Tuesday's game between Butler and Villanova started as a track meet and came to a screeching halt in the second half, but 'Nova built a large enough cushion to hold off the Bulldogs for 72-62 win.

The loss is Butler's third in a row, putting a big dent in its NCAA tournament resume. The Bulldogs entered play as one of the last four teams in the tournament, per updated bracketology. Placed squarely on the bubble with a chance for a Quad 1 win, the Dawgs can't keep giving the selection committee reasons to come them out the Big Dance.

'We've got to put it together.' Butler chooses bad time in the calendar to cool off.

Here's three observations from the loss to Villanova.

Posh Alexander starts strong, fizzles in second half

Alexander may have started too well for his own good. The senior point guard tied his career high in the first half with four made 3-pointers. Alexander finished the first with 12 points, four rebounds and two assists. His hot start helped Butler keep the pace in a first half that featured 14 lead changes.

The scrappy guard missed his next four shots in the second half, as the entire Butler offense suffered long scoring droughts after halftime. Alexander, usually a pass-first guard, forced shots from deep and took ill-advised drives to the basket after halftime.

Another quiet game for DJ Davis

Few players in the Big East have been hotter since the calendar turned to 2024 than Davis. The 6-1 guard has six 20-point outings in 13 games this year. He's averaging 15.4 points in those 13 games and became the top free throw shooter in the nation, shooting 96.5% from the stripe.

Davis is used to being the focal point of opposing scouting reports, but the heart of Big East play has proven difficult for the UC-Irvine transfer. Davis was held scoreless in the first half against Villanova and finished with just four points on 1-for-7 shooting. It's Davis' second single-digit point effort in his past three games.

Davis had several open looks from deep that could've been momentum-changing makes for the sharpshooter. No one will question a shooter of his ability taking open looks, but he's definitely in a slump, shooting 2-for-19 (10.5%) from three over his past three games.

Defense is becoming a problem

Shootouts are certainly fun to watch, but it's not a sustainable way to win. Villanova's offense ranked ninth out of 11 teams in the Big East, but the Dawgs offered little resistance to the Wildcats' scorers Tuesday night.

Brendan Hausen broke free off screens for open 3s. Justin Moore added three treys on five attempts. Villanova's 10 made 3-pointers were two over their season average.

The Dawgs made Nova's leading scorer Eric Dixon work on offense, shooting 6-for-16 from the field, but the senior forward offset his inefficiency from the field by going 8-for-8 from the free throw line.

Aside from a double overtime win against Villanova, and the highest score Big East game in recent history against Creighton, Butler's allowing an average of 65 points in its past four wins. Sixty-five points should be the limit for the Bulldogs' defense. Allowing games to get into the high 70s and 80s, is a tough ask, even for a talented scoring offense like Butler's.

A recommitment to defense is needed down the stretch, especially if the Dawgs want to go dancing.

Villanova vs. Butler box score

BUTLER (16-11): Telfort 7-13 2-2 19, Thomas 2-5 0-0 4, Alexander 4-9 3-4 15, Davis 1-7 2-2 4, Brooks 4-8 0-2 10, Screen 2-3 0-0 4, Bizjack 1-3 0-0 3, L.Moore 1-3 0-0 3. Totals 22-51 7-10 62.

VILLANOVA (15-11): Burton 4-6 0-0 9, Dixon 6-16 8-8 22, Armstrong 2-4 0-0 4, Bamba 2-7 0-0 5, J.Moore 4-7 2-2 13, Longino 3-4 0-0 6, Hausen 4-6 2-2 13, Hart 0-1 0-0 0, Ware 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-51 12-12 72.

Halftime—Villanova 44-35. 3-Point Goals_Butler 11-29 (Alexander 4-6, Telfort 3-6, Brooks 2-6, Bizjack 1-2, L.Moore 1-2, Thomas 0-1, Davis 0-6), Villanova 10-24 (Hausen 3-4, J.Moore 3-5, Dixon 2-8, Burton 1-2, Bamba 1-3, Armstrong 0-1, Hart 0-1). Fouled Out_Screen. Rebounds_Butler 19 (Telfort 7), Villanova 33 (Burton, Dixon 6). Assists_Butler 14 (Alexander, Davis, Bizjack 3), Villanova 12 (Burton, Dixon 3). Total Fouls_Butler 15, Villanova 14.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Butler Bulldogs basketball loses to Villanova in crucial bubble game