Butler @ Georgetown preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 28, 2017 ) Georgetown 85, Butler 81

Georgetown and visiting Butler will resume what has been a competitive rivalry Wednesday when they meet in the opening game of the Big East season. The Hoyas and the Bulldogs each come in off blow out wins that will likely bear little resemblance to what will take place at Capital One Arena.

The Bulldogs made 18 3-pointers - a Hinkle Fieldhouse record - in crushing Western Illinois 107-46 while the Hoyas used an 18-2 run to put away Alabama A&M 89-49. The teams have contested all 10 meetings since 2009-10 and each has been decided by single digits with an average margin of victory of 5.7 points. This game features a matchup of two of the Big East's top players in Butler's Kelan Martin and Georgetown's Jessie Govan. Martin has feasted on the Hoyas in the last four meetings, averaging 22 points and 7.2 rebounds, while Govan has failed to make much of an impact aside from a 20-point game in the second meeting last season.

TV: 6:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

ABOUT BUTLER (10-3): The Bulldogs have a solid group of players to complement Martin, including Kamar Baldwin, Paul Jorgensen and Tyler Wideman, all of whom score in double figures. Baldwin's shooting numbers are down, but his points, rebounds and assists are up from a solid freshman season, while Jorgensen has come over from George Washington to be one of the team's top 3-point shooters at 43.9 percent. "This group is extremely coachable," coach LaVall Jordan, who scored 977 points at Butler from 1997-2001, told the media. "You give them a job description, role definition, and they try to do everything I ask them to do."

ABOUT GEORGETOWN (10-1): Georgetown coach Patrick Ewing will have a decision to make on who to start at point guard between Jonathan Mulmore or Jagan Mosely. Mulmore has been the starter for much of the season, but was badly outplayed by Mosely in the Hoyas' lone loss to Syracuse. Mosely has a 42-27 edge in points and a 19-11 advantage in rebounds over the last four games, but Mulmore has outpaced him in assists 16-12 over that same span.

TIP-INS

1. Martin stands 11th on Butler's all-time scoring list with 1,537 points after passing Roosevelt Jones, Wayne Burris and Shelvin Mack.

2. The Bulldogs are 9-0 when scoring 70 or more points and are 8-0 when shooting for a higher percentage than their opponent.

3. Govan is fourth nationally in rebounds per game (12.1) and second in defensive rebounds per game (8.5) for the Hoyas, who hold a 6-4 edge in the series.

PREDICTION: Butler 75, Georgetown 70