David Woods

david.woods@indystar.com

Butler at Marquette, 9 p.m., Tuesday, CBS Sports Network

INDIANAPOLIS – When this college basketball season began, the Butler Bulldogs could not have expected to fight for a top-10 ranking and No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Now, after raising expectations that high with a surprising start to Big East play, they could not have expected to fight to avoid a No. 7 or 8 seed in the Big East tournament and thus a play-in game.

Yet that is how volatile this sport and this conference have become. No. 21 Butler (18-5, 7-4 Big East) will try to avoid its first three-game losing streak in three seasons under coach Chris Holtmann in Tuesday’s game at Marquette (15-8, 6-5).

“In our conference, 90 percent of our teams have a legitimate shot to make the NCAA tournament. Ninety percent,” Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

“There’s no conference in the history of college basketball that at this time in the season 90 percent of the teams in the league have a legitimate shot to play in the NCAA tournament. It’s why the conference is so darn competitive. It’s a bloodbath, it is a bloodbath. Any win that you can get in the conference is a great win.”

Because of its high RPI (13th), any win over Butler qualifies as great. So the Bulldogs find themselves targeted in February as they perhaps were not in December.

To miss the NCAA tournament, No. 2 Villanova (22-2, 9-2), No. 25 Xavier (17-6, 7-3), No. 23 Creighton (20-4, 7-4) and Butler would have to collapse as badly as the Atlanta Falcons. It would be a stretch to suggest St. John’s (11-14, 5-7) has a chance for an at-large berth.

Except for DePaul, all others do: Marquette, Seton Hall (14-8, 4-6), Providence (14-10, 4-7) and Georgetown (13-11, 4-7).

The Bulldogs were tied for first with Villanova at 7-2 at the schedule’s midpoint. With four road games left, the Dawgs have no guarantees. They are 2½ games from seventh, and the No. 7 seed is assigned to the 7/10 game March 8 in the Big East tournament.

“Obviously, every league game is important and a grind, especially when so many teams have the postseason in play,” Holtmann said. “Having said that, I need to do a better job keeping our players focused on the continual task of our own daily improvement, above all else.

“This is a unique and fun journey that many in this group haven’t been on before.”

The Bulldogs have had a week off since losing at home to Creighton 76-67. When he reviewed film, Holtmann said, the team “looked really tired.” Fatigue was manifested on defense: Butler allowed Georgetown to shoot 64 percent and Creighton 56 percent in back-to-back home defeats.

Recruiting update

The rare weekend off allowed Holtmann to make recruiting visits.

He was in Bloomington on Friday to see Bloomington North’s Musa Jallow (ranked 75th by Rivals.com) and at O’Fallon, Ill., on Saturday to see Torrence Watson of St. Louis (93rd), Tim Finke of Champaign, Ill. (77th) and Ayo Dosunmu of Chicago (22nd).

Finke, whose brother Michael plays for Illinois, is the most recent prospect to be offered a Butler scholarship. Also holding offers are Dosunmu, Jallow, Tindley’s Eric Hunter (78th), Watson, McCutcheon’s Robert Phinisee (134th) and Jordan Lathon (148th) of Grandview, Mo.

Dwayne Cohill, a 6-4 guard from Cleveland (66th), has a Feb. 19 visit planned to Butler.

One Butler signee, 6-7 wing Christian David, is averaging 12 points, five rebounds and seven assists for Vermont Academy. He is ranked 93rd in the 2017 class by Rivals.

Pro notes: Stevens coaches East

Former Butler coach Brad Stevens will coach the Eastern Conference in the NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 19 at New Orleans. His Boston Celtics (33-18) clinched the second-best record in the East through Sunday’s games. Cleveland’s Tyronn Lue coached the East last year and is thus ineligible to do so this year. … Butler graduate Roosevelt Jones had 13 points and 20 rebounds for the Canton Charge in a 114-107 loss to Grand Rapids on Friday. His rebound total is fifth-most in history of the NBA Development League. He is averaging 5.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists. Also in the D-league, Oklahoma City’s Kameron Woods is averaging 4.6 points and Iowa’s Kellen Dunham 3.1.

Call IndyStar reporter David Woods at (317) 444-6195. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.

NO. 21 BUTLER at MARQUETTE

Tipoff: 9 p.m. Tuesday, BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee.

TV: CBS Sports Network.

Radio: WFN-AM (1070), -FM (93.5).

Storylines

>> In the Jan. 16 meeting, Butler overcame an 18-point deficit with a 63-point second half and beat Marquette 88-80 at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

>> What has happened to Butler’s 3-point shooting? The Bulldogs have dropped to ninth in Big East play at .329. Andrew Chrabascz is 5-of-23 (.217), Kelan Martin 14-of-55 (.255) and Kethan Savage 7-of-23 (.304).

>> Butler and Marquette are the only teams to beat Villanova. After a loss, Butler is 20-4 under Holtmann.

>> Martin is among 10 finalists for the Julius Erving Award, presented to the nation’s top small forward.

— David Woods