Butler hasn’t won a road game since New Year’s Day, while DePaul hasn’t won any games since Jan. 18.
The Bulldogs will look to avoid a third straight loss and hand the host Blue Demons their ninth straight defeat when they meet for a Big East contest on Wednesday night in Chicago.
Butler (13-15, 5-12) won back-to-back games against St. John’s and then-No. 13 Xavier, both at home, on Feb. 7 and 10. The Bulldogs then lost consecutive contests to Villanova and Georgetown by a combined 18 points.
They went 7-for-26 from 3-point range, were outrebounded 45-29 and committed 19 fouls while going to the free-throw line just six times during Saturday’s 68-62 home loss to the lowly Hoyas.
“We didn’t have it,” said Butler coach Thad Matta, whose team has failed to reach 70 points in nine straight contests.
“We gave up 14 offensive rebounds. We fouled 19 times … Fouling is a sign of weakness. You are not playing hard enough when you are fouling.”
Butler was whistled for 15 fouls but made 23 of 30 free throws during a 78-70 home victory over DePaul on Jan. 4.
The Bulldogs’ current six-game road losing streak is their longest since dropping seven straight in 2003-04.
The Blue Demons (9-18, 3-13), though, are stuck in their worst rut since a 10-game slide during the 2016-17 campaign. DePaul shot 42.1 percent, trailed by 22 at the half and lost 82-68 at then-No. 16 Xavier on Saturday.
“These guys are resilient,” said DePaul coach Tony Stubblefield, whose squad has allowed its last three opponents to average 85.0 points.
However, in the last four games, DePaul’s Umoja Gibson has averaged 18.3 points while making half of his 54 field-goal attempts and going 15-for-34 from 3-point range. Gibson scored 16 at Butler last month.
Butler’s Eric Hunter Jr. had 23 points and Jayden Taylor added 16 in the first meeting against the Blue Demons.
Taylor scored 21 in the loss to Georgetown and has averaged 19.8 points in five February contests.
–Field Level Media
