns favorable margins in both rebounding (+5.6) and turnovers (+3.7).

Villanova trailed NJIT at the half, 44-41, but then the home team went on a tear, scoring 51 points after the break to claim the 25-point win. Six Wildcats scored in double figures, led by Dylan Ennis with 17 points. Daniel Ochefu logged a double-double consisting of 13 points and 10 rebounds for coach Jay Wright's team, which shot 54.2 percent from the field, knocking down 8-of-18 3-point attempts along the way, and converting 32-of-44 free throws. The 'Cats only committed five turnovers, while the Highlanders were guilty of 17.

Darrun Hilliard leads Villanova's balanced attack this season with 12.6 ppg, but he saw his streak of 79 consecutive starts snapped when he was held out of the NJIT game with a concussion. Hilliard has since been cleared to play, and he is expected back in the lineup today. In addition to Hilliard, Ennis (11.8 ppg), Josh Hart (10.8 ppg), and JayVaughn Pinkston (10.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg) are averaging in double figures as well for a VU squad that is scoring 77.9 ppg while permitting only 59.2 ppg. Ochefu is the team's leading rebounder with 7.4 per outing, the team as a whole logging positive differentials both on the glass (+3.9) and in the turnover battle (+5.3).