Providence Friars (14-17, 7-13 Big East) vs. Butler Bulldogs (16-15, 7-13 Big East)
New York; Wednesday, 4 p.m. EDT
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Friars -1.5; over/under is 162.5
BOTTOM LINE: Butler plays in the Big East Tournament against Providence.
The Bulldogs are 7-13 against Big East opponents and 9-2 in non-conference play. Butler is 2-1 in one-possession games.
The Friars are 7-13 in Big East play. Providence scores 85.5 points while outscoring opponents by 1.4 points per game.
Butler is shooting 45.2% from the field this season, 0.6 percentage points higher than the 44.6% Providence allows to opponents. Providence averages 8.4 more points per game (85.5) than Butler allows (77.1).
The teams meet for the third time this season. Providence won 97-87 in the last matchup on Feb. 5. Jaylin Sellers led Providence with 36 points, and Finley Bizjack led Butler with 30 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Michael Ajayi is averaging 16.3 points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists for the Bulldogs. Jamie Kaiser Jr. is averaging 1.5 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
Sellers is averaging 18.1 points for the Friars. Stefan Vaaks is averaging 2.3 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Bulldogs: 3-7, averaging 71.8 points, 32.1 rebounds, 14.5 assists, 5.7 steals and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 41.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 78.0 points per game.
Friars: 5-5, averaging 78.8 points, 35.4 rebounds, 11.0 assists, 4.0 steals and 3.0 blocks per game while shooting 47.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 79.8 points.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.