Butler @ Seton Hall preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 15, 2020 ) Seton Hall 78, Butler 70

With a NET ranking of 19, No. 23 Butler is securely entrenched with a NCAA Tournament bid, but the Bulldogs have struggled of late and will try to turn things around when they visit Seton Hall on Wednesday. The 14th-ranked Pirates have had their struggles of late as well, including a 74-71 loss at Providence on Saturday.

Butler began the season 15-1 and 3-0 in the Big East and was ranked as high as fifth, but the Bulldogs are just 4-6 since, including Saturday's 73-66 defeat to Georgetown. Sean McDermott hit a 3-pointer with 3:46 remaining to pull Butler within 61-60, but Georgetown responded with 10 straight points, including a dagger 3-pointer by Terrell Allen as the shot clock was winding down. Seton Hall started 8-0 in Big East play during an overall 10-game winning streak, but they have lost three of five and are just one game in the loss column ahead of Villanova in the league standings. On Saturday, the Friars jumped to a 20-2 lead and led by as many as 25 points in the first half en route to pounding Seton Hall on the boards, 47-35, including 20 on the offensive glass.

TIME: 6:30 p.m. ET TV: FS1

ABOUT BUTLER (19-7, 7-6 Big East): Duke transfer Jordan Tucker (9.2 points, 4.0 rebounds) matched his season high with four 3-pointers en route to 16 points against Georgetown, while Kamar Baldwin (16.1 points, 32 percent 3-pointers) added 17 points, six rebounds and six assists, but the senior is shooting just 30 percent from beyond the arc in Big East games. McDermott (11.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 40 percent 3-point shooter) is just 4-for-19 in his last three games beyond the arc and shooting 34 percent in league games compared to 48 percent in non-conference games. In league games, Butler ranks last in 3-point percentage defense (36.7 percent) but first in 2-point percentage defense (43.3).

ABOUT SETON HALL (18-7, 10-3): Myles Powell (21.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists) had 27 points against the Friars - two fewer than his output for the first game against the Bulldogs this season - but has committed 16 turnovers in his last three games. Point guard Quincy McKnight (11.9 points, 5.4 assists - second in Big East) is averaging 16 points with 22-of-24 free throws over his last three games and is averaging 6.8 assists in Big East games. Romaro Gill (7.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.5 blocks - first in Big East and second in country), has scored in single digits five of the last six games after reaching double figures in six straight games.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Butler leads the all-time series 9-6, but Seton Hall has won the last two games at home. On Jan 15 this season, then-No. 18 Seton Hall exploded for 48 2nd-half points to turn a 10-point halftime deficit into a seventh straight win while snapping the fifth-ranked Bulldogs’ 10-game home winning streak.

2. Butler plays the slowest pace in the Big East (65.1 possessions/game) and ranks fourth in points allowed (69.4), but only ranks ninth in defensive rating (106 points/100 possessions).

3. In the past five games, the Pirates are allowing 74 points per game, 41 percent shooting from the field and 34 percent from the arc, compared to 63 points, 37 percent from the field and 26 percent from the arc during their 10-game winning streak.

PREDICTION: Seton Hall 68, Butler 63