Game Notes
 
Villanova at Butler
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Gameday Information
Date: Friday, January 20, 2017 / 7:00 PM
Location: Indianapolis, Ind. / Hinkle Fieldhouse
Live Stats: ButlerSports.com | Watch: BEDN
Series History: Villanova leads the all-time series against Butler 6-1
Last Meeting: Villanova defeated Butler 66-46 during the 2015-16 season
 
Georgetown at Butler
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Gameday Information
Date: Sunday, January 22, 2017 / 1:00 PM
Location: Indianapolis, Ind. / Hinkle Fieldhouse
Live Stats: ButlerSports.com | Watch: BEDN
Series History: Butler leads the all-time series against Georgetown 4-2
Last Meeting: Georgetown defeated Butler 49-35 during the 2015-16 season
 
INDIANAPOLIS – The Bulldogs will host Villanova and Georgetown this weekend in BIG EAST Conference action. The Wildcats will play at Hinkle Fieldhouse Friday evening on Youth Basketball Night which features free admission to all kids who wear their club team jerseys to the game. The Hoyas will visit Indianapolis on Sunday for a 1 PM tip.
 
Bulldog Bits
- Sydney Buck recorded a career-high six assists in the setback at Marquette
- Sarah Humphrey scored a career-high seven points vs. the Golden Eagles
- BU didn't have a player score in double figures for the first time this season at MU
- Kristen Spolyar will miss the rest of the 2017 season with a knee injury
- Michelle Weaver scored 17 points vs Nova last year at Hinkle Fieldhouse
- Louin and Hahn combined for 40 points the last time BU faced Villanova
- Dionna White averaged 14.5 points per game against Butler last year
- Schickel has led BU in rebounds in each game this season, avg 10.4 per game
- The BIG EAST regular-season non-conference record is the best since realignment
 
BIG EAST Standings
1) DePaul 8-0, 16-4
2) Creighton 6-1, 12-5
3) Marquette 6-2, 15-4
4) St. John's 4-3, 12-6
5) Villanova 4-3, 9-9
6) Georgetown 2-5, 10-7
7) Xavier 2-5, 10-8
8) Butler 2-5, 5-13
9) Providence 1-6, 9-9
10) Seton Hall 1-6, 8-10

All-Time Series
Butler's lone win over Villanova in the all-time series came during the first meeting of the 2014-15 season. The Bulldogs won on their home court 72-58. The other six games favored the Wildcats.

BU holds the upper hand in the all-time series against Georgetown 4-2. The two clubs split the regular season series a year ago with each team winning at home. Butler swept the action the year before in Coach Godlevske's first season at the helm.
 
Welcome Back Home
Only two of Butler's last eight games have been played at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The last month has been a tough stretch for the young Bulldog team with games at Green Bay, Creighton, Providence, Xavier, DePaul and Marquette. They split the only two home games on the schedule during that stretch with a victory over Seton Hall and a loss to St. John's.
 
Spolyar Update
Butler freshman Kristen Spolyar suffered a knee injury at Xavier on Jan. 8 and will miss the rest of the 2017 season. The top scoring freshman in the BIG EAST (12.8) went down hard in the opening seconds at the Cintas Center. She started in 15 of 16 games for BU this year.
 
Projected Starters
The Bulldog starting five will be shuffled around once again with Spolyar missing the rest of the season. Tori Schickel is the only player on the roster to start in all 18 games this year. Head Coach Kurt Godlevske will likely play Michelle Weaver, Alexa Bailey and Sydney Shelton alongside Schickel. The final spot belonged to Taylor Buford last weekend who responded by averaging eight points and 2.5 rebounds per game against DePaul and Marquette. Sydney Buck and Shae Brey will also be options. Brey started in Butler's first nine games of the season and Buck is returning to form after missing time with a foot injury.
 
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 (10.4), is 3rd in minutes (33.8), 5th in field goal percentage (49.4) and 5th in steals (2.1). A closer breakdown shows Schickel leading the league in both offensive rebounds (4.3) and defensive boards (6.2). The sophomore forward also ranks 6th in blocked shots (1.4) and 13th in scoring (13.2).
 
National Rankings
As a team, Butler ranks 84th in the NCAA with 159 steals. Individually, Tori Schickel ranks 11th in rebounds (188), 16th in offensive rebounds per game (4.0), 21st in rebounds per game (10.4), 36th in free throw attempts (101) 74th in free throws made (67) and 78th in minutes played (609).
 
Take Care of the Ball
The Bulldogs have done a much better job in the turnover column over their last three games. Their season-low total of 12 turnovers came in the overtime win at Xavier. Against the full-court pressure at DePaul, Butler only committed 14 turnovers and the team most recently posted 15 at Marquette. That's a positive sign for a team that has turned the ball over 20 times on eight occasions this year.
 
Close Out on Shooters
Butler will need to keep a hand up against Villanova on Friday night. The Wildcats average eight made 3-pointers per game, the second-highest average of any BIG EAST Team. Marquette hit 12 3-point field goals against Butler on Sunday and the DePaul Blue Demons added 14 from long range in their win over BU on Friday night.
 
Block Out The Hoyas
Georgetown will create second and third chances at points if Butler doesn't block out on Sunday afternoon. The Hoyas average 15 offensive rebounds per game and rank third in the league in rebound margin ( 3.4). Butler is 0-8 on the year when they are outrebounded.
 
Recent Trends
Butler will need to lock down defensively after allowing 191 points (95.5 ppg) over their last two games. On the opposite end Butler had eight of nine players score at Marquette, but no player was able to break into double digits in the scoring column. Villanova comes in hot after defeating Penn 60-48 on Wednesday night. Winners of five of their last six, the Wildcats are led by guard Adrianna Hahn who ranks 7th in the BIG EAST in scoring. The Hoyas won seven-straight earlier this year, but have only managed two wins vs. conference foes. Their leading scorer is sophomore Dionna White (15.3), a 5-5 guard who also leads the team in steals. White is surrounded by upperclassmen. Dorothy Adomako, Faith Woodard and DiDi Burton are the usual suspects in the Hoya starting five.
 
Schickel Eyes Single-Season Rebound Record
Tori Schickel is currently on pace to break the Butler school record for most rebounds recorded in a single-season. Through 18 games, Schickel has pulled down 188 rebounds. Her recent 20-rebound game at Xavier (1/8) is the highest total by any player in the BIG EAST Conference during the 2016-17 season. Schickel will chase the BU school record of 302 which was set by Beth Piepenbrink during the 1981-82 season.
 
No Sophomore Slump For Schickel
Tori Schickel is just four points shy of 500 for her career as the team prepares to host Villanova on Friday. The standout sophomore is on pace to become just the 22nd player in Butler women's basketball history to reach 1,000 career points. The all-time leading scorer is Butler assistant coach Julie Shelton who scored 2,018 points during her career.
 
First Road Win Comes in Overtime
Butler won on the road for the first time this season on January 8 with a 65-62 overtime win at Xavier. Butler trailed for a majority of the contest (XU led for 35:40), but got a late bucket from Michelle Weaver at the end of regulation to force overtime. Four different players (Schickel, Weaver, Bailey, Buford) set career-high totals for minutes played in the contest which was highlighted by Schickel's 20 points and 20 rebounds in 45 minutes of action. BU scored 20 points off 18 Xavier turnovers and came all the way back to earn the win by beating Xavier 18-8 in the fourth quarter.
 
Up Next
Butler will travel to New York to face the St. John's Red Storm on Friday, January 27. The weekend will come to a close on Sunday with a contest at Seton Hall on January 29. Each contest will stream live on BEDN. St. John's will host BU at 7 PM while Sunday's matinee will get underway at 2 PM.