Halftime Report
After a tough loss on the road their last time out, Providence looks much better today on their home court. They have jumped out to a quick 37-29 lead against Butler.
Providence entered the match with four straight defeats and they’re well on their way to making it five. Can they turn things around, or will Butler hand them another loss? Only time will tell.
Who’s Playing
Butler Bulldogs @ Providence Friars
Current Records: Butler 7-8, Providence 7-8
How To Watch
What to Know
Butler is 2-8 against Providence since February of 2020 but they’ll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Wednesday. Both will face off in a Big East battle at 8:30 p.m. ET at Amica Mutual Pavilion. The Bulldogs might want some stickum for this one as the team gave up 21 turnovers on Saturday.
Butler is headed into Wednesday’s match looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their seventh straight game on Saturday. They opened the new year with a less-than-successful 70-62 loss to St. John’s. That’s two games in a row now that the Bulldogs have lost by exactly eight points.
The loss doesn’t tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Patrick McCaffery, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 11 rebounds. He had some trouble finding his footing against Villanova on Wednesday, so this was a nice turnaround.
Meanwhile, Providence scored the most points they’ve had all season on Sunday, but it wasn’t enough. They fell just short of UConn by a score of 87-84. The loss hurts even more since the Friars were up 41-27 with 19:36 left in the second.
Like Butler, Providence lost despite seeing results from several players. Jayden Pierre led the charge by earning 24 points. Pierre had some trouble finding his footing against Marquette last Tuesday, so this was a step in the right direction. Another player making a difference was Wesley Cardet Jr., who went 7 for 13 en route to 18 points.
Even though they lost, Providence smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as UConn only pulled down five.
Butler now has a losing record at 7-8. As for Providence, they are on a four-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 7-8.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Butler has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 36.2 rebounds per game. However, it’s not like Providence struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 39.6. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we’ll see if one team can grab an edge.
Butler is hoping to beat the odds on Wednesday, as the experts think they’re headed for a loss. Anyone thinking of taking them against the spread should keep this in mind: the team hasn’t covered the last four times they’ve played Providence.
Odds
Providence is a slight 2.5-point favorite against Butler, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Friars as a 3.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 138.5 points.
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Series History
Providence has won 8 out of their last 10 games against Butler.
Feb 10, 2024 – Butler 75 vs. Providence 72Dec 23, 2023 – Providence 85 vs. Butler 75Jan 25, 2023 – Providence 79 vs. Butler 58Dec 29, 2022 – Providence 72 vs. Butler 52Mar 10, 2022 – Providence 65 vs. Butler 61Feb 20, 2022 – Providence 71 vs. Butler 70Jan 23, 2022 – Providence 69 vs. Butler 62Dec 30, 2020 – Providence 71 vs. Butler 55Dec 23, 2020 – Butler 70 vs. Providence 64Feb 01, 2020 – Providence 65 vs. Butler 61
