INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – No. 10/12 Villanova is back in action on Wednesday night when it visits historic Hinkle Field House for the seventh time to meet No. 19 Butler (17-5 overall, 5-4 BIG EAST). Tipoff is set for just after 6:30 p.m.
 
The game will air nationally on FS1 with Gus Johnson and Bill Raftery courtside. Ryan Fannon and Whitey Rigsby will have the call on 610 ESPN Radio and the TuneIn app everywhere.
 
On Saturday, Villanova (17-4 overall, 7-2 BIG EAST) saw its seven-game winning streak snapped by Creighton, 76-61. The Bluejays jumped into the Top 25 of the Associated Press poll on Monday at No. 22. The sledding gets no easier for the 'Cats, who will host No. 12 Seton Hall on Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center, after meeting the nationally ranked Butler first.
 
For now, however, every bit of the Wildcats' energy is centered on the Bulldogs, whom they knocked off 15 days ago at Finneran Pavilion, 76-61.
 
"We try to take each game the same, and learn from it, even if we win," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright following a practice session Tuesday at Finneran Pavilion. "When we lose we try to do the same thing. So I hope everything's been the same.
 
"We've had two good days of practice after we took Sunday off. I think we're good. Ready to get out to Butler."
 
Villanova is 4-2 in its previous trips to Hinkle, including an 80-72 triumph over the Bulldogs here last season.
 
"Hinkle Field House is a totally different experience than anywhere else you go," noted Wright. "The noise, the feel, how Butler plays. They got a lot of open shots here that we're trying to shore up. They make those shots at Hinkle."
 
Without a scholarship senior, Villanova's roster has absorbed new experiences continuously since the campaign began on Nov. 5. That remains so even in February with 21 games already on the ledger. On Wednesday the Wildcats will once again meet an opponent for the second time, as they did Saturday after having bested Creighton 64-59 in Omaha on Jan. 7.
 
"One of the things we didn't do well was make adjustments from the first time we played them," Wright said. "I thought Creighton adjusted really well. I'm not sure we did a good job of understanding that that team was going to be a lot better the second time we faced them than we were when we saw them the first time.
 
"You hope our guys learned a great lesson from the Creighton game. We also beat this team once. Butler is going to make adjustments. They're going to play a lot better at home than they did in the first game. We showed guys (video of) shots in the first game that Butler normally makes. We know we've got to be prepared for that."
 
Junior forward Jermaine Samuels practiced each of the last two days for the Wildcats. Samuels returned to the lineup Saturday, logging 29 minutes and scoring eight points to go with six rebounds, after missing Villanova's Jan. 28 game at St. John's due to a sprained left foot. Wright indicated Samuels would be available against the Bulldogs.
 
The 2019-20 season – Villanova's 100^th college basketball campaign – is presented by Hartford Funds and Coca-Cola.