#5 Butler @ DePaul

Who will WIN this matchup?

#5 Butler Bulldogs (15-2)

@ DePaul Blue Demons (12-5)

Current odds:

#5 Butler Bulldogs: (-155)

DePaul Blue Demons: (+135)

• The line for this game is Butler by 3.5 points.

• No. 5 Butler will try to bounce back from its first home loss of the season and its first conference loss when it visits DePaul for a Big East clash Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs saw their six-game winning streak snapped in Wednesday’s 78-70 loss to No. 18 Seton Hall at Hinkle Fieldhouse while getting outscored by 18 points in the second half. “That’s one of those environments, one of those games that’s why they come to Butler for games like that,” Bulldogs coach LaVall Jordan told reporters. “It was a high level basketball game and at the end of the day they had some guys step up and make some plays.” Senior Kamar Baldwin led Butler with 19 points but his fellow starters combined to shoot 10-of-29 from the floor – 2-of-10 from 3-point range – and the Bulldogs allowed over 70 points for the first time.

• The Blue Demons have endured a frustrating start to Big East action with four straight defeats by a total of 20 points. The latest close setback was a 79-75 overtime loss at No. 15 Villanova on Tuesday night.

• Baldwin leads the way with 15.1 points per game – 18.8 in the Big East – and has shot better than 50 percent from the floor in three of four conference games. Junior forward Jordan Tucker has been hot of late as well, making 10-of-17 from 3-point range in league action and recording his first career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds against Seton Hall. Senior forward Sean McDermott chips in 11.6 points per game and junior forward Bryce Nze hauls in a team-high seven rebounds per contest while shooting 61.6 percent from the floor.

• After a promising 12-1 non-conference run that included victories over several major conference opponents, the Blue Demons just haven’t been able to get over the hump in the Big East. “We’ve just got to win,” coach Dave Leitao told the media Tuesday. “We’re 0-4 and we had four games that could have went either way. Each one, at whatever point late in the game, were one-possession games.” Junior guard Charlie Moore scored 29 points – his highest total since Nov. 16, 2016, when he played for California – against the Wildcats and he leads DePaul in scoring (16.5) and the Big East in assists (6.7).

• Blue Demons junior F Paul Reed averages 15.5 points and a Big East-leading 11.4 rebounds.

• Baldwin has 1,709 career points, 13 behind Billy Shepherd for ninth on the school’s all-time list.

• Butler has won 11 straight meetings and averaged 89 points in its two wins over DePaul last season.