Seton Hall @ Butler preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 4, 2017 ) Seton Hall 70, Butler 64

Butler will face its third straight ranked opponent when it plays host to No. 21 Seton Hall Saturday in a Big East game. The Bulldogs split the first two games - beating then-No. 1 Villanova and losing to No. 4 Xavier - and have dropped just two of the nine meetings with the Pirates.

Kamar Baldwin has enjoyed a fantastic start to the Big East slate by racking up 78 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists and five steals in three games. The sophomore guard from Georgia has enjoyed the two highest scoring games of his career in the last three contests with 31 points against Georgetown and 28 points against Xavier. He has done it by being highly-effective from inside the 3-point arc, where he has made 53.3 percent in those three games, compared to 6-of-18 from beyond the arc. The Pirates have not played since beating St. John's last Sunday and are in the midst of their third win streak of four games or longer this season.

TV: 2:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

ABOUT SETON HALL (13-2, 2-0 Big East): Desi Rodriguez snapped a streak of five straight games with fewer than 20 points by recording back-to-back games of 23 in victories over No. 24 Creighton and St. John's. Both Rodriguez and fellow senior Khadeen Carrington, who has four straight games with 15 or more points after producing three such efforts in the first 11 games, are moving up Seton Hall's all-time scoring list. Carrington currently finds himself in 16th place with 1,527 points while Rodriguez is in 24th with 1,394 points.

ABOUT BUTLER (12-4, 2-1): Baldwin's breakout has allowed senior Kelan Martin to record five straight 20-point games for the first time in his career. After enduring some tough shooting nights to close the non-conference schedule, Martin has been lethal to start the Big East - making 28-of-58 from the field while totaling 17 rebounds and seven assists in three games. Martin, who has combined with Baldwin to average 51.3 points in league games, has averaged 16.3 points and nine rebounds in the last four games against Seton Hall.

TIP-INS

1. Baldwin had just one 20-point effort in his first 47 career games prior to his performances against Georgetown and Xavier.

2. The Bulldogs had won five straight overall against the Pirates prior to losing at home for the first time in the series in the second meeting last season.

3. Seton Hall has shot under 69 percent from the foul line in five straight games despite Carrington and Myles Powell combining to go 37-of-47 over that span.

PREDICTION: Butler 82, Seton Hall 78