Big East foes will lock horns when the Butler Bulldogs (13-6) face the DePaul Blue Demons (7-12) at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Jan. 27 and can be seen on CCS.
The Bulldogs are hoping to rebound after their 72-64 loss to Creighton on Saturday. Despite the loss, Kelan Martin earned his fifth double-double this season with 22 points and 11 rebounds. The Blue Demons, meanwhile, are coming off a 57-56 win against Marquette on Wednesday. Myke Henry claimed his second double-double of the season with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
Over the last five games, Kellen Dunham has taken his game to another level for the Bulldogs, averaging 20.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.8 steals, and 3.8 three-pointers.
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Bulldogs winning the first matchup 77-72. Tommy Hamilton IV had a standout performance with 19 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and one steal in the loss.
This one isn’t expected to be close when Butler, a substantial 13-point favorite, takes on DePaul. According to the oddsmakers, the Over/Under (O/U) is currently 148 points. The Bulldogs have gone 13-6 Straight Up (SU) and 8-11 Against The Spread (ATS). The Bulldogs have no trouble scoring as they rank 23rd in the nation in offense with 82.3 points per game. Butler is one of the most disciplined teams in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.47. Butler’s three-point defense can be considered one of the best in the nation. The Bulldogs allow a .312 opponent three-point field goal percentage, one of the lowest shooting rates in the nation.
In the other locker room, the Blue Demons have records of 7-11 ATS and 7-12 SU.
With the Bulldogs’ last win against DePaul, their SU record is now 4-1 over DePaul in their most recent games. With a 3-2 record, the Blue Demons have the advantage ATS. Butler held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, DePaul never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Butler, ATS Winner – Butler, O/U – Over
Notes
Butler is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games.
Butler is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games.
Butler is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games at home.
Butler is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing DePaul.
Butler is one of the top-scoring teams in the nation, averaging 82.3 points per game (ranked 23rd). DePaul, on the other hand, allows 72.6 points per game (ranked 205th).
In its last game, DePaul won by a margin of one point. Butler is 1-1 in games decided by a margin of three points or less. DePaul has a 2-0 record in close games.
On average, Butler has 69.7 possessions per game and scores 1.180 points on each possession. DePaul has both fewer possessions (67.9) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.020).
The Butler Bulldogs average an effective field goal percentage of 53.2% this season. The DePaul Blue Demons have a losing record of 2-5 when opponents have an eFG% of 53.2% or greater.
On average, the Butler Bulldogs attempt 18.0 three point field goals per game and the DePaul Blue Demons attempt 16.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 threes, Butler has a winning 4-1 record, while DePaul is 2-3.
The Butler Bulldogs rank 23rd with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.47, while the DePaul Blue Demons rank outside the top 100 (295th) with an A/TO of .86.
DePaul makes an average of 4.5 steals per game. Butler has a solid 8-4 record when it allows at least 4 steals.
