Opponent: Central Arkansas
Specifics: Saturday, Dec. 3 | 4 p.m. | Hinkle Fieldhouse | Indianapolis, Ind.
TV: FS2 | Vince Welch & Jordan Cornette
Radio: 1070 AM & 93.5 FM (also streamed through
TuneIn Radio App) | Mark Minner (play-by-play) & Nick Gardner (analyst)
Tickets: Available through Butler Athletics Ticket Office
Follow Along: @ButlerMBB
Full Notes (PDF)
HOME, SWEET HINKLE: The Bulldogs return to Hinkle Fieldhouse after completing its first road trip unblemished. Butler is 7-0 on the season, including a 3-0 swing away from home last week that included capturing the Las Vegas Invitational title and defeating Utah on the road. Butler welcomes Central Arkansas to Indianapolis for a 4 p.m. tip Saturday. The game will be broadcast nationally on FS2. The two programs have never met.
LUCKY SEVEN: The Bulldogs have started the season 7-0. Through Wednesday's games, Butler is one of only 15 remaining undefeated teams in the country. This is Butler's best start to the season since beginning the 2008-09 season at 8-0.
POLE POSITION: In Monday's national polls, Butler was ranked No. 18 by both the AP voters and the coaches who comprise the USA Today Coaches Poll. Butler had been receiving votes in both polls each week, but cracked the Top 25 for the first time this season.
Including this season, Butler has now been ranked in the Top 25 in nine of the last 11 seasons.
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.
ROAD WARRIORS: Butler capped its western stint with a 68-59 win over Utah Monday night in Salt Lake City. The Utes had previously defeated 32 straight non-conference opponents at home. Four Bulldogs scored in double figures in the contest, led by
Kelan Martin's 18 points.
Martin has led the team in scoring in four of the Bulldogs' seven contests. It marked the 20th time in his career that Martin had paced the Bulldogs in scoring.
SWIPE SESSION: Butler had 12 steals at Utah, which marked the season-best for the Bulldogs. Utah's 18 turnovers were converted into 23 points by Butler on Monday night. On the season, Butler holds a 152-73 advantage in points off turnovers, more than doubling up its opponents.
Freshman Kamar Baldwin had a career-high four steals at Utah. He now has 16 steals through his first seven collegiate games. His average of 2.3 steals per game is third in the BIG EAST and 37th nationally.
MAKE MORE THAN YOU MISS: The Bulldogs have shot at least 53 percent in four of its seven contests so far this season, including a season-best 62 percent against Bucknell. Butler is now 22-0 under
Chris Holtmann when shooting 50 percent or better from the field.
Butler's shooting mark of .504 from the field is second in the BIG EAST and 20th in the NCAA rankings.
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.
SHARING IS CARING: Tyler Lewis has led Butler in assists in six of the team's seven games. His 5.4 assists average is third in the BIG EAST and 54
th nationally.
Lewis owns a 3.2 career Asst/TO ratio, which jumps to 3.5 in his two seasons at Butler.
HANDLE WITH CARE: Butler has committed only 11.1 turnovers per game through its seven contests. The Bulldogs are ranked among the national leaders in fewest turnovers committed (23rd) and turnover margin (+5.9, which is 11
th in the NCAA).
ON THE DEFENSIVE: The Bulldogs are allowing just 60.7 points per game so far this season. That mark is second in the BIG EAST and 22
nd nationally. Butler limited Utah to just 37-percent shooting and four assists Monday night, including a 3-of-20 performance from behind the arc. Butler's opponents are only shooting .406 from the field this season, the second-best mark in the BIG EAST.
Butler's +17.7 scoring margin is 22nd nationally and is tied for the BIG EAST lead.
'WIN' IN LAS VEGAS: Butler captured the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational with a 69-65 win over #8/9 Arizona Friday night. That came on the heels of a 76-66 win over Vanderbilt in the semifinals. This was the fourth in-season tournament title for the Bulldogs since 2006 (2006 NIT Season Tip-Off, 2007 Great Alaska Shootout, 2010 Diamond Head Classic, and the 2016 Las Vegas Invitational).
UNLIKELY SOURCE: Tyler Wideman, featuring a 6-of-6 performance from the field, had 15 points against Utah. Wideman put up 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting against Bucknell. That tied for the team-high and was the second time in his career that he has led Butler in scoring.
WHAT HAPPENED IN VEGAS…: Butler's 2-0 performance in Las Vegas included Most Outstanding Player honors for
Andrew Chrabascz, while
Kelan Martin and
Kamar Baldwin joined him on the All-Tournament Team.
TOP 10 TAKEDOWN: Arizona entered the Las Vegas Invitational championship game undefeated and ranked No. 8 and No. 9 in the national polls. Butler's win over the Wildcats marked the third consecutive season that Butler has defeated a Top 10 opponent in non-conference play. The Bulldogs defeated North Carolina in the 2014 event at Atlantis and knocked off Purdue in the 2015 Crossroads Classic in Indianapolis. Coach
Chris Holtmann has enjoyed a Top 10 win in each of his three seasons as head coach at Butler.
Holtmann picked up his 50th win as Butler's head coach with the semifinal triumph against Vanderbilt. He is now 52-22 as head coach at Butler, winning 70 percent of his games.
SCORE AND BOARD: Senior
Andrew Chrabascz picked up his second career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds Nov. 24 against Vanderbilt. The 10 rebounds tied his career-high. Chrabascz followed that up with 14 points and seven rebounds in the win over Arizona.
AFTER 20 MINUTES: Butler has led at the half in six of seven games this season. The Bulldogs are 46-7 when leading at the half during his time on the Butler sidelines.
