(6) Villanova vs. (18) Butler: Game Recap

An absolute classic was played at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday night that saw the Villanova Wildcats knock off the Butler Bulldogs by a score of 68-65.

Here are three things we learned:

These are the two best teams in the Big East

No disrespect to Georgetown or Providence, who are both very good teams. But Saturday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse, we saw the two best teams in the conference, by far. That was a game for the ages. I said something similar to this on Twitter, and it was met with disdain from Georgetown and Providence fans, but the truth hurts. I know Georgetown beat both of these teams and Providence beat Butler, but context is important. Conference play is dynamic and ever-changing, and right now these two are the best teams.

Darrun Hilliard is an animal

You know what else is dynamic and ever-changing? My opinion on who the Big East Player of the Year should be. Going in to this week it was Kris Dunn, then it became D'Angelo Harrison, now it might be Darrun Hilliard. Hilliard set a career high with 31 points in Saturday's win including eight threes. His final three, of course, was the game winner. You can see that here. Mike Murtaugh will take a look at the candidates for Big East Player of the Year later this week

Butler is starting to develop more scoring threats

All season, Kellen Dunham has been the primary scoring option for the Bulldogs, with Roosevelt Jones sometimes helping carry the load. Over the past month, Andrew Chrabascz has emerged as a nice scoring threat also. Saturday night, Butler's leading scorers were Dunahm and point guard Alex Barlow, who had 19. If the Bulldogs can continue getting offensive production out of guys like Jones, Chrabascz, and Barlow, they will be a very tough team going forth.