No. 6 Villanova at No. 18 Butler

When: Saturday, 6 p.m.

Where: Hinkle Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Ind.)

Television: CBS Sports Network (Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas and Lauren Gardner)

Radio: Villanova IMG Network: 610 WTEL AM /Sirius 92 and XM 202/villanova.com and TuneIn Radio (Ryan Fannon & Whitey Rigsby)

Series: Villanova leads 4-0

Game Notes

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VILLANOVA, Pa. - In its long life span, Hinkle Fieldhouse has seen its share of hoops history. On Saturday night, a new chapter will be added as the building hosts a Top 25 matchup of the teams at the top of the BIG EAST standings, as No. 6 Villanova (22-2 overall, 9-2 BIG EAST) visits No. 18 Butler (18-6 overall, 8-3 BIG EAST).

"It's flattering to hear that people out there are talking about it in those kinds of terms," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright.

This is the Wildcats' second ever visit to Hinkle. Last season, the Bulldogs hosted Villanova in their first ever BIG EAST Conference contest on New Year's Eve, with the `Cats outlasting the home squad 76-73 in overtime in front of a packed house.

"It was a great basketball environment," stated Wright of that experience. "The place was packed and you could just sense the respect and intelligence the fans there have for the game of basketball. It was kind of like basketball heaven."

These two teams renewed acquaintances on Dec. 31, 2014, with the Wildcats prevailing 67-55 at the Pavilion. Ryan Arcidiacono - who enters this game nine points shy of 1,000 for his career at 991 - scored 15 points in that outing while senior JayVaughn Pinkston added 13 points.

Villanova earned the win that day despite being out-rebounded by the margin of 40-29. The boards are an area of concern for Wright and his staff in this one.

"It's part of the design of their offense," noted Wright, "to have rebounders in position if the shots miss. They are really disciplined about it and that makes them an outstanding rebounding team."

Junior Daniel Ochefu helped lead the Wildcats past Providence on Wednesday night, converting all seven of his field goal attempts to finish with 19 points. He also added nine caroms against the Friars.

The Bulldogs last saw action on Saturday and a sellout throng is expected for the rematch in Indianapolis. Bulldogs' head coach Chris Holtmann spoke of his admiration for the Wildcats in a conference call with the media on Thursday.

Stated Holtmann: "Villanova across the board is one of the toughest teams in the country, physically and mentally."

This contest is the second of three games to be played in the span of five days for Villanova. The Wildcats are scheduled to return to Philadelphia after the game Saturday evening and begin preparations for a Monday night duel with Seton Hall, which handed VU its first loss of 2014-15 on Jan. 3 (66-61) at the Prudential Center in Newark. That game is slated for 7 p.m. (Fox Sports 1).

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