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Butler will wrap up the regular season by playing Villanova at Finneran Pavilion. The 6 p.m. Wednesday night tip will stream on FloSports.com.
GameDay
Date: Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Time: 6:00 PM ET
Location: Villanova, Pa. – Finneran Pavilion
Live Stats: Villanova.com (Statbroadcast)
Watch: FloSports.com
Bulldog Bits
– Hinkle Fieldhouse was sold out when Butler hosted #5 UConn on Feb. 22.
– The contest was the first sold out game in Butler women’s basketball history.
– Butler outscored UConn 25-22 in the third quarter.
– BU made five of their nine 3-pointers against UConn in the third frame.
– Lily Carmody led Butler with five assists against the Huskies.
– Carmody has 13 assists over her last three games.
– Kilyn McGuff and Lily Zeinstra combined to score 26 of Butler’s 47 points against UConn.
– Zeinstra led BU in scoring in each game last week posting 18 vs. Xavier and 13 vs. UConn.
– McGuff has reached double figure scoring in 13 of Butler’s last 15 games.
– McGuff leads the BIG EAST in double-doubles with 10 on the year.
– McGuff’s last double-double came against Villanova when she posted 19 points and 15 rebounds.
– McGuff ranks fourth in the league in rebounds per game (8.0), sixth in minutes (33.4) and ninth in free throw percentage (77.1).
– McGuff has pulled down at least five rebounds against every BIG EAST team this season.
– McGuff ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in made 3-pointers with 55. 39 of her 55 have been made against conference foes.
– McGuff will be in the starting lineup for the 90th time in her career on Wednesday night.
– Carmody set career-high totals vs. Villanova in the first meeting going 8-for-10 from the charity stripe.
– Butler leads the BIG EAST in free throw attempts per game (16.8).
– Cristen Carter has made two or more field goals in each of Butler’s last four games.
BIG EAST Standings
UConn 16-0, 26-3
Creighton 15-1, 23-4
Marquette 11-5, 19-8
Seton Hall 11-5, 19-8
Villanova 10-6, 16-12
DePaul 7-9, 12-17
Butler 5-12, 15-15
Providence 5-12, 12-18
St. John’s 4-12, 14-13
Georgetown 4-12, 11-16
Xavier 1-15, 6-21
Scouting Villanova
The Wildcats lost 63-56 at Providence on Sunday afternoon to move their overall record to 16-12 and 10-6 in BIG EAST play. Maddie Webber led Nova with 17 points against the Friars. Webber and Jasmine Bascoe give head coach Denise Dillon a powerful one-two punch on the offensive end. Bascoe averages nearly 16 points per game, shooting 43 percent from the field and is third on the team in made 3-pointers with 36 on the year. Webber averages 13.4 per contest and leads the team with 48 makes from behind the arc. Villanova had won three-straight before losing to Providence on their Senior Day. The Bulldogs will try to spoil Senior Day for a Wildcat team that will recognize five players on Wednesday night.
All-Time Series
Villanova leads the all-time series against Butler 17-7. Butler’s win over Villanova last year on Feb. 17 was their first against the Wildcats since Feb. 9, 2020. Nova narrowly won at Hinkle Fieldhouse earlier this year to increase their advantage in the series.
Last Game vs. The Wildcats
Jasmine Bascoe connected on a pair of free throws with 6.2 seconds left in the game to help Villanova defeat Butler 63-59. Bascoe ended the game with 16 points, six rebounds, five helpers and three steals. Maddie Webber scored 19 points while Denae Carter had 10 points on 5-for-9 shooting for the Wildcats. Butler’s Kilyn McGuff went 7-for-14 from the field and 4-for-8 from beyond the arc to finish with 19 points. McGuff added 15 rebounds to her stat line. Butler had a 34-30 edge in rebounding.
Take Care of It
Villanova used a full-court press against Butler in the first meeting to create 19 BU turnovers. The Wildcats scored 30 points off BU miscues to help them claim a four-point win. Once they settled in, Butler was credited for 20 assists on their 20 made field goals in the game.
Grand Finale
Butler has not won their regular season finale since March 1, 2021 when they traveled to Chicago to upset #25 DePaul 86-81.
Sold Out Crowd
9,100 fans attended the game between Butler and #5 UConn on Saturday afternoon marking the first sold out game in Butler women’s basketball history! The new attendance record doubled the old record that was set earlier this season when 4,135 fans packed Hinkle Fieldhouse to watch Butler defeat Indiana 56-46 on Nov. 13. Heading into 2024-25, the single-game attendance record for the women’s program was set at 2,772. That was another game against UConn, played on Jan. 12, 2022.
Tournament Talk
The upcoming BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Tournament will be played at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Tournament coverage begins with a first-round tripleheader on Friday, March 7. The title game will be played on Monday, March 10. If the season ended today, Butler would play as the No. 7 seed against No. 10 seed Georgetown, a team that they swept during the regular season.
Path To the Seven Seed
Wednesday’s game is crucial for each team when looking at the conference standings. Villanova is one game behind Marquette and Seton Hall and they have to play at Creighton this weekend. A win for the Bulldogs would get Butler to six conference wins and keep the Bulldogs in line for the No. 7 seed. Providence is battling Butler for the seven seed. They wrap up the regular season on Saturday at Georgetown.
Around the BIG EAST
Here is what we know about tournament seeding heading into the final week of the regular season. UConn and Creighton have each clinched a first round bye and the top-two seeds. Marquette, Seton Hall, and Villanova have also clinched a first-round bye. DePaul is locked into the No. 6 seed and Xavier is the No. 11 seed.
Kilyn Reached 1,000 Career Points
Kilyn McGuff reached 1,000 career points in the second half of Butler’s game at #6 UConn. She scored a team-high 17 against the Huskies to move her career total to 1,006. She has scored 374 points as a Bulldog and had 723 over her previous three years at Belmont.
What’s Missing?
Caroline Strande and Jordan Meulemans are both out for the season. Meulemans was sidelined just days before Butler’s first game and Strande suffered a season-ending injury on Dec. 29 vs. Seton Hall. Strande was a Second Team All-BIG EAST selection last year and became the first Bulldog in program history to lead the team in points, rebounds and assists during the same season. Meulemans made 61 3-pointers last year, shooting 42 percent from behind the arc.
18 3-Pointers
Butler set a single-game program record against Saint Francis by hitting 18 3-pointers. Eight different players made at least one 3-pointer and no Bulldog made more than four. As a team, BU shot 56.3 percent from behind the arc, making 18 of their 32 attempts.
10 Wins
BU recorded 10 non-conference wins for just the second time since joining the BIG EAST. Butler went 6-2 in November, highlighting the month with a 56-46 home win over Indiana. The victory came in front of 4,135 fans.
Up Next
Butler won’t be in action this weekend while they wait for their BIG EAST peers to wrap up regular season play. Fans can check ButlerSports.com four upcoming tournament information.
