VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova will kick off 2025 with a New Year's Day matchup at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse when it meets Butler (7-6 overall, 0-2 BIG EAST) at 6:30 p.m.
 
FS1 will carry the contest live with Jeff Levering and LaPhonso Ellis calling the game. Ryan Fannon and Whitey Rigsby will also be courtside for the audio broadcast on the Villanova Sports Network on IHeart (Sirius XM channel 386).
 
The Wildcats (8-5 overall, 1-1 BIG EAST) have been idle since dropping an 86-79 decision at Creighton on Dec. 21. But the pace of a packed January slate will pick up quickly as this is the first of eight games across the first 24 days of January for Villanova.
 
This marks just the fourth time in program history the Wildcats will take the court for a regular season game on the first day of a new year. Villanova is 2-1 all-time on New Year's Day, downing North Carolina State 91-78 at the Palestra on Jan. 1, 1955, losing 79-72 at Marquette on New Year's Day 2009, and earning a 73-67 win at Seton Hall three years ago.
 
Villanova and Butler have twice met on New Year's Eve since the Bulldogs entered the BIG EAST in 2013. The Wildcats opened the BIG EAST slate on Dec. 31, 2013 with a pulsating 76-73 overtime victory in their first ever appearance at Hinkle. Butler then came to the Pavilion a year later, with the 'Cats picking up a 67-55 win on campus to send out 2014.
 
Last season, the squads split a pair of games, each winning on its home court. Butler rallied in the final minutes on Jan. 27 to post an 88-81 double overtime win.
 
Villanova returned to practice from its Christmas break and has spent that time hoping to bolster a defense that surrendered 14 3-pointers – including converting its first six attempts of the game in Omaha – and ranks tenth in the BIG EAST in Field Goal Percentage Defense (.434) and 3-Point Field Goal Percentage Defense (.369).
 
Conversely, the Wildcats are second in the league in Field Goal Percentage (.490) and atop the conference in 3-Point Field Goal Percentage (.406). Villanova ranks seventh in the advanced metrics of Ken Pomeroy (kenpom.com) for offensive efficiency (122.6 points per 100 possessions).
 
Saturday, at Friends of Nova's WinterFest event at Finneran Pavilion, head coach Kyle Neptune noted that every season brings new challenges. But the contrast between 2023-24 and 2024-25 is rather unique.
 
Last season, for example, the Wildcats connected on 50 percent or more of their field goal attempts six times in 34 outings. Thus far, VU has topped that figure seven times in 13 outings. On the flip side, though, VU's defensive numbers were solid for most of 2023-24.
 
"Even if you bring back your entire team, a season is never identical to the one you had the year before," noted Neptune. "Players get better, your opponents get better. It's always a new challenge.
 
"For us, in this case, we have nine new guys and we've done some good things offensively. But we have had our ups and downs defensively. We defended pretty well against Seton Hall. At Creighton, we scored well but trying to outscore your opponent at this level isn't a recipe for success."
 
The Wildcats have been in the lab, looking to tighten up. That becomes especially important on the road in a venue where VU has dropped its last two decisions, with the Bulldogs averaging 83.5 ppg in those contests.
 
Villanova will bring its share of firepower to Indianapolis. Eric Dixon leads the nation in scoring at 25.8 points per game and will clearly be a focus of every foe's defensive gameplan. Senior Wooga Poplar added 19 points against the Bluejays and Jhamir Brickus insured that Villanova got off to a good offensive start.
 
Following Wednesday night's clash, Villanova is scheduled to return to the Delaware Valley ahead of a Saturday matinee at noon against DePaul (FS1 and the Villanova Sports Network on IHeart).