Georgetown @ Butler preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 28, 2020 ) Butler 69, Georgetown 64

No. 20 Butler could be forced to go into battle without Aaron Thompson for Saturday's Big East Conference game against visiting Georgetown. Thompson took a blow to the head in Wednesday's win over Xavier and his status is questionable for the game against the Hoyas.

Thompson, a junior guard, doesn't score much - he has just one game in double figures in Big East play and four on the season - but he is an excellent defender and mans the point for the Bulldogs, who have had ample experience playing without him this season. The Maryland native missed three games and parts of two others earlier this season and the bench helped to pick up the slack as it did against Xavier, scoring 23 points and hitting five 3-pointers. "Having lived it (injuries) with different guys at different times, it's a message to all the guys on the bench," Butler coach LaVall Jordan, who is closing in on his second 20-win campaign in his three seasons with the Bulldogs, told the media. "You don't know when you are going to be Henry Baddley and have to step in and do it." The Hoyas, who fell apart in the second half of a 69-64 loss to Butler Jan. 28 at home, desperately need to go on a run to improve their NCAA Tournament chances, but they have yet to win back-to-back games in the Big East and could be without leading scorer Mac McClung (foot) for the fourth consecutive contest.

TIME: 2:30 p.m. ET. TV: FOX

ABOUT GEORGETOWN (14-10, 4-7 Big East): Jahvon Blair has been fantastic filling in for McClung, averaging 23.7 points, but if Thompson plays, he may have trouble finding the same level of success against a Butler team that boasts one of the nation's top defenses (61.2 points per game allowed). The junior set a career-high in points twice during the three-game span, including 30 last Saturday in a win over DePaul. Blair has made 10 3-pointers in the last three games, giving him 124 for his career - good for 16th in school history and three shy of 15th place.

ABOUT BUTLER (19-6, 7-5 Big East): Sean McDermott lit up the Hoyas in the first meeting to the tune of 25 points and seven 3-pointers, the latter matching his career-high. The senior has been critical to Butler's success in the Big East, averaging 16.4 points in their seven wins and less than half that in their five losses. McDermott, who grew up less than an hour from the Butler campus in Indianapolis, has also done a much better job of hitting the glass in conference play, averaging 7.3 rebounds compared to 4.8 boards per game out of conference.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Butler has 13 Quad 1 and 2 wins this season, tied with No. 1 Baylor and No. 10 Seton Hall for the second-most behind No. 3 Kansas.

2. The Bulldogs have won two straight games against Georgetown, but are 1-5 against the Hoyas as Hinkle Fieldhouse, including losses in the last three meetings there.

3. Thompson, who is seventh in school history in career assists (369), two spots ahead of teammate Kamar Baldwin (341), has 18 assists and only two turnovers in his last four games.

PREDICTION: Butler 70, Georgetown 63