BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS
BUTLER (3-0) vs. #5 NORTH CAROLINA (3-0)
Wednesday, Nov. 26, Noon (ET)
Imperial Arena - Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas
TV:  ESPN2
Radio:  107.5 FM (Mark Minner, Nick Gardner)

Game Notes

ISLAND MEET:  Butler will take it longest trip of the season and face its toughest challenge so far when it meets #5 North Carolina in the opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis on Paradise Island, Bahamas.  The two teams will square off at noon (ET) on Wednesday, Nov. 26, and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN2.  North Carolina is one of four squads  that were ranked in the preseason "Top 25" in the eight-team field, which is more reminiscent of a Final Four than an in-season tournament.  Also competing in the Battle 4 Atlantis will be #2 Wisconsin, Florida, Oklahoma, UCLA, Georgetown and UAB.  Five of the teams will bring unbeaten records to the Bahamas and the overall combined mark of the eight teams is 21-4.  North Carolina improved to 3-0 on the season with a 90-72 victory at Davidson on Saturday (Nov. 22).  The Tar Heels also have home wins over North Carolina Central (76-60) and Robert Morris (103-59).  Butler climbed to 3-0 with an 80-39 win over Loyola Maryland on Saturday.  The winner of the Butler-North Carolina game will meet the winner of the Oklahoma-UCLA game on Thursday (Nov. 27).  The tournament will conclude on Friday (Nov. 28).                                           
   
Butler is 3-0 for the second straight year.

HOME RULE:  Butler picked up its third straight home win to start the season with its 41-point victory over Loyola Maryland.  The Bulldogs combined a hot-shooting performance with a strong defensive effort to record their second 40-point victory this year.  The visiting Greyhounds scored the first five points of the game and led 10-9, before Butler took control with a 20-1 scoring run.  The Bulldogs pulled away to a 42-18 advantage at halftime, behind 55.6% (15-27) shooting, and then stretched the margin to as many as 43 points in the second half.  Butler wound up shooting a crisp 53.6% (30-56) for the game.    

DEFENSIVE 'DOGS:  Butler coach Chris Holtmann made a point of citing the Bulldogs' "locked-in" defensive effort against Loyola Maryland.  After giving up ten points in the first eight minutes, Butler limited the Greyhounds to 29 points over the final 32 minutes!  Loyola shot just 29.4% (15-51) for the game and just 25% (4-16) from beyond the three-point arc.  Only three Greyhounds scored in the game, while eight other players combined to go 0-25 in the contest.

Butler currently leads the BIG EAST in scoring defense (48.0).

FRESH PICK:  Freshman Kelan Martin turned in a "breakout" performance in just his third collegiate game to help Butler post its third consecutive victory.  The 6-6 guard from Louisville, Ky., came off the bench and scored a career-high 23 points in 18 minutes of action to lead the Bulldogs.  He also pulled down a team-high seven rebounds, while adding two assists and a steal.  He hit nine of 13 shots from the floor, including three of five from beyond the three-point arc.  Martin's 23 points are the most by a Butler freshman since February 21, 2009, when current NBA star Gordon Hayward scored 27 points to lead Butler past Davidson and Stephen Curry.    

Kelan Martin has the top scoring output by a freshman in the BIG EAST this year.

BALANCED LEDGER:  Seven different Butler players have scored in double-figures in a game already this season.  Junior Kellen Dunham has scored in twin-digits in all three games, while senior Kameron Woods, junior Roosevelt Jones and freshman Kelan Martin each have posted a pair of double-figures scoring performances.   Senior Alex Barlow, sophomore Andrew Chrabascz and transfer Austin Etherington each have reached twin-digits once.  The balanced attack was unveiled early, when  the Bulldogs had five players score ten or more points in each of the team's two exhibition games.
 
HAND OUT:  Junior Roosevelt Jones, who sat out  all of last season with a wrist injury, has picked up right where he left off in 2012-13.  He's displayed all facets of his versatile game in Butler's first three wins, but he's been particularly adept at getting the ball to teammates in good scoring position.  Jones celebrated his first regular season game in more than a year by recording a career-high nine assists in Butler's victory over Maine, and he came back with a game-high seven assists against Chattanooga.  The powerful 6-4 guard then led both teams with six assists in Butler's most recent victory.  Two years ago, Jones led the Bulldogs in assists, finished second on the team in rebounds and wound up third in scoring.

Roosevelt Jones currently ranks 11th in the NCAA Division I in assists/game (7.3).

LEAD ROLE:  Junior Kellen Dunham emerged as Butler's leading scorer last season, and he's clearly embraced that role this year.  The 6-6 guard led all players with 18 points in Butler's season-opening win over Maine, and then he tallied a game-high 26 points to lead the Bulldogs past Chattanooga.  Dunham deferred to teammate Kelan Martin in last weekend's victory over Loyola Maryland, but he still finished with 13 points.  The Butler scoring leader has been getting his job done both inside and outside with equal effectiveness.  Through Butler's first three game, he's shooting .581 from the field and .667 from beyond the three-point arc!  Dunham led the Bulldog a year ago with a 16.4 scoring average, becoming just the fifth Butler sophomore to score 500 points in a season.

BOARD NOTICE:  Senior Kameron Woods led the Bulldogs in rebounding in the first two games this season, before finishing second on the squad against Loyola Maryland.  He pulled down five rebounds in the first half against the Greyhounds, but then added just one more while playing only five minutes in the second half of the one-sided contest.  After three games, the 6-9 forward is tied for fourth in the BIG EAST in rebounding, and he owns the league's second-highest single game total with 16 caroms against Chattanooga.  He led the Bulldogs in rebounding in 22 of 31 games a year ago.

BULLDOG BITS:

•Kameron Woods came off the bench with two points and four rebounds against North Carolina at the Maui Invitational in 2012.  

•Kameron Woods stands in 13th place on Butler's all-time rebounding list with 647 career rebounds.  He trails former teammate Andrew Smith in 12th place by one rebound.  Woods needs 28 rebounds to reach Butler's all-time "Top 10".

•Kameron Woods, who ranked 11th in the NCAA Division I in defensive rebounds last season, has 21 defensive rebounds in Butler's first three games.

•Kameron Woods led the BIG EAST in rebounding last season (9.0).

•Alex Barlow has moved into a tie for tenth place on Butler's all-time list for steals with 118.  He's tied with current NBA player Shelvin Mack (2008-11), four shy of head coach Brandon Miller (2000-03) and Mike Marshall (1996-2000) in a tie for eighth place.

•Alex Barlow has started 36 consecutive games for the Bulldogs.  He's had 57 career starts in his four seasons at Butler.

•Kellen Dunham was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (Nov. 24) for his performance in Butler's first three games.

•Kellen Dunham currently ranks second in the BIG EAST in scoring (19.0).

•Kellen Dunham is tied for the BIG EAST lead in three-point field goal made with 10.

•Kellen Dunham has hit at least one three-point field goal in 33 of Butler's last 35 games.  

•Kellen Dunham hit five three-point field goals (and scored 17 points) in Butler's last meeting with North Carolina.

•Kellen Dunham ranks second in the BIG EAST in three-point field goal percentage (.667) after three games.

•Junior Roosevelt Jones made his 70th consecutive start for the Bulldogs in the game against Loyola Maryland.

•Roosevelt Jones has the third-highest single game assist total in the BIG EAST this year with nine against Maine.

•Roosevelt Jones recorded Butler's highest total for steals in a game this year with four against Loyola Maryland.

•Roosevelt Jones had six points, four rebounds and three assists against North Carolina as a starter in 2012.

•Guard Jackson Aldridge missed Butler's games against Chattanooga and Loyola with an ankle injury, suffered against Maine.  He could be available for the Bulldogs in the Bahamas.

•Sophomore Andrew Chrabascz is ranked ninth in the BIG EAST in field goal shooting (.632).  He shot 52.5% from the field a year ago.

•Austin Etherington, a graduate transfer from Indiana, currently ranks second in the BIG EAST in field goal shooting (.750).

•Austin Etherington played a career-high 25 minutes against Loyola Maryland.

•Austin Etherington has his top two career scoring performances (11 vs. Maine; 9 vs. Loyola Maryland) in his first three games with the Bulldogs.

•Freshman Kelan Martin owns Butler's top single game totals this season for field goals (9) and field goal attempts (13), both coming against Loyola Maryland.

•Freshman Tyler Wideman had a career-high two blocked shots in 14 minutes against Loyola Maryland.

•North Carolina has held a "Top 10" national ranking in four straight meetings with Butler.