Butler hosts DePaul Saturday evening

The Butler Bulldogs have had a February to forget.

After entering the month at 17-4 on the season and 5-3 in Big East play, Butler has sputtered to a 2-5 record in the year’s shortest month, falling to 19-9 on the year and seeing a once dominant squad fall back to earth.

The Bulldogs’ latest loss came last Sunday to the Creighton Bluejays in Omaha, and it couldn’t have gone worse for Butler. In addition to taking a 81-59 drubbing, the Bulldogs saw leading scorer Kamar Baldwin leave the game with an ankle injury in the first half, while fellow guard Aaron Thompson fell on his previously injured wrist near the end of the game and looked to be shaken up.

The good news for Butler is that both Baldwin and Thompson look like they’ll be available for Saturday’s meeting with DePaul, according to LaVall Jordan.

The Bulldogs seemingly need all the help they can get against DePaul, as the Blue Demons have already defeated Butler this year, picking up a 79-66 win January 18 in Chicago. Paul Reed led the way with 23 points for DePaul in that game, and Reed will look to replicate that success again Saturday. After slumping for a couple games for a DePaul team that has had all kind of issues of their own in conference play, Reed recorded double-doubles in DePaul’s win over Georgetown last weekend and their loss to Xavier on Tuesday. If Butler isn’t careful, Reed can impact the game from both a scoring and rebounding standpoint, and make it a long night at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

How to watch or stream

Time: 6:30 p.m. ET

TV: FS1

Stream: FOX Sports Go