Villanova fans have had their fair share of “Hinkle Horrors” playing at Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse. On the first day of 2025, they got a welcome change of pace as Villanova engineered a turnaround for the ages in Indianapolis, walking out of Hinkle with a 73-65 win.

The teams played a tight first half, with neither leading by more than five. The Wildcats hit three of their first four shots to open the game but then made just one of their next 10. Despite that stretch, they only trailed by five, and when Eric Dixon broke the cold spell with back-to-back threes ‘Nova retook a one-point lead midway through the period. The teams continued to trade blows before a late three by Finaly Bizjack sent the Bulldogs to the break with a one-point advantage.

The first eight minutes of the second half went similarly, with the teams trading the lead a few times but Butler maintaining a one-point lead with 12:22 to play. It was then that the wheels began to fall off, conjuring those Hinkle Horror flashbacks.

Butler used a 7-0 to push the lead to eight and would extend that run to 19-7 to take a 13-point lead with 6:03 to play. Frankly, Villanova looked dead in the water.

And then everything changed.

Villanova locked in on both ends of the floor and started chipping away at the lead. Within two minutes, the Butler lead was down to seven after six straight points from ‘Nova. A Jordan Longino three at 2:24 extended the Villanova run to 11-0 and pulled the ‘Cats to within two. After another stop, Dixon drained a three to put ‘Nova back in front with 1:35 to play. A layup from Longino, followed by two free throws, extended the ‘Nova to run to 18-0 and put the ‘Cats up five with one minute to play.

A Bizjack free throw with 27 seconds left finally put an end to the ‘Nova run, but it was too little, too late for the shell-shocked Bulldogs. Jhamir Brickus and Longino would ice the game from the free throw line as the ‘Cats walked out of Hinkle with an improbable eight-point win. All told, the ‘Cats ended the game on a 22-1 run, not allowing a single Butler field goal over the final 6:03.

It was as remarkable a turnaround as you’ll ever see. Villanova looked lost and listless as the Bulldogs built their lead to 13. Combined with the dwindling clock and the Hinkle crowd it looked certain the ‘Cats were headed for a disappointing loss. Instead, they played nearly flawless basketball over the final six minutes, absolutely dominating and willing themselves to a truly astonishing win.

“We just talked about getting stops,” Kyle Neptune said. “They were getting to the rim at will. Luckily down the stretch we started to string together some stops.”

“I think we got something like nine straight stops,” Neptune added. “I thought that was what got it done.”

Dixon continued to be the offensive engine for ‘Nova, pouring in 28 points on 10-20 shooting, including 5-10 from three. He added four rebounds, three assists and a steal.

On this night it was Wooga Poplar’s turn to play Robin. Poplar chipped in 18 points (7-13 shooting), 15 rebounds, three assists and a steal.

Jordan Longino was the only other Wildcat in double figures, scoring 12. He added four rebounds, four assists and two steals and made some huge plays for ‘Nova down the stretch.

Speaking of making huge plays down the stretch, Kris Parker was impressively impactful in his 16 minutes of action. 10 of those 16 minutes came in the second half, including the majority of the final 8:30 of the game. His stat line doesn’t jump off the page (four points, one rebound, one block) but he was a team-high +17, highlighting his impact, particularly in Villanova’s game-flipping run.

“He’s [Parker] another guy, similar to Wooga, really long, athletic,” Neptune said. “A guy who can guard multiple positions. I thought he gave us a huge spark defensively, made some plays, but most of all his body defensively made a difference.”

Brickus chipped in nine points and four assists, while Enoch Boakye was held scoreless but pulled down 14 rebounds.

It was an impressive show of resolve from the Wildcats, and Neptune credited his players for staying engaged.

“I thought our guys just kept battling,” Neptune said. “Our guys were locked in, they were talking to each other, they were into it telling each other to get stops and they came out and did it.”

Villanova will look to build on the exhilarating win when it hosts Butler on Saturday.