Butler at DePaul: 2017-18 college basketball preview, TV schedule, prediction
Butler has lost four of their last five games. Can the Bulldogs recover their mojo on the road with a game against the DePaul Blue Demons?
Matchup: Butler Bulldogs (13-7, 3-4) at DePaul Blue Demons (8-10, 1-5)
Date and time: Saturday, January 20th at 2:00 p.m. ET
TV schedule: Fox Sports 1
Location: Wintrust Arena in Chicago, IL.
What does Butler bring to the table?
Butler is in a bit of a rough stretch. After starting conference play 2-0 with a win over Villanova, the team has dropped four of their last five games. Thankfully, none of the losses has been too detrimental to their resume as they have all come against potential NCAA Tournament teams. As of Monday (before their road loss to Providence), Butler checked in with a No. 7 seed in our Bracketology.
Butler Bulldogs Basketball
With a favorable stretch of schedule approaching, the Bulldogs will be hoping to add wins to their record. As many people have stated in the past, a team does not reach the Big Dance by piling up “quality losses.” Butler is in need of adding more wins to their resume and their upcoming game with DePaul is a great place to start.
Although they are playing on the road, the Bulldogs are the far superior team in this matchup. Under head coach LaVall Jordan, Butler’s stars are having phenomenal seasons. Both Kelan Martin and Kamar Baldwin are among the leading scorers in the conference and make an impact on the defensive end as well. While Martin is often the leading scorer for the Bulldogs and an adequate defender, Baldwin is typically not far behind on the offensive end while drawing the most difficult defensive matchup.
In addition to this duo, it is important to watch out for Butler’s sharpshooters. Both Paul Jorgensen and Sean McDermott have the ability to light it up from deep on any given night. These two have great range and are excellent in catch-and-shoot situations. With Baldwin or freshman Aaron Thompson running the point, the two shooters seem to get at least a couple of good looks each in every game.
Another couple of key Bulldogs to mention are big men Tyler Wideman and Nate Fowler. While Wideman is the body inside that excels in rebounding and put-backs, Fowler is a polished offensive player who can finish inside or stroke a shot from distance. The X-Factor to watch for the Dawgs is sophomore Henry Baddley off the bench.
What does DePaul bring to the table?
On the opposite side of the ball in this one, DePaul has lost back-to-back games against Providence and Marquette. At 1-5 in conference play, the Blue Demons are from the best team in the Big East. However, they have been competitive in the majority of the games that they have played this year. Entering this game, DePaul is hoping to finally notch their first home win of the conference season. They are 0-3 to this point with those losses coming against Villanova, Georgetown, and Providence.
For the year, four Blue Demons are scoring in double-figures per game. The two offensive leaders for the team are Max Strus and Eli Cain. Strus is the leading scorer on the roster at 17.7 points per game and has consistently been the go-to-guy down the stretch for head coach Dave Leitao. Cain, on the other hand, is the primary distributor for the team. His all-around play is evident in his per game averages of 10.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists. In order for DePaul to win this game, both Strus and Cain will need to have quality games.
The other key players to watch for DePaul are Marin Maric and Tre’Darius McCallum. Two of the more unsung players in the conference, Maric and McCallum are quality scorers and rebounders for the Blue Demons. These two both average 10+ points and 5+ rebounds per game and are big bodies at 6’10” (Maric) and 6’7″ (McCallum). DePaul will need to rely on those two to keep Butler’s bigs off the glass in this game. The X-Factor to watch for the Blue Demons is sophomore Brandon Cyrus.
Next: Predictions for the top weekend games
When it comes down to who will win this game, the advantage goes to Butler. While they might be on the road, this is a team that is hungry for a victory and is more talented than their opponent. Kelan Martin has struggled a bit in games against Creighton and Providence but DePaul will be unable to shut him down. Expect a 20+ performance from the senior to lead the Bulldogs to their second in-conference road win.
Prediction: Butler 84, DePaul 73.