Opponent: Vanderbilt (Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational)
Specifics: Thursday, Nov. 24  |  8 p.m. (Eastern)  |  Orleans Arena  | Las Vegas, Nev.
TV: FS1 |  Justin Kutcher (play-by-play) & Bill Raftery (analyst)
Radio: 107.5 FM (also streamed through TuneIn Radio App)  |  Mark Minner (play-by-play) & Nick Gardner (analyst)
Follow Along: @ButlerMBB

Full Notes (PDF)

VIVA LAS VEGAS: The Bulldogs continue the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational with the first of two contests in Las Vegas after winning a pair of early-round contests in Indianapolis. Butler and Vanderbilt meet Thanksgiving night at 8 p.m. (Eastern). The game will be broadcast nationally on FS1. Butler is 4-0 on the young season.
 
The Bulldogs will face either Arizona or Santa Clara on Friday in their final contest in Las Vegas. FS1 will also carry that game.
 
OFFENSIVE JUGGERNAUT: Butler shot 58 percent from the field and knocked down a season-high 13 three-pointers in routing Norfolk State, 91-55, Monday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs shot 68 percent in the second half.
 
DOUBLING UP: Five Bulldogs scored in double figures in the contest against Norfolk State, the first time this season that has occurred for Butler. Nate Fowler (17) and Joey Brunk (10) registered 10 or more for the first time this season, bringing the total number of players to post double figures in at least one game this season at eight. Kelan Martin, who scored 11 points in only 22 minutes Monday night, has scored in double figures in all four contests this season.
 
TRIPLE THE FUN: Butler's 13 three-pointers were not only a 2016-17 season high, it also matched the Bulldogs' best output from behind the arc from last season. Six different Bulldogs hit triples, including Avery Woodson's five bombs. Woodson had four three-pointers in the first 5:30 of the second half en route to 15 points in just 12 minutes of work.
 
CAREER NIGHT: Sophomore Nate Fowler posted career-highs of 17 points and seven rebounds in Monday's win. He went 6-of-7 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line. The output almost matched his season total of 23 points from his rookie campaign when he saw action in 20 contests.
 
FRESH LEGS: Coach Chris Holtmann had the luxury of resting some players in the second half of Monday's contest as the team had played 48 hours prior. All 12 players who saw action played between 10 and 23 minutes. That should benefit the Bulldogs who will spend part of Tuesday on a plane traveling to Las Vegas before Thursday's contest.
 
Butler is in the midst of a six-game, 13-day stretch.
 
FRONT RUNNERS: Butler has not trailed in the last 83:07 of actual game action, dating back to Kelan Martin tying the Northwestern game at 63 with two free throws with 3:07 left on the clock.
 
SHARING THE ROCK: Butler had a staggering 26 assists on 32 made field goals Monday night against Norfolk State. Tyler Lewis led the team with a season-high eight assists, including seven in the first half. Eleven of Butler's 12 players registered at least one assist in the contest. That comes on the heels of Butler assisting on 19 of 36 made field goals Saturday against Bucknell. Once again, Lewis led the team with seven helpers.
 
MAKE MORE THAN YOU MISS: The Bulldogs have shot at least 53 percent in three of its four contests so far this season, including a season-best 62 percent Saturday against Bucknell. Butler is now 21-0 under Chris Holtmann when shooting 50 percent or better from the field.
 
Four of Butler's rotation – Nate Fowler, Tyler Wideman, Tyler Lewis, and Kamar Baldwin – are each shooting 64 percent or better from the field so far this season.
 
LIVIN' IN THE 80s: Butler is now 24-0 under Chris Holtmann when scoring 80 or more points. They accomplished the feat 15 times in 2015-16 and on six occasions in 2014-15 to pair with three 80+ performances on the young 2016-17 season. Butler's scoring average of 79.9 points per game last season was second in the BIG EAST and 24th nationally.
 
HANDLE WITH CARE: Butler has committed only 9.5 turnovers per game through its first four contests of the season. The Bulldogs own a combined advantage of 91-32 in points off turnovers over their opponents this season. Butler has forced its opponents into 69 miscues this season.
 
Butler leads the BIG EAST in both turnover margin and assist/turnover ratio.
 
BOTH SIDES OF THE FLOOR: While Butler's 84.0 points per game is impressive, the Bulldogs have also been doing a nice job on defense, allowing just 58.8 points per game so far in the young season. That mark is second in the BIG EAST.
 
 
 
GAME-WINNER: Butler defeated Northwestern, 70-68, Wednesday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse as freshman Kamar Baldwin hit a 17-foot jumper with 0.4 seconds remaining on the clock. Baldwin set up the final possession with a steal with 30 seconds remaining in the game. The match-up was part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games, an annual series between the BIG EAST and Big Ten.
 
ON THE GLASS: Butler only had a slight 26-24 rebounding advantage against Bucknell, but the Bulldogs kept the visitors off the offensive glass, allowing Bucknell only two offensive rebounds in the game.
 
TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT: Wednesday's game with Northwestern featured 17 ties and 16 lead changes. Butler's largest lead was five midway through the second half. Northwestern's largest lead was six with approximately six minutes to play, following a 10-0 run. The teams were tied for more than 25 percent of the game (10:15 of game action).
 
SCORING IN BUNCHES: Junior Kelan Martin has led Butler in scoring in two of four contests this season. Wednesday's 22 points featured 15 second-half points, including eight in the first 2:45 of the half. His 21 points in the season-opening win over Northern Colorado included 17 first-half points.
 
BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE: Freshman Kamar Baldwin has been impressive in his early Butler career, scoring in double figures in three of four contests, including hitting the game-winner against Northwestern. He has made 16 of his 25 attempts from the field (64 percent) and has committed only four turnovers. On the defensive end, he has nine steals.
 
PRESSURE IN THE BACKCOURT: The Bulldogs forced the lead guards of its first three opponents (Jordan Davis from Northern Colorado, Bryant McIntosh from Northwestern, and Stephen Brown of Bucknell) into a combined 18 turnovers.
 
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CHARITY: Kelan Martin has made 17 of his 18 attempts from the line so far this season. His miss in Monday's game with Norfolk State broke a perfect 16-of-16 mark to start the season.
 
BIG CAT, BIG PERFORMANCE: Tyler Wideman, with the nickname of "Big Cat," pounced on the team-high for Butler Saturday against Bucknell. His 6-of-8 performance from the field led to 14 points. It was the second time in his career that he has led Butler in scoring. He did that despite playing only 17 minutes.
 
HOME COOKING: Butler has now won 32 consecutive home games against non-conference opponents. The streak dates back to a loss to Pittsburgh in the 2012 College Basketball Invitational (CBI).
 
Butler coach Chris Holtmann is 30-6 at Hinkle Fieldhouse as head coach of the Bulldogs.
 
SENIOR STEPS UP: Andrew Chrabascz played a game-high 38 minutes Nov. 16 against Northwestern. His seven rebounds were also a game-high. Despite struggling through a 3-of-12 shooting performance, he scored six of his 13 points in the final 5:31. His three-pointer at that mark ended a 10-0 NU run and cut into the Wildcats' six-point lead. His basket with 2:32 to play gave Butler a two-point lead, and his free throw with 53 seconds remaining tied the game at 68. He had Butler's last two field goals before Kamar Baldwin's game-winner.
 
STARTING OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT: Butler cruised to an 89-52 win over Northern Colorado in its season-opener Saturday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs out-scored UNC, 48-21, in the second half. Limiting the Bears to 21 points in the second half matched Butler's best defensive output from the 2015-16 season, as Villanova only scored 21 points in the first half of the Jan. 10 game in Indianapolis.
 
All 10 scholarship players who saw action in the contest had both at least one made field goal and at least one rebound.  
 
BACK TO HIS OLD TRICKS: Junior Kelan Martin led the Bulldogs in both scoring and rebounding in the opener against Northern Colorado. He scored 21 points, including 17 in the first half, in only 26 minutes of action. He added a game-high six rebounds. A season ago, Martin led the Bulldogs in scoring 14 times and also led the team in rebounding on 14 occasions.
 
SEASONED VETERANS: Butler graduated experienced players Roosevelt Jones and Kellen Dunham from last season's line-up, but the starting five that Coach Chris Holtmann sent out against Northern Colorado combines for 20 seasons of experience in college programs. The backcourt of Tyler Lewis and Avery Woodson are fifth-year players, while Andrew Chrabascz is a traditional senior. Tyler Wideman and Kelan Martin have appeared in every Butler contest over their two-plus seasons in Indianapolis.
 
OPENING NIGHT: Tyler Lewis went a perfect 7-of-7 from the field in the opener against Northern Colorado. The seven made field goals set a new career-high for Lewis, while the 16 points were just one shy of his personal-best. He also had a game-high five assists.
 
AFTER 20 MINUTES: Butler took a 26-point lead into the half against Norfolk State, and ended up scoring the win. That has been a typical occurrence under Chris Holtmann as the Bulldogs are 43-7 when leading at the half during his time on the Butler sidelines.
 
In the second half of its three games this season, Butler has out-scored opponents, 172-115. The Bulldogs have scored at least 41 points in the second half of all four contests.