The Butler Bulldogs (14-16, 6-13 Big East) will try to slow down one of the country’s top scoring teams when they travel to face the No. 19 Xavier Musketeers (22-8, 14-5 Big East) on Saturday. Butler was beaten by the Marquette Golden Eagles 72-56 at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Tuesday.
Jayden Taylor was the leading scorer in the loss with 13 points. Jalen Thomas chipped in with 10 points. The Bulldogs remain ninth in the Big East Conference. Xavier triumphed on Wednesday at Amica Mutual Pavilion, beating the Providence Friars 94-89.
Souley Boum topped the scoresheet with 33 points. With 29 points and nine rebounds, Colby Jones also played a part. The Musketeers remain second in the Big East Conference. The teams are meeting for the final time this season.
Butler will be pursuing a season sweep against Xavier after coming out on top in the only previous matchup 69-67 at Hinkle Fieldhouse on February 10. Taylor led the Bulldogs with 20 points, while Manny Bates contributed 19 points, five blocks, and three assists. Jones had 17 points and eight rebounds in defeat.
The Bulldogs have been led this season by Taylor and Simas Lukosius, who are averaging 13.1 and 11.3 points per game, respectively. Lukosius also has dished 2.9 assists per game. Meanwhile, Bates is grabbing 4.9 rebounds per game. Boum (17.0 ppg) and Jones (14.7) have powered the Musketeers on offense.
Boum also has tallied 4.5 assists per game. Jack Nunge has averaged 7.9 rebounds per game. The Musketeers are one of the highest-scoring offenses in the NCAA, ranking ninth with 82.3 points per game. The Bulldogs are only 2-8 in their last 10 games at Cintas Center.
In the last 10 games, Butler is 3-7 with an average margin of -10.9 (57.9-68.8). For the season, the Bulldogs are averaging 65.3 points per game, compared to 67.3 for opponents. Xavier has gone 6-4 over the last 10, scoring 78.6 points per game on average while holding opponents to 73.6 (+5.0 margin).
BULLDOGS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Jalen Thomas: 12.4 | 7.4 | +5.0
Chuck Harris: 5.2 | 14.5 | -9.3
Points per game:
Jayden Taylor: 17.4 | 13.1 | +4.3
Chuck Harris: 3.6 | 9.5 | -5.9
Rebounds per game:
Eric Hunter Jr: 5.6 | 3.9 | +1.7
MUSKETEERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Jerome Hunter: 19.4 | 12.6 | +6.8
Zach Freemantle: 0.0 | 19.9 | -19.9
Points per game:
Souley Boum: 21.6 | 17.0 | +4.6
Zach Freemantle: 0.0 | 11.6 | -11.6
Rebounds per game:
Zach Freemantle: 0.0 | 6.2 | -6.2
Assists per game:
Souley Boum: 2.6 | 4.5 | -1.9
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
Xavier -12.5 (-115)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
