Friars Try To Stay Atop Big East Standings vs Bulldogs
Butler On Three-Game Slide
The Butler Bulldogs try to avoid a fourth straight loss when they take on the No. 21 Providence Friars in a Big East matinee on Sunday. The opening tip for this contest is scheduled for noon ET at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, RI.
The Bulldogs (9-9, 2-5 Big East) have dropped three games over the past week, including two in a row to Connecticut in a back-to-back on Tuesday and Thursday. Butler is a game out of the basement of the conference standings and sitting 3½ games behind the first-place Friars.
Providence (15-2, 5-1) is on a two-game winning streak, including a victory over Georgetown on Thursday night. The Friars had 12 days off between victories due to COVID-19 issues within the program.
If you’re going to bet online on this contest, the college basketball lines have the Friars as nine-point favorites at home, with the over/under set at 127 points.
Busy Time
The Bulldogs have been busy of late, with Sunday’s game being the team’s fifth Big East game over an 11-day span. That was necessitated by the team’s postponed game with Connecticut on Jan. 1 due to COVID-19 issues in the Huskies’ program, which brought two games between the teams prior to this contest.
Butler has been struggling on the offensive end over its three-game losing streak, failing to reach 60 points in any of the three setbacks. It certainly doesn’t help that the Bulldogs are facing their sixth game against a ranked opponent in their last seven games, and the first five over that span ended up being losses.
For coach LaVall Jordan’s squad to break that string, it will need a big game from sophomore guard Chuck Harris, who is the team’s only player averaging in double figures in scoring with 10.2 points per game. Harris is shooting just 34% from the floor this season, including 32.5% from 3-point range, but he must be aggressive to try to get some points on the board for the Bulldogs.
Jayden Taylor is another player with the potential to have a big game for the Bulldogs. The freshman guard is averaging 9.7 points per game, but he went for 19 points in Tuesday’s loss to Connecticut before following that up with just two points in Thursday’s setback.
Looking Good
The Friars looked sharp despite their long layoff between games in topping Georgetown on Thursday night, 83-75. The team had been quarantined for a few days and only had a couple of days of practice before hitting the floor against the Hoyas, but it came away with its 10th win in 11 games.
“Obviously playing a game with short preparation, coming out of that pause, you just don’t know how you’re going to play,” Providence coach Ed Cooley said after Thursday’s win. “I was really happy with the way we performed for the most part. I thought our guys did a great job with their wind.”
The Friars have had a balanced attack this season, and Thursday’s game was no exception, with four players scoring in double figures and three others finishing with nine points. Guard Al Durham and forward Ed Croswell each had 15 points to lead the charge, while forward Noah Horchler chipped in with 14 points.
Center Nate Watson has been the team’s leading scorer this season, averaging 13.8 points along with 6.1 rebounds. Watson is shooting 56.5% from the floor, just under his 58.3% shooting from the free-throw line.
Durham is averaging 13.4 points, while Horchler chips in with 10.1 points per game. Horchler is the team’s top shooter from beyond the arc, connecting on 42.4% of his shots from 3-point range.
Friars Roll
Providence has been playing well when it’s been able to get on the court, and it should be able to handle a struggling Butler squad in this one. The Bulldogs just don’t have enough offense to pick up the win on the road.
When making your college basketball picks, take Providence to win and cover at home.
- Pick: Providence Friars -9
