Big East foes will collide when the No. 16 Providence Friars (15-3) face the No. 18 Butler Bulldogs (13-4) at Dunkin’ Donuts Center. Action begins at 6:30 pm ET on Tuesday, Jan. 19 and can be seen on FS1.
The Friars are hoping to rebound after their 81-72 loss to Seton Hall on Saturday. Ben Bentil was the team’s leading scorer with 21 points. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, are coming off a 78-58 win against St. John’s on Saturday. Kelan Martin claimed his third double-double of the season with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Friars winning the first matchup 81-73. Rodney Bullock finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds.
Providence is a slim two-point favorite at home against Butler. The matchup has an estimated Over/Under (O/U) of 147 points. The Friars have gone 15-3 Straight Up (SU) and 10-7 Against The Spread (ATS). Providence is one of the most disciplined teams in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.40.
As for their opponent, the Bulldogs have 13-4 SU and 8-9 ATS records. Offensively, they average 77.7 points per game on the road, which is 33rd in the country. The Bulldogs convert their free throws at a high percentage, ranking 45th in the nation at .733. The Bulldogs are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking 17th in Division I at 1.55.
The Friars’ win over Butler in their last game bumped their SU record to 4-1 over Butler in their most recent meetings. Furthermore, Providence holds the advantage ATS with a record of 4-1. Providence held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, Butler never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Butler, ATS Winner – Butler, O/U – Over
Notes
Providence is 15-3 SU in its last 18 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Providence’s last 7 games.
Providence is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
Providence holds a 3-2 record this season against teams in the Big East Conference. Butler is 2-3 in conference matchups.
Butler scores 77.7 points per away game (ranked 33rd). Providence ranks a poor 162nd in points allowed at home, allowing 67.2 points.
The Butler Bulldogs rank ninth for their offensive rating of 120.1. The Providence Friars have a defensive rating of 95.3 (ranked 39th).
Butler is ranked 24th in the country with an average field goal percentage of 48.8%. Providence is an even 1-1 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Providence Friars and the Butler Bulldogs both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Providence is 246th and 217th in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Butler ranks 42nd and 24th in these categories.
Providence ranks 74th in assists, recording 15.3 per game. Butler ranks 70th with 15.5 assists per game.
Providence, the 93rd-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 4.3 per game. Butler does worse, ranked 220th with 3.0.
Opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 21.5% when playing Providence this season. Butler is undefeated (1-0) when its TO% is 21.5% or higher.
