The Butler Bulldogs (11-12, 3-9 Big East) will try to slow down one of the country’s top scoring teams when they are on the road to face the No. 14 Marquette Golden Eagles (17-5, 9-2 Big East) on Saturday.
Butler was dismantled by the Seton Hall Pirates 70-49 at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday, their fourth loss in a row. Simas Lukosius was the top scorer in the losing effort with 11 points. Jalen Thomas was another standout performer with 10 points and three blocks. The Bulldogs are 10th in the Big East Conference.
Marquette won their third in a row in dominating fashion on Saturday at Wintrust Arena, beating the DePaul Blue Demons 89-69. David Joplin recorded 28 points to lead the team in scoring. With 24 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds, Tyler Kolek also played a part. The Golden Eagles fell to second in the Big East Conference. The teams are meeting for the only time this season.
Butler and Marquette split their matchups last season, taking one apiece. The Golden Eagles triumphed in the last meeting 64-56 at Fiserv Forum in February 2022.
Darryl Morsell led the Golden Eagles with 16 points. Bryce Golden had 14 points in the loss.The Bulldogs have been led this season by Chuck Harris (11.7 ppg), Jayden Taylor (11.7), and Lukosius (11.3).
Lukosius also has dished 2.7 assists per game. Meanwhile, Manny Bates is grabbing 5.0 rebounds per game. Kam Jones (16.0 ppg) and Olivier-Maxence Prosper (14.0) have supplied much of the Golden Eagles’ offense.
Kolek is recording 7.9 assists per game, third-most in the country, and Oso Ighodaro is averaging 6.2 rebounds per game. The Golden Eagles are one of the top scoring offenses in the NCAA, ranking 14th with 82.6 points per game. In the last 10 games, Butler is 3-7 with an average margin of -10.9 (61.6-72.5).
For the season, the Bulldogs are averaging 67.1 points per game, compared to 68.1 for opponents. Marquette has gone 8-2 over the last 10, scoring 84.4 points per game on average while holding opponents to 74.9 (+9.5 margin). The Golden Eagles are averaging 82.6 ppg for the full season while allowing 70.9.
BULLDOGS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Jalen Thomas: 12.2 | 6.1 | +6.1
Manny Bates: 4.0 | 16.5 | -12.5
Points per game:
Simas Lukosius: 15.4 | 11.3 | +4.1
Manny Bates: 2.4 | 10.4 | -8.0
Rebounds per game:
Manny Bates: 1.4 | 5.0 | -3.6
Assists per game:
Simas Lukosius: 2.0 | 2.7 | -0.7
GOLDEN EAGLES HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Stevie Mitchell: 7.2 | 10.5 | -3.3
Points per game:
Tyler Kolek: 16.2 | 10.8 | +5.4
Rebounds per game:
Tyler Kolek: 5.4 | 4.3 | +1.1
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
Marquette -15.5 (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
