Championship Central

Game Notes
 
Bracket
 
Butler vs. Xavier
Live Stats | Watch
 
Gameday Information
Date: Saturday, March 4, 2017 / 5:00 PM EST
Location: Milwaukee, Wis. / Al McGuire Center
Live Stats: BIGEAST.com | Watch: BEDN
Series History: Butler leads the all-time series against Xavier 21-17
Last Meeting: Xavier defeated Butler 53-43 on February 4
 
INDIANAPOLIS – Butler will play Xavier in the first game of the 2017 BIG EAST Women's Basketball Tournament. The Bulldogs will play as the No. 10 seed against the No. 7 seed Musketeers. These two teams will take the court in Milwaukee after splitting the regular season series. Each team picked up a win on the road.
 
Bulldog Bits
- Tori Schickel was named Second Team All-BIG EAST
- Sydney Shelton earned a spot on the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team
- #10 seed Butler split the regular season series against #7 seed Xavier
- The winner of today's game will play #2 seed Creighton on FS2 tomorrow at 1 PM
- Schickel set the school record for most rebounds recorded in a single-season (341)
- Schickel has led BU in rebounding in each game this season, averaging 11.8 rpg
- Schickel leads the BIG EAST Conference with 14 double-doubles this season
- Alexa Bailey scored a career-high 16 points in the season finale vs. Creighton
- Butler's first-ever BIG EAST Tournament win came against Xavier last year

BIG EAST Standings
1) DePaul 16-2, 24-6
2) Creighton 16-2, 22-6
3) Marquette 13-5, 22-7
4) Villanova 11-7, 16-13
5) St. John's 11-7, 19-10
6) Georgetown 9-9, 17-11
7) Xavier 4-14, 12-17
8) Seton Hall 4-14, 11-18
9) Providence 4-14, 12-17
10) Butler 2-16, 5-24
 
Schickel Named Second Team All-BIG EAST
Tori Schickel landed on the All-BIG EAST Second Team after averaging 14.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game during the regular season. The only BIG EAST player to average a double-double this season, Schickel set the Butler school record for most rebounds recorded in a single-season. She heads into the conference tournament with 341 boards, breaking the old record of 302 rebounds which was set by Beth Piepenbrink during the 1981-82 season.
 
The BU co-captain posted 14 double-doubles this season, a total that led the BIG EAST Conference and ranked her 21st in the NCAA. Regular season highlights also include posting 20 points and 20 rebounds at Xavier and going off for 28 points and 20 rebounds vs. Villanova. She led the team in scoring 14 times and was the team's leading rebounder in every contest this season.
 
Shelton Named To BIG EAST All-Freshman Team
Sydney Shelton represents Butler on the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team. The shooting guard averaged 8.8 points per game and was the top 3-point shooting freshman in the conference, knocking down 46 shots from distance. Shelton averaged 27.7 minutes of playing time during her rookie season, starting in 22 contests. She scored a career-high 23 points against DePaul, shooting 6-for-11 from 3-point range. She followed that effort with 18 points at Georgetown. Additional highlights from the 2016-17 season include pulling down a career-high eight rebounds vs. Villanova and posting 16 points and seven rebounds at home vs. Seton Hall.
 
Schickel Lands On BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Tori Schickel averaged 13.5 points, 15.0 rebounds in home games versus Providence and RV/25 Creighton last weekend. She was one rebound shy of her third 20-rebound game of the season against the Friars on Friday with 11 points and 19 boards, before totaling 16 points, 11 caroms against the nationally ranked Bluejays on Sunday.
 
Buck From Long Range
Shooting guard Sydney Buck will look to move up the Butler career 3-point list during the first game of the 2017 BIG EAST Championship Tournament. Buck heads into Saturday with 166 made 3-point field goals over 78 games played. She moved into sole possession of sixth place on the list with three made 3-pointers on Feb. 24. Fifth place currently belongs to Debbie Benzinger who hit 167 3-pointers during her career from 1995-98. If Buck gets hot she has a chance to move up all the way to fourth. Mandy McDivitt currently holds that spot with 171 makes from behind the arc.
 
Weaver With The Steal
Michelle Weaver has recorded at least one steal in eight-straight games. She set a new career-high with six steals at Seton Hall on Jan. 29. She leads the team with 47 steals this season and has also upped her rebound average over the last month. Three-straight conference games with five rebounds helped Weaver average 4.6 rebounds per game during the month of February. She only averaged 2.7 boards per game during January.
 
Breakout Game From Bailey
Alexa Bailey scored 16 points in Butler's last game against Creighton. She had only scored 17 points combined in her previous nine games before facing the Bluejays.
 
All-Time Series vs. Xavier
Butler holds the upper hand in the all-time series against Xavier 21-17. The Bulldogs recorded their only road win of the season at the Cintas Center earlier this year, but the Musketeers got revenge with a 10-point win at Hinkle Fieldhouse. These two teams met three times last year with Xavier winning two games during the regular season, but Butler picked up the victory in the 2016 BIG EAST Tournament 48-47. The tournament victory was Butler's first as a member of the BIG EAST Conference.
 
Butler at Xavier Recap
Butler outscored Xavier 18-8 in the fourth quarter to push the first meeting into overtime and after five additional minutes, Butler would claim a 65-62 win over the Musketeers. Tori Schickel led Butler with 20 points and 20 rebounds. She was one of three players on the BU roster to end the game in double figures. Michelle Weaver scored 15 points and Alexa Bailey posted a career-high 10. The Musketeers got 16 points out of Raeshaun Gaffney and 15 more from Kindell Fincher. The balanced scoring unit also featured Marquia Turner with 11 and Maddison Blackwell with nine.
 
Xavier at Butler Recap
Xavier recorded a 53-43 win by outscoring Butler 19-4 in the fourth quarter. Xavier held BU to just 1-of-13 shooting in the fourth quarter with the lone field goal coming from Sydney Shelton with 41 seconds to play. Shelton led Butler in scoring with 12 points. Taylor Buford posted 11 points and Sydney Buck came off the bench to post 10 points and seven rebounds. Imani Partlow jumped into the starting lineup for Xavier and delivered 13 points and six rebounds. Xavier's top performer was Raeshaun Gaffney who scored 13 points and added 11 rebounds. Maddison Blackwell ended the game with 10 points and seven rebounds. Marquia Turner tallied 12 points and four boards.
 
X Factor
Sophomore guard Taylor Buford may be an x-factor in Butler's matchup against Xavier. In two games against the Musketeers, Buford averaged 10 points per game, the second highest average on the team. She shot 38 percent from the field and pulled down five rebounds per contest.
 
National Rankings
Tori Schickel ranks third in the NCAA in total rebounds (341) and also comes in at third in the country in rebounds per game (11.8). The BIG EAST rebound leader averages a double-double and therefore ranks 21st in the nation with 14 double-doubles on the year.
 
BIG EAST Rankings
Tori Schickel finds herself ranked in the top-five of multiple BIG EAST statistical categories. Schickel leads the BIG EAST in rebounding (11.8), is 2nd in minutes (35.2) and 5th in field goal percentage (50.0). A closer breakdown shows Schickel leading the league in both offensive rebounds (4.1) and defensive boards (7.6). The sophomore forward also ranks 6th in blocked shots (1.3), 8th in steals (1.6), and 8th in scoring (14.5).
 
Up Next
With a win, Butler will move into the quarterfinals to face the #2 seed Creighton on Sunday, March 5. Action on FS2 will air live at 1 PM. The Bluejays swept Butler during the regular season with a 67-52 win at DJ Sokol Arena and a recent 65-53 win at Hinkle Fieldhouse.