Butler at Providence: College basketball game preview, TV schedule, prediction
This will be the first meeting of the new conference season between Butler and Providence. Will home court hold serve or will the Bulldogs win on the road?
Matchup: Butler Bulldogs at Providence Friars
Date and Time: Monday, January 15th at 4:30 p.m. ET
TV schedule: Fox Sports 1
Location: Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, RI.
This matchup between Butler and Providence is incredibly important for both teams. For Butler, they would be able to add a quality road to their resume with a win. The Bulldogs already look poised to reach the NCAA Tournament this year but every win counts. They are coming off of a much-needed home win over Marquette to get back on track after a three-game losing streak. The team has already had to face Villanova, Xavier, Seton Hall, and Creighton in the early part of this season. This upcoming stretch of games is extremely important as they will be favored in the majority of them.
Providence, on the other hand, is on the NCAA Tournament bubble and needs to take advantage of what could be a Group 1 game by the end of the year. Butler is right on the fringe of being an RPI top-25 team and beating them at home would qualify as a Group 1 win. The Friars already have a win over Xavier at home and adding another quality win such as this one could go a long way.
Butler Bulldogs (13-6, 3-3)
Butler Bulldogs Basketball
It is clear that the Butler Bulldogs are led by Kelan Martin and Kamar Baldwin this season. The two stars are having an incredible season so far and their play in the conference slate so far has been unreal. Both players rank within the top five in the conference in scoring through their first six games. In these contests, Martin is leading the Big East at 25.0 points per game while Baldwin sits at fifth with 21.0 per game.
While Martin is typically the go-to scorer for the Bulldogs, it is Baldwin who doubles as the team’s lockdown defender. These two showed how special they are in Butler’s win over Marquette. On the offensive end, Martin paced the way with 37 points, a career-high. Defensively, Baldwin contributed strongly in locking down the Golden Eagles’ top scorer, Markus Howard.
The other key players for Butler include Paul Jorgensen and Tyler Wideman. Jorgensen is the third-leading scorer on the team and the top threat from beyond the arc. He has limitless range and no hesitation when it comes to getting his shot off. Wideman is a consistent producer down low. He is rarely going to be the leading scorer for the Bulldogs but knows his role as a rebounder, screener, and defender.
Providence Friars (12-6, 3-2)
Providence comes into this game riding a two-game winning streak. They have moved over .500 in conference play and are rising up the Bracketology ranks. If the Friars continue to play well, we could easily see them back in the NCAA Tournament. The team is finally healthy after dealing with many injuries and it is showing on the floor. Kyron Cartwright is playing his best ball of the year and he is the engine that drives this team.
For the year, Cartwright is averaging 10.7 points and 6.1 assists per game. These numbers are slightly down from where they were a year ago due to injury but are still indicative of his play. Cartwright is an elite playmaker at the college level and gets his own buckets as well. Of course, you cannot be an elite playmaker without teammates who can finish off their shot attempts.
Leading the way in this department is Rodney Bullock. The senior forward is the top scoring option for the Friars this season with an average of 16.6 points per game. He has the ability to score from both inside and out as he shoots over 35% from three.
The other key players to watch for Providence are Alpha Diallo and Jalen Lindsey. Diallo is second on the team in both scoring (11.8 points) and rebounding (5.7 boards) as an integral part of the rotation. Lindsey is the best 3-point shooting threat for the Friars. He is connecting on 47.3% of his threes this season (5.5 3PA per game) while scoring 9.9 per contest.
Team Statistics
Butler Bulldogs
Providence Friars
PPG: 80.8 (53rd)
Points against: 72.8 (194th)
FG percentage: 48.3% (40th)
FG% against: 44.9% (239th)
3P percentage: 35.0% (180th)
3P% against: 37.9% (317th)
W/L streak: 1W
PPG: 76.8 (120th)
Points against: 72.2 (174th)
FG percentage: 46.6% (101st)
FG% against: 43.4% (167th)
3P percentage: 38.2% (56th)
3P% against: 31.1% (39th)
W/L streak: 2W
Next: Teams in the running for No. 1 seeds
All in all, I think this game will come down to the play of the role players. Butler has the advantage in that their star players can take over the game but Providence will be playing in front of their home crowd. Both teams have fairly deep benches and this game could come down to those matchups. With Butler looking to get a winning streak going, I like them to come out on top on the road.
Final prediction: Butler 84, Providence 78