Two Big East teams on the upswing will face off when Butler rides a three-game winning streak into Cincinnati to face host Xavier on Tuesday.
Butler (12-13, 5-9) is faring better since a dismal 0-6 start to league play. Its latest conquest was a 97-86 win over visiting Georgetown on Saturday, when Pierre Brooks II had a career-high 30 points in his 113th college game.
Coach Thad Matta said he was pleased with how the Bulldogs finished the game after Georgetown made a second-half push to get within six points. Now Butler has three double-digit wins since Jan. 25.
“We’re playing, collectively, a lot better as a group. … I think our connectivity is better both offensively and defensively,” Matta said in his postgame press conference.
Jahmyl Telfort continues to pace the Bulldogs with 15.9 points and 3.5 assists per game, while Brooks is up to 15.5 points and 5.0 rebounds and Patrick McCaffery provides 11.8 ppg.
While Butler is a nice story, Xavier (16-10, 8-7) has better odds of reaching the NCAA Tournament. The Musketeers have won three of four and four of six following an 85-68 home win over DePaul on Saturday.
Big man Zach Freemantle led the way with 19 points and nine rebounds, but all five starters achieved double-figure scoring. Dailyn Swain had 17 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, Ryan Conwell and Dayvion McKnight each added 14 points and Marcus Foster scored 11.
The Musketeers shot 58.8 percent overall and even better from inside the arc — 72.2 percent (26 of 36). That’s notable for a team that ranks 12th in Division I in 3-point shooting at 38.6 percent.
“It just shows that we’re a versatile team,” Swain said postgame. “We don’t have to rely on the 3-pointer, we can score regardless just playing the game how it’s supposed to be played.”
Freemantle has season averages of 17.0 points and 7.2 rebounds to lead Xavier. In his past five games, he is at 18.6 points and 6.4 rebounds while shooting 53 percent from the field.
These teams have yet to play each other this season. The return game at Butler is set for March 5 in Indianapolis.
–Field Level Media
