No. 11 Villanova cruises by Butler in regular-season finale

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Justin Moore scored 16 points, Jermaine Samuels added 15, and No. 11 Villanova broke away early to beat Butler 78-59 Saturday in their regular-season finale.

The Wildcats (23-7, 16-4 Big East) will be the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament.

The Bulldogs (13-18, 6-14) take a five-game losing streak into the tourney.

Villanova scored 11 straight points during a 20-1 run that made it 23-4. The Wildcats were up by 28 midway through the second half.

Caleb Daniels and Collin Gillespie each scored 11 points and Jordan Longino had 10 for Villanova. The Wildcats shot 49% while holding the Bulldogs to 36%, including a 1-for-11 start.

Chuck Harris led Butler with 19 points. Bo Hodges had 12 points and six rebounds.

Villanova routed visiting Butler 82-42 on Jan. 16. That was the Bulldogs’ worst loss since No. 4 North Carolina beat them 104-64 in 1994.

WATCHING THE TALENT

With the NFL scouting combine in town, coaches Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs and Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks were at the game.

BIG PICTURE

Villanova: The Wildcats, who had lost four of their past five games at Butler, were dominant this time in a strong tune-up game for the Big East tournament. Villanova has won seven of its last eight games with the only setback a 71-69 loss at then-No. 21 UConn on Feb. 22.

Butler: The Bulldogs had seven players go through senior day, including starters Aaron Thompson, Bryce Nze, and Hodges. Bryce Golden, a senior starter, announced he will use the pandemic waiver to return next season.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

No. 11 Villanova will likely improve its ranking with the home victory over No. 9 Providence Tuesday and the lopsided win over Butler.

UP NEXT

Butler: Will be the No. 9 or 10 seed in the Big East tournament.

Villanova: Will be the No. 2 seed in the Big East tournament, opening play Thursday.

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