Opponent: #8 Creighton
Specifics: Wednesday, Jan. 11 | 9 p.m. Eastern (8 p.m. Omaha/Central) | CenturyLink Center | Omaha, Neb.
TV: FS1 | Vince Welch & Nick Bahe
Radio: 93.5 FM & 1070 AM (also streamed through
TuneIn Radio App) | Mark Minner (play-by-play) & Nick Gardner (analyst)
Follow Along: @ButlerMBB
Full Notes (PDF)
ANOTHER BIG (EAST) TEST: The Bulldogs travel to Omaha for another tough contest, squaring off with No. 8-ranked Creighton Wednesday night. Both Butler (14-2) and the Bluejays (15-1) enter the contest with 3-1 BIG EAST marks. The 9 p.m. (Eastern, 8 p.m. Omaha/Central) tip will air nationally on FS1.
For only the third time in program history, Butler is in the midst of playing three Top 15 teams in a four-game stretch as No. 8 Creighton joins (previously ranked) No. 1 Villanova from last week and Butler's upcoming opponent, No. 15/14 Xavier. This also occurred during the 2010 NCAA Tournament and in the first four games of the 2015-16 BIG EAST schedule. (Wisconsin was ranked No. 16 and VCU was unranked entering the 2011 NCAA Tournament.)
THE SERIES: This will be the 14th match-up between the two programs, including six since the programs both joined the BIG EAST prior to the 2013-14 season. The teams first met (twice) during the 1932-33 season. Creighton leads the all-time series, 7-6. The teams split a pair of games last season with each winning on its home court. Including a sweep of the season series in 2014-15, Chris Holtmann is 3-1 against the Bluejays as head coach at Butler.
CAPITAL GAINS: Butler escaped the nation's capital with an 85-76 overtime win against Georgetown Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs never led over the final 2:13 of regulation and forced overtime off a Georgetown miss at the buzzer. Butler made 13 free throws in the overtime period and limited the Hoyas to 3-of-11 shooting from the field in the extra session. The game featured 16 lead changes and eight ties.
Butler overcame its second-worst shooting performance of the season (.391) to win at Georgetown. On the season, Butler's 48.8 percent shooting is 22nd in the nation. The Bulldogs are 11-0 when shooting a better percentage than their opponents, something they did not do Saturday in the nation's capital.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS: The Bulldogs are ranked No. 12 in this week's AP poll and come in at No. 13 in the coaches poll. That is the highest ranking in the AP poll and ties for the best placement in this season's coaches poll. Butler cracked the Top 25 for the first time this season in the Nov. 28 polls. Butler has now been ranked in the Top 25 in nine of the last 11 seasons.
The Bulldogs are 4-0 versus Top 25 teams in 2016-17, including three Top 10 wins (rankings are noted at the time of their game with Butler).
KEEPING YOUR BALANCE: In wins over No. 1 Villanova and on the road at Georgetown last week, the Bulldogs averaged 76.5 points per game but did not have a single player post more than 16 points in either game. Five Bulldogs registered double figures at Georgetown, which was the second time this season that has occurred (vs. Norfolk State, Nov. 21). Kamar Baldwin, Kelan Martin, Kethan Savage, and Andrew Chrabascz each averaged between 12.0 and 13.0 points, respectively, in the team's two wins last week.
In BIG EAST play, Butler has seven players averaging between 7.5 and 13.3 points per game.
CAREER DAY: Freshman Kamar Baldwin posted a career-high 16 points in Saturday's win over Georgetown. It was his first time leading Butler in scoring. He made a career-best three three-pointers and added five rebounds and four steals. His steals total was just shy of the five he swiped at Indiana State earlier this season.
Baldwin's 2.0 steals per game average is second in the BIG EAST and 40th nationally.
ATTACKING THE BOARDS: Butler won the rebounding battle for the third consecutive game with a 42-36 advantage at Georgetown. After out-rebounding its first five opponents, the Bulldogs had only pulled down more boards than one of its last eight opponents prior to this three-game stretch.
Butler is 9-0 this season when out-rebounding its opponent.
CLUTCH: Sophomore big man Nate Fowler made a series of huge plays in the waning minutes of regulation at Georgetown. With Butler trailing by three with a minute to play, Fowler nailed a tying three-pointer from the top of the key. After two Georgetown free throws re-took the lead, Fowler grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed shot and was fouled with eight seconds to play. He calmly sank two free throws to push the game to overtime.
Fowler posted 11 points at Georgetown, his second career game in double figures. He is shooting 73 percent from the field on the season.
BEHIND THE ARC: The Bulldogs are shooting nearly 10 percentage points better from behind the three-point line than their opponents. Including a 10-of-20 performance at Georgetown Saturday, the Bulldogs are shooting .392 from distance, which is 42nd nationally. Butler's opponents have been limited to a .299 mark as Butler's defense from behind the arc is ranked second in the BIG EAST and 22nd in the nation.
Butler has shot 45 percent or better from three-point range in six of its 16 games this season.
CHARITABLE EFFORTS: Butler is 40-of-44 (91 percent) from the free throw line over its last two games. That includes a 15-of-15 performance against Villanova, which was Butler's third-most makes without a miss in program history. The Bulldogs made all 10 attempts in the second half at Georgetown and then went 13-of-16 in overtime to seal the win.
BIG JUMP IN THE BIG EAST: Kethan Savage is averaging 11.0 points per game in BIG EAST play. Those 44 points through four games are in contrast to a total of 18 points in his first eight outings of the season as he got back up to speed after missing the beginning of the regular season due to illness.
Savage is 11-of-11 from the free throw line over the last two games after making only five of his first 13 attempts this season. All six of his free throws at Georgetown came in the overtime session.
AGAINST THE BLUEJAYS: In two games against Creighton last season, Kelan Martin averaged 21.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. In Omaha, Martin posted a double-double with 22 points and 11 boards. Tyler Wideman averaged 7.0 points and 8.0 rebounds against the Bluejays in 2015-16.
LIVIN' IN THE 80s: Butler is now 28-0 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 seven 80+ performances on the young 2016-17 season.
HANDLE WITH CARE: The Bulldogs have posted 10 or fewer miscues in eight games this season, including only eight against Villanova. Butler posted a season-low six turnovers in back-to-back wins over ranked opponents Cincinnati and Indiana near the end of the non-conference slate. On the season, the Bulldogs are averaging only 10.4 turnovers per game. That mark is eighth nationally.
Butler's turnover margin of +3.8 leads the BIG EAST and is 25th nationally.
DOUBLE DIPPING: Kelan Martin overcame a tough shooting day to register his ninth career double-double Saturday at Georgetown. It was his first of the season as he scored 13 points and pulled down 10 rebounds (all on the defensive end). He joins Andrew Chrabascz and Tyler Wideman as Bulldogs who have posted double-doubles this season.
KNOCKING OFF NUMBER 1: Butler knocked off No. 1 Villanova, 66-58, Jan. 4 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in front of a sell-out crowd. Kethan Savage and Andrew Chrabascz led four Bulldogs in double figures with 13 points apiece. Butler ended the game on a 15-6 run to take the win. The loss was the first for Villanova this season and its first in 20 games dating back to last season for the defending national champions.
LOOKING OUT FOR NUMBER 1: The win over Villanova was the second for Butler over a team ranked No. 1 in program history, joining a 2012 Crossroads Classic victory over Indiana. Butler is now 2-5 all-time against the nation's top-ranked team. The Jan. 4 game was the first time the No. 1 team visited Hinkle Fieldhouse since Butler hosted No. 1 Indiana during the 1953-54 season.
CONTESTED SHOTS: Butler limited Villanova to 37-percent shooting in the Jan. 4 game, including only 6-of-26 from behind the arc. Villanova entered the contest shooting 50.4 percent from the field (tenth nationally).
BREAKING THROUGH: Butler knocked off Villanova for the first time in the history of the series. The Wildcats had won the first seven match-ups, including six over the past three seasons as BIG EAST foes.
JOIN THE CLUB: Kelan Martin became only the 39th Butler player to score 1,000 career points when he reached the milestone with his first point Jan. 1 against Providence. Andrew Chrabascz scored his 1,000th career point in the Dec. 17 win over Indiana. Butler graduated two 1,000-point scorers off last year's roster in Roosevelt Jones and Kellen Dunham.
Martin has led the Bulldogs in scoring in eight of the team's 16 games this season. He has scored 20 or more points in six of those contests. In his Butler career, the Bulldogs have a 19-5 record in games when Martin is the team's leading scorer.
BOUNCING BACK: Butler is now 19-3 following a loss under coach Chris Holtmann. The Bulldogs responded from a loss at St. John's in its BIG EAST opener to defeat Providence.
HOME, SWEET HINKLE: Butler is now 9-0 at Hinkle Fieldhouse this season, and carries a current 12-game home winning streak. With the win over Vermont to close the non-conference schedule, Butler has now won 35 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 35-6 at Hinkle Fieldhouse as head coach of the Bulldogs.
CENTURY MARK: Chris Holtmann picked up career win No. 100 as a head coach with the Bulldogs' victory over Vermont Dec. 21. Holtmann is now 102-78 overall as a head coach, including 58-24 at Butler.
PASSED THE MIDTERM: Butler finished the non-conference season with a record of 11-1, which they also did a season ago. This season matched Butler's best start since the 2008-09 team that started 19-1 on its way to a 26-6 mark.
AFTER 20 MINUTES: Butler has led at the half in 10 of 16 games this season. When leading at the half, the Bulldogs are 10-0 this season and 50-7 during Chris Holtmann's time on the Butler sidelines.
