Collin Gillespie scored nine straight points during a second-half run in Villanova's win at Butler.
Trailing 44-43 early in the second half, Villanova used a 12-0 run – sparked by three 3-pointers from Collin Gillespie – to take control of the game and defeat Butler 80-72 at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The win keeps the Wildcats unbeaten in BIG EAST play at 6-0 and 15-4 overall. The three Villanova league road wins this season are at the three venues where they lost last year – Butler, Creighton and Providence.
Butler (12-8, 3-4) was led by Aaron Thompson’s 15 points. Sean McDermott added 14 points and seven rebounds.
With Villanova’s road triumph, home teams hold only a 17-14 edge in conference play.
Both conference contests on Wednesday will be televised on FS1. At 6:30 p.m. ET, Xavier hosts Providence at Cintas Center. The Musketeers (11-8, 3-3) have five players averaging in double figures led by Naji Marshall, who averages 13.3 points per game and ranks fifth in the league in rebounding at 7.4. Providence (11-7, 1-4) is led by Alpha Diallo, who averages 17.2 points, a league-leading 8.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists. The Friars, who have never won at Cintas Center, took the last meeting between the two teams 75-72 in overtime in the BIG EAST Tournament semifinals.
At 8:30 p.m., Marquette hosts DePaul at Fiserv Forum. The Golden Eagles (16-3, 5-1) are off to their best BIG EAST start since the 2012-13 team also began 5-1. The Blue Demons (11-6, 3-3), who are enjoying their best league start since the 2014-15 squad began 5-2, will be aiming for their third straight BIG EAST road victory. The teams will be meeting for the 124th time. Marquette has taken 12 of the last 15 meetings, but each team won on its home court last season.