Saturday's matinee is going on immediately after noon. It will air on the Fox broadcast network (Fox 29 in Philadelphia) with Brandon Gaudin and Stephen Bardo narrating the action. Ryan Fannon and Whitey Rigsby will have a call on the Villanova iHeart radio network (Sirius Channel 138 XM Channel 201).
Ten of the 11 BIG EAST teams will begin the case on Saturday with the Bulldogs (13-17 overall, 6-13 BIG EAST) fighting the Wildcats in the afternoon. Based on their 76–74 victory over Big East regular season champions Providence on Tuesday, Villanova took the No. 2 seed in next week's Big East tournament, which begins with a Wednesday opening-round game at Madison Square Garden. Is.
The Wildcats will meet the winner of the 7/10 game on Wednesday. With their win over Xavier earlier in the week, St John's took the No. 7 seed. DePaul or Butler will be seeded 10th depending on the results of Saturday's game.
However, it will all be on hold for the Wildcats till Sunday. Meanwhile, No. 11 Villanova (22–7 on aggregate, 15–4 Big East) aims to continue building momentum against the Bulldogs, a team defeated 82–42 at the Wells Fargo Center on January 16. However, Hinkle Fieldhouse has been one of Villanova's most challenging road spots since the Big East's reorganization in 2013–14: 'The Cats Are 4-4' when facing Butler (0–1 in the 2021 NCAA Tournament). Four losses tied with Creighton's Century Link Center for any road BIG EAST facility in that period.
"When we first saw him, Butler was suffering from a lot of injuries," said Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "We put shots that day. We know it's going to be a very different game. They've always been a tough matchup for us, especially at Hinkle."
It would also serve as Butler's "Senior Day", with celebrations planned after the final horns were sounded.
One of the catalysts for Villanova's two-point win on Tuesday night was senior guard Caleb Daniels, who has come off the bench this season (save February 5 against Connecticut when he made the move for injured Justin Moore). The New Orleans native dropped to a season-high 20 points, including eight straight points in the second half and a series of clutch free throws in the final minute, helping the Wildcats catch the No.
"Caleb is a starter for us," Wright said. "He plays the starter's minutes. We have a lot of confidence in him. He's a really confident offensive player and he's a lesser defensive player for us. (Tuesday) we had Jermaine Samuels and he's defending. and was battling them. He was keeping them away from the mirror."
Added Daniels: "It was just confidence and stepping for my teammates. Guys had made plays the whole game and there were moments when I had to step up and make those plays. He was making a free throw, a Was getting shots, getting rebounds, getting stops. Never mind, I had to step up to my brothers and that was all I had on my mind."
The full Big East bracket will be released late Saturday evening after the final regular season games have been played.