Opponent: #2 Villanova
Specifics: Wednesday, Feb. 22 | 9 p.m. ET | The Pavilion | Villanova, Pa.
TV: FS1 | Tim Brando & Bill Raftery
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)
DOIN' A LITTLE EAST COAST SWING: Butler returns to the road for another match-up of Top 25 teams when the Bulldogs travel to Philadelphia for a Wednesday night contest at second-ranked Villanova. The game also pairs the teams that currently stand in the top two spots in the BIG EAST standings. The Bulldogs enter the game at 21-6 overall and 10-5 in BIG EAST play. Villanova is 26-2 (13-2 BIG EAST). This is the second match-up between the two teams this season. The game will be aired nationally on FS1.
FIRST TIME AROUND: 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.
The win over Villanova was the second in program history for Butler over a team ranked No. 1, joining a 2012 Crossroads Classic victory over Indiana.
THE SERIES: This will be the ninth match-up between the two programs with a majority of the games coming since Butler joined the BIG EAST prior to the 2013-14 season. Villanova owns a 7-1 lead in the series. The first meeting between the programs came as part of the 1996 Puerto Rico Tip-Off, while the last seven contests have been as BIG EAST foes.
LAST TIME OUT: Butler shot 57 percent from the field in running away from DePaul, 82-66, Sunday afternoon at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Four Bulldogs scored in double figures. Butler's bench out-scored its counterparts from DePaul, 44-17. Nate Fowler had 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting, while Tyler Lewis chipped in 10 points and eight assists (against no turnovers). Kelan Martin scored 14 points to go along with a game-high eight rebounds.
Butler is now 13-2 at Hinkle Fieldhouse this season and 39-8 at home under head coach Chris Holtmann.
SEEING 20/20: Butler is 21-6 overall, posting its 11th 20-win season in the last 12 years. The Bulldogs are one of only 16 programs that have posted at least 11 20-win seasons during that stretch (there are five additional teams who could achieve this mark later this season). The Bulldogs have posted 20 or more wins on 22 occasions. Eighteen of those 20-win seasons have come since 1996-97.
HOT SHOTS: In back-to-back games, Butler has shot 57.6 percent against St. John's and 56.9 percent against DePaul. That is the best back-to-back shooting performance for the Bulldogs since games against Bucknell (62.1) and Norfolk State (58.2) Nov. 19 and Nov. 21, respectively. The Bulldogs matched a season-high with 13 three-pointers (shooting 50 percent from behind the arc) against St. John's Feb. 15. Butler made nine triples in the first half. Entering the game, Butler had only made nine three-pointers in two of its 13 BIG EAST games.
Butler has shot 50 percent or better from the field 10 times this season. The Bulldogs are 9-1 in those games. When shooting a better percentage than its opponent, Butler is 16-0 this season and 51-2 under head coach Chris Holtmann.
ON THE BOARDS: Butler out-rebounded St. John's, 40-25, Feb. 15. It was Butler's largest rebounding advantage of the season. After also out-rebounding DePaul Sunday, the Bulldogs are now 14-2 on the season when pulling down more caroms than their opponents.
INSIDE: Butler had a 46-24 edge in points in the paint against DePaul Sunday, which marked the largest advantage of the season. Butler shot 26-of-38 from two-point range against the Blue Demons (68 percent).
OUTSIDE: Over his last two games, graduate student Avery Woodson is shooting 10-of-16 from three-point range. That includes tying his career-high with six three-pointers against St. John's Feb. 15. Nine of those 10 triples have come in the first half.
SECOND UNIT: Butler's reserves accounted for 44 points Sunday against DePaul. Of the four Bulldogs in double figures, three came off the bench as Nate Fowler led the team with 15 points, while Kelan Martin added 14 and Tyler Lewis had 10. It was Butler's second-highest bench performance of the season (46 vs. Norfolk State, Nov. 21).
BALANCED ATTACK: Butler had five players in double-figures against St. John's Feb. 15. It was the fourth time this season that Butler had five players score 10+ points. Butler is 4-0 in those contests. Butler is also 5-1 in games where the Bulldogs have four players score at least 10 points, including Sunday's win against DePaul.
Eight different players have led the Bulldogs in scoring in at least one game this season. Six different Bulldogs have scored 20 points or more in a contest. In BIG EAST play, Butler has eight players averaging between 5.9 and 12.8 points per game.
EARLY LOOK: For the first time, the NCAA Men's Basketball Committee revealed its top 16 seeds in a midseason preview for fans. The seeds were announced Feb. 11. Butler was announced as the No. 13 overall seed (the equivalent of being the top No. 4 seed in the bracket).
STRONG RESUME: In Monday's RPI rankings released by the NCAA, the Bulldogs come in at No. 13. Butler has a record of 15-4 against teams currently ranked in the RPI Top 100. Those 15 wins against the Top 100 are one shy of Kansas for the most in the nation (through the games of Sunday, Feb. 19). Villanova also has 15 wins in this category.
Butler is now 5-2 against ranked teams this season, including a 4-1 mark against teams that were ranked in the Top 15 at the time of the contest. Several teams that Butler defeated in the non-conference portion of its schedule have played well since the loss to Butler: Vermont (16-0 since), Cincinnati (17-1), Arizona (20-2), and Bucknell (19-6). Villanova is 12-1 since Butler defeated the Wildcats Jan. 4.
HEATING UP: Kelan Martin has averaged 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds over his last two games. He has shot 50 percent from the field and gotten to the free throw line 16 times. In the three games preceding this two-game stretch, Martin averaged 6.7 points and 4.7 rebounds.
DISHING THEM OUT: Tyler Lewis had a season-high nine assists against St. John's Feb. 15 and followed that up with eight helpers (and no turnovers) against DePaul Sunday. Lewis is fourth in the BIG EAST at 4.1 assists per game.
Lewis leads the BIG EAST and is sixth in the nation with a 3.83 assist/turnover ratio.
NEW HEIGHTS: According to STATS Inc., Kamar Baldwin is one of only four players standing 6-feet or shorter since the 2000-01 season to post a game with at least 10 rebounds and a game with at least four blocks in the same season. Baldwin pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds against Providence Feb. 11 and he had four blocks in the game at Marquette Feb. 7.
SCORING 20/20: Andrew Chrabascz and Avery Woodson led the Bulldogs against St. John's, each scoring 20 points in the win. It was the second time this season that a pair of Bulldogs each had 20 points (Chrabascz and Kelan Martin achieved the feat against Vermont Dec. 21).
Woodson's 20 points were a season-high and his best scoring performance in a Butler uniform. He had two 20-point games while playing at Memphis. Woodson tied his career-high with six three-pointers. Wednesday was Chrabascz's third 20-point game of the season and the seventh of his Butler career.
DOUBLING DOWN: Tyler Wideman posted the second double-double of his career with 14 points and 10 rebounds against St. John's Feb. 15. The 10 rebounds matched his career-high and the fourth time he pulled down 10 caroms. Wideman has led the Bulldogs in rebounding in eight games this season and 18 times in his career.
ON THE DEFENSIVE: The Bulldogs held DePaul to 66 points in Sunday's win. Butler is now 16-0 on the season when holding its opponent to less than 70 points. The Bulldogs are 5-6 on the season when their opponent scores 70 or more.
ON THE OFFENSIVE: After hitting the mark in its last two games, Butler is now 32-1 under Chris Holtmann when scoring 80 or more points, including a 11-1 mark this season.
IN THE POLLS: The Bulldogs are ranked No. 22 in both the AP poll and the USA Today coaches poll this week. Butler has been ranked each week since the Nov. 28, 2016 polls.
STOPPING A SKID: Following a loss, the Bulldogs are now 22-4 under coach Chris Holtmann. That includes a 5-1 mark this season.
PROTECTING THE ROCK: On the season, the Bulldogs are averaging only 10.1 turnovers per game. That mark is sixth nationally. Butler had a season-low four turnovers – including none in the second half – against Marquette Jan. 16. The Bulldogs have posted 10 or fewer miscues in 13 games this season, including only seven against DePaul Sunday.
Butler's turnover margin of +3.3 leads the BIG EAST and is 20th nationally. Butler is 11-2 this season when committing 10 or fewer turnovers.
WINNING THE CLOSE ONES: The Bulldogs are 6-3 this season in games decided by five points or less. Butler is also 2-0 in overtime games.
