Villanova, PA (My Sportsbook) - The 24th-ranked Villanova Wildcats welcome the Bucknell Bison to The Pavilion for a non-conference contest.

Bucknell has jumped out to a 2-0 start thanks to a 55-52 decision over Albany at home and a 71-57 road decision over Towson on Wednesday. The Bison have four first-year starters in the lineup, and the top three reserves are all true freshmen.

Villanova opened its season back on November 9th with an 86-64 romp over Stony Brook, and the team has been idle since that contest. The Wildcats participate in the talent-packed Big East and are expected to challenge the likes of Georgetown for the title.

Villanova holds a 13-9 series lead over Bucknell, including a three victories over the Bison since 2001.

In Wednesday's victory over Towson, Bucknell got 21 points from John Griffin, the single best scoring effort of his career. The only other double-digit scorer for the Bison was Justin Castleberry, as he tallied 16 points. Strong defense was clearly the key to the win, as Bucknell limited Towson to 33.9 percent shooting from the field, including 25 percent from three-point range. Through two outings, Bucknell is getting 13.5 ppg apiece from Castleberry and Griffin. Patrick Behan is contributing 12.5 ppg for the Bison, who are netting 63.0 ppg while limiting the opposition to 54.5 ppg.

Shane Clark led the way for Villanova in the season-opening victory over Stony Brook, as he tallied 25 points. Malcolm Grant pitched in 16 points for the Wildcats, who got 14 points from Dante Cunningham and 13 points from Scottie Reynolds. The top rookie in the Big East a year ago, Reynolds also dished out six assists against only one turnover in the opener. The Wildcats connected on 55.4 percent of their field goal attempts in that contest, including a 50 percent effort from three-point range. It also helped matters that 'Nova finished with 19 assists against only eight turnovers and earned a 35-19 rebounding advantage.