The Providence Friars play host to the Butler bulldogs in a crucial Big East showdown from the Dunkin' Donuts Center on Wednesday evening. For Butler, they continue one of the toughest road trips in the Big East after stumbling against UConn the last time out. For Providence, they'll be happy to be able to stay at home, especially after grabbing a win on the weekend themselves. Providence swept a trio of meetings against the Bulldogs last season but with those three wins coming by a combined 12 points, it'll be interesting to see if this meeting is more in line with those, or in line with Providence's 20-point win back in December over the Bulldogs.
Butler continues to limp along this season, as they make the return trip to Providence. The Bulldogs were dominated at home by the Friars back in December, so it shouldn't come as a shock to see them as a heavy underdog in this one. The Bulldogs sit in second-to-last place in this one and after a tough loss the last time out against UConn, the road doesn't get easier. Butler is 2-5 away from home this season and with how well Providence plays at home, to ask the Bulldogs to spring the upset, especially on the second leg of a road trip, is too much to ask of this young and inexperienced group. It also doesn't help matters that the Bulldogs were swept across three games last year against the Friars. With confidence already dragging this season, that bit of information isn't likely to help matters.
It hasn't helped matters that Butler continues to battle the injury bug as well, as they could be withou t two players in this one. John Michael Mulloy (ankle) continues to miss time, though his absence hasn't impacted this team. The more pressing concern remains the status of Manny Bates (knee). As one of the best big men in the Big East, he's questionable heading into this one.
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Butler's offense has struggled without Bates in the lineup and even if he is able to come back for Wednesday night's tilt, it seems unlikely that his addition makes a massive difference for this group. They rank 263rd nationally in scoring and will have a tough time keeping pace with Providence. The biggest concern is how they'll fare on the offensive and defensive glass. They rank near the bottom of the nation in both categories and considering how strong the Friars are, the rebounding battle could be the difference in this one. The backcourt will lead the way in this one but if Bates (12.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg) can find his way into the lineup, it could go a long way towards easing some of the concerns mentioned.