The Butler Bulldogs (19-9) and the Big East’s top-ranked offense welcome the Seton Hall Pirates (21-7) and the seventh-ranked defense in the conference. Action starts at 8:30 pm ET on Wednesday, Mar. 2 and will air on FS1.
The Bulldogs barely escaped Georgetown 90-87 on Saturday. Kellen Dunham was the game’s leading scorer with 29 points on 9-for-18 shooting. The Pirates, meanwhile, are coming off a 90-81 win over Xavier on Sunday. Desi Rodriguez claimed his third double-double of the season with 27 points and 12 rebounds.
Over the last five games, Rodriguez and Isaiah Whitehead have upped their production for the Pirates. During that stretch, Rodriguez has averaged 19.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.2 three-pointers. Not to be outdone, Whitehead has put up 21.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 2.2 steals, 2.8 blocks, and 3.8 three-pointers.
The game should be a matchup of strength against strength, as the productive offense of Butler (16th in the nation with an offensive efficiency of 116.0) takes on the elite defense of Seton Hall (15th in the nation with a defensive efficiency of 94.8).
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Bulldogs winning the first matchup 81-75. Isaiah Whitehead had a double-double in the loss with 26 points and 10 assists.
The Bulldogs look to build on their records of 19-9 Straight Up (SU) and 14-13-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 8-2 ATS over their last 10 games. Few teams in the nation have a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than Butler, which ranks 30th at 1.43.
Across the court, the Pirates head into the game with records of 19-8 ATS and 21-7 SU. The Pirates have controlled the glass with an average of 40.4 rebounds per game, 22nd in the country. The last 10 games have really brought the worst out of the Pirates on the defensive end. They allowed 72.0 points per game during that span, which is higher than their season average of 66.5. The Pirates allow very few three-pointers on defense with 6.0 given up per game. They average 4.8 blocks per game, good for 45th in the nation.
In their previous meeting this season, Butler beat Seton Hall, moving its SU record against Seton Hall to 5-1 in their most recent head-to-head meetings. Furthermore, Butler holds the advantage ATS with a record of 6-0. Butler held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, Seton Hall never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Butler, ATS Winner – Butler
Notes
Butler is one of the highest-scoring teams in the nation, averaging 80.6 points per game (ranked 19th). Seton Hall allows 66.5 points per game (ranked 47th).
Seton Hall scores 72.7 points per away game (ranked 99th). Butler ranks a poor 120th in points allowed at home, allowing 67.9 points.
The Butler Bulldogs have a defensive rating of 101.1 (ranked 100th), while the Seton Hall Pirates have an offensive rating of 105.8 (ranked 187th).
Butler has an average field goal percentage of 46.5%. Seton Hall is 2-3 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Butler Bulldogs and the Seton Hall Pirates both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Butler is 93rd and 57th in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Seton Hall ranks 224th and 171st in these categories.
Butler ranks 30th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.43. Seton Hall is ranked lower at 207th with an A/TO of 1.00.
The Seton Hall Pirates average 40.4 rebounds per game and are ranked 22nd. The Butler Bulldogs average 36.9 rebounds per game, ranked 137th.
When it comes to offensive rebounds, Seton Hall ranks 25th. Butler ranks 183rd in defensive rebounds.
On average, Butler forces a turnover rate of 19.3%. When Seton Hall turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has an outstanding 11-3 record.
