Providence hosts Butler after Vaaks' 25-point outing

Published Feb. 3, 2026 4:43 a.m. ET

Associated Press

Butler Bulldogs (13-9, 4-7 Big East) at Providence Friars (9-13, 2-9 Big East)

Providence, Rhode Island; Wednesday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Providence takes on Butler after Stefan Vaaks scored 25 points in Providence's 87-73 loss to the Villanova Wildcats.

The Friars have gone 7-4 at home. Providence has a 0-3 record in games decided by 3 points or fewer.

The Bulldogs are 4-7 against Big East opponents. Butler averages 82.0 points while outscoring opponents by 5.3 points per game.

Providence averages 9.1 made 3-pointers per game, 1.9 more made shots than the 7.2 per game Butler allows. Butler has shot at a 46.2% clip from the field this season, 1.7 percentage points greater than the 44.5% shooting opponents of Providence have averaged.

The Friars and Bulldogs face off Wednesday for the first time in Big East play this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jason Edwards is scoring 17.2 points per game with 2.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists for the Friars. Vaaks is averaging 18.5 points and 2.7 rebounds while shooting 42.0% over the past 10 games.

Finley Bizjack is scoring 17.1 points per game and averaging 2.0 rebounds for the Bulldogs. Michael Ajayi is averaging 15.1 points and 10.0 rebounds over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Friars: 2-8, averaging 83.7 points, 34.0 rebounds, 12.9 assists, 4.0 steals and 3.4 blocks per game while shooting 46.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 87.9 points per game.

Bulldogs: 4-6, averaging 78.3 points, 30.1 rebounds, 15.3 assists, 6.3 steals and 2.4 blocks per game while shooting 45.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 79.0 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.