What allowed Butler to hang around all game was their rebounding prowess. They out-rebounded the Wildcats 34-25 on the game. Villanova has many strengths, but rebounding has not been one of them all season long, ranking 164th out of 351 Division 1 teams. They play defense well enough to mask this weakness against some of the less talented teams, but come tournament time, this flaw could be enough to send them home before the sweet sixteen for the second consecutive year.
However, it is refreshing to see that the Wildcat offense is loaded enough to handle a good defensive effort from a team as talented as the Bulldogs. Everybody except for Hilliard had an off game, and they were still able to get the win. When multiple guys get going on offense, who cares about rebounding. But if Villanova can work on being more aggressive in snaring defensive rebounds the rest of the way, we can put them in the same tier as Wisconsin, Duke, and Virginia.
By: Dan Goggin
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