VILLANOVA, Pa. — Two minutes and 42 seconds into Tuesday’s victory over Butler, Chris Ledlum came out.

He had tweaked his sprained ankle, and needed a brief break.

Rick Pitino could’ve turned in several directions.

There was Glenn Taylor Jr., who had started 12 games and played a vital role as one of the team’s top defenders.

He had the option of going small and bringing in veteran guard Nahiem Alleyne.

Or going big and inserting power forward Drissa Traore.

Pitino chose a different route altogether.

He called on seldom-used freshman Brady Dunlap, who hadn’t appeared in the previous four games and had scored a grand total of 18 points all year.

To Pitino, it was a no-brainer.

The elite-shooting Dunlap had performed extremely well in skill sessions and practices, earning the opportunity.

“We have great confidence in him,” the Hall of Fame coach said. “I was planning on starting him in this game, but Ledlum was ready. If Ledlum wasn’t ready, he was starting because of what he did in practice.”

The 6-foot-7 Californian showed why in a breakout performance.

He scored 13 points, 10 coming in a strong first half, helping St. John’s cruise past Butler.

He sank three 3-pointers and looked sure of himself, far more sure of himself than in other instances.

He defended well, was aggressive and was rewarded with what was by far a season-high of 28 minutes.

Dunlap had managed to stay confident despite struggling to see the court.

One thing that helped him was having another freshman, fellow four-star recruit Simeon Wilcher, going through the exact same situation: trying to carve out roles for themselves on a veteran team.

They do their best to keep each other’s spirits high.

Another factor was he was prepared to watch more than play this season.

The son of longtime Division I assistant coach Jeff Dunlap, when he committed to St. John’s Dunlap did so knowing his role wasn’t likely to be significant as a freshman.

This winter would be more about development.

“I wasn’t coming to this program expecting lots of minutes,” he said. “I just wanted to get as good as I can throughout this year. At the same time, always staying ready if [Pitino] does call my name. I don’t want to be on the bench and not prepared to go into this game.”

Where Dunlap goes from here is uncertain.

St. John’s could certainly use his shooting ability — it is only hitting 34.1 percent as a team from beyond the arc — and now that it is playing more zone, the rail-thin freshman won’t be as easily exposed on the defensive end.

Plus, Ledlum is a question mark to play Saturday against Villanova with his sprained ankle, which could mean an even bigger role for Dunlap.

Pitino joked that Dunlap has so much belief in himself, he thinks he’s Jerry West when he’s on the floor.

The coach likes that he’s not afraid of contact, despite his slim frame.

There is a chance he could become a fixture in the rotation if he can build off his performance against Butler.

“He is going to develop into a great player,” Pitino said. “I’m not going to tell you he is going to be Chris Mullin, but he is going to be a great scorer at St. John’s with the likes of a Chris Mullin. He’s only a freshman, but he is going to be a great one.”