All eyes will be on Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island this coming Saturday as rivals Butler and Providence square off in a pivotal Big East clash. Both sides are on the look-out for a huge win this weekend to grab a chance of clinching the second seed in the upcoming Big East tournament.
Who will emerge victorious in this critical showdown? Read on below for a preview of this matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the game between ACC rivals Duke and North Carolina here.
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Butler Bulldogs vs. Providence Friars Betting Preview
Get ready for a frantic finish here in the Big East.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]Butler suffered a shock 60-54 defeat at the hands of the Georgetown Hoyas on Tuesday night to fall into a three-way logjam for second place heading into the final day of the regular season. The Bulldogs simply had no answer for D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera who scored 16 points for the Hoyas, including four free throws in the final 10 seconds that helped seal the win for Georgetown.
It was a surprising defeat for the Bulldogs, who had more rebounds (39-20) and second-chance points (15-2) than the Hoyas, but still ended up the losing the game. What led the Bulldogs to their downfall was their atrocious execution on the offensive end.
They shot just 35.3 percent from the field with their top scorer Kellen Dunham limited to just eight points. The Bulldogs had difficulty dealing with Georgetown’s length as the Hoyas swatted away 10 of their attempts. That is a season-high for a Butler opponent.
The Bulldogs played sloppy basketball the entire game, committing a total of 15 turnovers, way above their season average of 11.2 errors per game. They will need to execute much better against a Providence side that is allowing 65.8 PPG this season, 148th in the entire nation.
The good news for Butler is that Andrew Chrabascz is finally back after missing four games with a broken bone in his right hand. Although he finished with just eight points on 3-of-10 shooting against the Hoyas, his return will still provide a much-needed boost to the Butler offense when the Bulldogs take on the Friars. He is the team’s third leading scorer this season, averaging 11.0 points per game.
Providence extended its winning streak to two games with an impressive 79-66 win Wednesday over the Seton Hall Pirates. The victory kept alive the Friars’ hopes of grabbing the second seed in the Big East tournament as they are now tied with Butler and Georgetown in the team standings with all three teams carrying similar 11-6 conference records.
For a while, though, it seemed like an upset was in the cards as Seton Hall raced to a 37-29 advantage at the halftime break. The Friars were ice-cold from the field, shooting just 26 percent in the first half. Fortunately for head coach Ed Cooley, point guard Kris Dunn was there to save the day as his inspired play helped steer Providence to the comeback win.
Dunn scored all of his 17 points in the second half to provide the spark the Friars desperately needed. Dunn has been a vital cog to the Friars’ success this season, averaging 15.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. He also leads the team not only in assists (7.5 APG) but also in steals (2.8 SPG) as well.
Providing support to Dunn was the pair of Ben Bentil and LaDontae Henton. Bentil had a career-high 21 points and 10 rebounds while Henton scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds. They have been the stalwarts for the Providence frontcourt this season, combining for an average of 26.7 points and 10.6 rebounds per game this campaign.
Key to the Friars’ uprising against the Pirates was their red-hot shooting in the second half. The Friars shot 67 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes. They will have a much harder time, though, executing against a Butler side that is 45th in the entire nation in scoring defense, allowing just 60.9 PPG.
The Friars will take heart, however, in the fact that they have already beaten the Bulldogs this season. Providence defeated Butler, 66-62, on January 6 with Dunn also the hero in that game. He scored a career-high 25 points against the Bulldogs with 20 of those coming in the second half.
