Well, it’s safe to say that Nova Nation has seen enough of the Butler Bulldogs. After beating ‘Nova twice last year, Butler handed the Wildcats their first loss of the 2017-18 season on Saturday, 101-93. Butler is responsible for three of ‘Nova’s last five losses.

After a back-and-forth start to the game, Butler created some space between itself and the Wildcats with incredibly hot shooting.

Paul Jorgensen scored 16 first half points, hitting 6-11 shots and 3-6 from three. Jorgensen, Kelan Martin, and Kamar Baldwin combined to shoot 8-14 from three in the opening half. By the time the halftime buzzer sounded, the Bulldogs had shot 57% from the floor and knocked down 10 threes at a 59% clip, taking an eight-point advantage into the break.

Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and Donte DiVincenzo did their best to keep Villanova afloat amid the tidal wave of Butler threes, scoring 13, 11, and 11 points respectively. ‘Nova shot a solid 54% from the floor, and hit seven threes of its own.

Movement and dribble penetration by the Butler offense kept the Wildcats scrambling, leading to open looks for the Bulldogs. But even when Villanova played good defense, Butler still managed to knock down shots.

In addition, Butler shot 3-6 from the free-throw line while Villanova didn’t attempt a free-throw.

Unfortunately, the first half proved to be a sign of things to come. Butler’s hot shooting continued, and for a time it looked like the Wildcats were on their way to being blown out. As the ‘Cats adjusted to try to slow down the three-point barrage, Butler began to take advantage of ‘Nova’s backline with slips and cuts leading to some easy buckets. The lead ballooned to 22, and Villanova looked dead in the water.

The ‘Cats demonstrated impressive resolve, going on a run to get as close as five. Brunson looked on the verge of taking the game over, and an invigorated ‘Nova defense, sparked by the press, began to force turnovers. Ultimately the deficit proved too much to overcome, and Butler walked away with an eight-point victory.

While the late comeback made the final score look much more respectable, and eased some of the agita Nova Nation was feeling about the performance, this game still raised some red flags.

After giving up 52 points in the second half to DePaul on Wednesday, ‘Nova gave up 53 to Butler in the first half. The Bulldogs got another 48 in the second half. That is not Villanova defense. Some of that is due to Butler’s scorching hot shooting, but the Bulldogs ran their offense with precision and seemed unbothered by ‘Nova’s defense. Butler deserves a ton of credit for its execution, but that makes three-straight halves where the ‘Nova D hasn’t been up to standards.

The Wildcats did some good things defensively during their second half run, but it was too little and far too inconsistent. The recent defensive performance won’t get the job done over the long haul.

Rebounding was an issue again as well. After being badly outrebounded by DePaul, including conceding 22 offensive boards, ‘Nova was -10 on the glass against Butler.

The ‘Cats also failed to generate an advantage at the free-throw line, something that is usually automatic for them. ‘Nova was outscored 14-5 at the charity stripe, with Butler making 18 trips to the line to just nine for the ‘Cats.

It’s concerning that those three issues have surfaced in consecutive games, taking a step towards becoming a trend.

Even more concerning is the possibility of these issues becoming exacerbated by the sudden lack of depth, in addition to the fatigue that can come from a short rotation. While Villanova’s valiant attempt at a comeback was partially thwarted by time, tired legs may have played a role as well.

Jalen Brunson missed consecutive free-throws, including the front end of a one-and-one, that could have really put the Bulldogs on their heels. You have to believe that fatigue played a role in those misses.

Looking for positives, the comeback was impressive. Down 22 points, in a hostile environment, with seemingly everything going right for the opponent, it would have been easy for ‘Nova to pack it in and prepare to move on. Instead they went on an impressive run, putting a scare into Butler and the Hinkle Fieldhouse crowd. Despite the deficit, they kept pushing and never appeared unnerved.

Butler played a near-perfect game, at home, and still managed just an eight-point victory. Not to take anything away from the Bulldogs, they played a great game and deserve the win and all the credit, but in most games in which a team shoots 60% from the floor, makes 15 threes and shoots 68% from beyond the arc, is +9 at the free-throw line, and +10 on the glass, the final margin is going to be much greater than eight.

Finally, ‘Nova did a good job taking care of the ball, turning it over just four times.

Jalen Brunson led the way with 31 points. He added five assists, three rebounds, and a steal.

Mikal Bridges had 21 points, three assists, two rebounds, three steals, and a block.

Eric Paschall had another solid offensive game, chipping in 15 points on 7-10 shooting, and he even knocked down a three. He added five rebounds and an assist.

Omari Spellman and Phil Booth both had quiet games, falling off the pace they had set over the last few games. Spellman finished with six points on 2-7 shooting. He couldn’t find his stroke from deep, hitting just 1-4 from beyond the arc. He did add nine rebounds and two blocks. Booth had just four points, shooting 2-6 from the floor and 0-4 from three. He had five rebounds and four assists.

Donte DiVincenzo was solid, with 16 points on 6-12, three steals, two assists, and a rebound.

We warned that the ‘Cats would have to contain Jorgensen and McDermott from deep, and they did not. The pair shot a combined 6-10 from deep. The fact that Martin an Baldwin combined for 7-10 made things much worse.

We also warned about rebounding, and ‘Nova struggled there as well.

Ultimately, Villanova ran into a buzz saw. Butler was playing the first of a stretch of four games that likely will define its season. They were playing at home, a place that happens to be among the most difficult places for opponents to play in the Big East. And they were playing a team that they had beaten twice last season, meaning they wouldn’t be intimidated. We knew the ‘Cats would be tested. We didn’t know Butler would put on a shooting clinic and operate its offense to near-perfection.

The loss is disappointing, and the first loss of the season always has a particular sting to it. There are certainly some things to clean up, and some issues that need to be stomped out. But you have to like the response Villanova showed to being down 22 points, and the way it reacted to a situation where the opposition could seemingly do no wrong. There are going to be a few losses over the course of the season, and now the key is how the Wildcats respond.

‘Nova will look to get back on track next Saturday when Marquette visits the Wells Fargo Center.