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Two of the Big East Conference’s best players will be in action on Saturday afternoon.
Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis plays host to a matchup between two teams looking to wriggle out of the middle of the pack. The Butler Bulldogs (12-10, 3-6) will hope to protect home court against the visiting Seton Hall Pirates (13-8, 4-5). Kamar Baldwin and Myles Powell are two of the best that the Big East has to offer, and will be bringing plenty of intensity in this looming encounter.
Baldwin and Powell so far have been two of the most productive players in the Big East. They are currently part of the Big East’s All-KenPom team, ranking 4th and 5th respectively on the list. The former, Baldwin, has seen his play take an uptick during conference season. His eFG% and TS% are both above his current season marks, and he’s been raking inside, making 55.8 percent of his 2-point tries.
His outside game has struggled mightily, as he continues to decline in that category from his productive freshman season. But he’s certainly showing out with his inside game this season and has been dynamite from the FT line, too.
By now, you know about Powell and the things he can do on the court. He comes off a 31-point outing against the Providence Friars, which helped lead to a win that Seton Hall so desperately needed. The Pirates were mired in a four-game losing streak and their former January woes that used to haunt them were resurfacing. But Powell was having none of it and made sure that Seton Hall got into the win column yet again.
Powell has actually seen his 3-point percentage drop down to 31.1 percent against conference play after some great marks from outside to start the season. His inside game has been very good though, as has his FT percentage, so he’s mirroring Baldwin in a lot of ways. He isn’t shooting so efficiently though so his eFG% and TS% are down from his actual in-season numbers.
Needless to say, Baldwin and Powell will be the focal points for their respective teams in this upcoming contest. It should be a fun and fascinating game as Butler has taken some rare blowout losses at home lately. They will be looking to avoid that kind of mess this time around, but if Powell and the Pirates get hot, they could turn the Dawgs upside down again.
HOW TO WATCH
Time: Noon ET
TV: FS1
Watch Online: Fox Sports Go