Butler @ Providence preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 26, 2019 ) Providence 73, Butler 67

With NCAA Tournament streaks apparently set to end, Butler travels to play Providence on Saturday in the regular-season finale for both teams in a game that could decide last place in the Big East. The Friars sit in the basement in the 10-team conference while the Bulldogs are tied for eighth with DePaul, one game ahead of the Friars.

Depending upon Saturday's results, Butler, which has made the Big Dance in each of the last four seasons, could be as high as a No. 4 seed or low as 10th in next week's Big East tournament, which could be the difference between playing in the first round or getting a bye into the second round. No matter the result Saturday, Providence, which has played in five consecutive NCAA Tournaments, is locked into a first-round contest. The Bulldogs snapped a three-game losing streak with a 71-66 victory over Xavier on Tuesday, while the Friars played their second straight overtime game and fourth this season but dropped a 76-70 decision at Creighton on Wednesday, wasting a 25-9 run to end regulation. The Friars knocked off the Bulldogs 73-67 in overtime on Feb. 26, as Nate Watson tallied 21 points for the Friars and Kamar Baldwin scored 27 for the Bulldogs.

TV: Noon ET, Fox Sports Network

ABOUT BUTLER (7-10, 16-14 Big East): Junior guard Baldwin (17.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists) led the Bulldogs with 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting, a team-high six rebounds and four steals against the Musketeers. Paul Jorgensen (11.7 points, 65 3-pointers) tallied 19 points, five 3-pointers (both highs in a conference game this season) and a career-high five steals. Baldwin's 19.1 points per game in conference games rank fifth, his 1.5 steals rank sixth and his career total of 158 is sixth on Butler's all-time list.

ABOUT PROVIDENCE (16-14, 6-11): Senior guard Isaiah Jackson (9.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists), who converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 14 seconds left to force the extra session, scored a team-high 21 points and fellow reserve Kalif Young added a season-high 12 points against Creighton. Alpha Diallo (16.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists) recorded his ninth double-double of the season, chipping in 13 points and 12 rebounds while sophomore center Watson (11.8 points, 5.3 rebounds) snapped his streak of six straight games in double figures, tallying eight points and four rebounds. Since missing six weeks with a foot injury, freshman guard A.J. Reeves (10.0 points) has scored in double figures just twice in 11 games (5.3 points per game).

TIP-INS

1. Providence owns a 9-3 advantage in the all-time series between the two programs.

2. Butler has had the advantage in bench scoring in 15 of the team's 17 Big East contests (403-176).

3. Diallo is the only player in the Big East and one of three players from a major conference (Oregon State's Tres Tinkle, Wisconsin's Ethan Happ) to average at least 16 points, eight rebounds and three assists.

PREDICTION: Providence 78, Butler 71