The Big East Tournament quarterfinal round will tip-off with a matchup between the Butler Bulldogs and the Providence Friars. The Bulldogs (14-18) finished eight games below .500 in conference play and had a difficult time scoring (63.1 ppg). On Wednesday, Butler needed overtime to outlast Xavier by an 89-82 final score.
Butler G Chuck Harris poured in a game-high 29 points on a 12-for-20 shooting performance. Simas Lukosius contributed 27 points and seven rebounds off the bench for the Bulldogs.
The Providence Friars won the Big East Conference regular season title by posting a 14-3 record and have one of the most experienced rosters in the country. Last time out, Providence trailed by 14 points at halftime during a 76-74 road loss against Villanova. The 11th ranked Friars (24-4) outrebounded the Wildcats by a 39-30 margin and knocked down 15-for-32 from the three-point line.
Jared Bynum led four Providence players in double figures with 19 points and ten assists. Noah Horchler and A.J. Reeves added in 15 points apiece for the Friars.
