Opponent: Xavier
Specifics: Sunday, Feb. 26  |  3:30 p.m. ET  |  Cintas Center  |  Cincinnati, Ohio
TV: FS1  |  Joe Davis & Donny Marshall
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)

HOME STRETCH: With only two regular season games remaining on the calendar, the Bulldogs continue a road swing with a Sunday trip to Xavier. The Bulldogs enter the game at 22-6 overall and 11-5 in BIG EAST play. Xavier is 18-10 (8-7 BIG EAST). This is the second match-up between the two teams this season. The 3:30 p.m. tip will be aired nationally on FS1.

LAST TIME OUT: No. 22 Butler claimed arguably its most significant regular season road win in program history with a 74-66 win at No. 2 Villanova Wednesday night at The Pavilion. Kelan Martin came off the bench to lead Butler with 22 points and eight rebounds. He played a key role in a decisive 18-0 run midway through the second half that saw Butler respond to Villanova taking their biggest lead at 49-42 with 10:37 to play. Martin had nine of those 18 points. Over the next six minutes, Butler would take a 60-49 lead.

Butler has three wins in program history against teams ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 in the AP Poll. Two of the three wins have come this season (both over Villanova), joining a 2012 Crossroads Classic victory over Indiana.

THE SERIES WITH XAVIER: This will be the 57th match-up between Butler and Xavier in a series that includes time together in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (later known as the Horizon League), one year in the Atlantic 10, and joining the BIG EAST together prior to the 2013-14 season. Xavier owns a 37-19 advantage as the teams first met Jan. 16, 1937.

FIRST TIME AROUND: A huge second half for Butler included 21 points from freshman Kamar Baldwin and a 29-of-32 performance from the free throw line as the Bulldogs defeated Xavier, 83-78, Jan. 14 at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Butler put up 58 points in the second half to overcome a 31-25 halftime deficit, shooting 56 percent from the field and committing only two turnovers in the final 20 minutes of play. Butler's final 13 points came at the free throw line as the Bulldogs made 13 of 14 attempts over the final 2:18. With Butler leading 81-78 with three seconds to go, Baldwin stole the in-bounds pass to take away Xavier's final tying possession. 

THE WIN AT VILLANOVA: Butler's win snapped a 48-game winning streak for the Wildcats at The Pavilion, one that dates back to 2013. No. 2 Villanova also serves as Butler's highest-ranked true road win in program history, besting a win at No. 10 Wisconsin during the 2000-01 season.

'KEY' OFFENSIVE PERFORMANCE: Kelan Martin had nine points during a decisive 18-0, second-half run for the Bulldogs at Villanova. He finished with 22 points and a game-high eight rebounds. The junior went 7-of-11 from the field, including 3-of-6 from behind the arc. He hit five of his six free throw attempts. 

Over the past three games, Martin has averaged 18.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. In the three games prior to this three-game stretch, Martin averaged 6.7 points and 4.7 rebounds.

MOVING THE BALL: Andrew Chrabascz played a team-high 36 minutes Wednesday and he tied a career-high with eight assists as the Bulldogs assisted on 21 of 27 made field goals. Chrabascz's eight assists matched the team total for Villanova.

Chrabascz ranks 13^th in the BIG EAST in assists (3.1 per game).

LOCKING THEM DOWN: Villanova entered Wednesday's game with Butler averaging 9.0 made three-pointers per game (on 38-percent shooting) while committing only 11.3 turnovers per game. The Bulldogs forced VU into 15 turnovers (which Butler converted into 18 points) and limited the home team to 6-of-24 shooting from behind the three-point arc.
OFF THE BENCH: Villanova's starters play a majority of the team's minutes, but the Bulldogs got a strong boost Wednesday night from their reserves, out-scoring the opposing bench, 32-6. In addition to Martin's 22 points, Tyler Lewis had eight points and four assists as part of the second unit.

Butler's bench has out-scored the opponent's in 14 of its 16 BIG EAST games this season.

SCORE AND BOARD: For the fifth time this season, Kelan Martin paced the Bulldogs in both scoring and rebounding in the win over Villanova. On the season, Martin has led the team in scoring 11 times and has pulled down the team's most rebounds on 12 occasions. Wednesday marked his 20^th career 20-point scoring performance (his ninth of the season).

ON THE DEFENSIVE: The Bulldogs held Villanova to 66 points in Wednesday's win. Butler is now 17-0 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.
 
MAKE MORE THAN YOU MISS: Butler has shot better than 50 percent in three straight games, including Wednesday at Villanova. Butler has shot 50 percent or better from the field 11 times this season. The Bulldogs are 10-1 in those games. When shooting a better percentage than its opponent, Butler is 17-0 this season and 52-2 under head coach Chris Holtmann.
 
'NO WAY, YOU TOO?': Andrew Chrabascz and Kelan Martin became only the 38^th and 39^th Butler players to score 1,000 career points when they each respectively hit the milestone earlier this season (Chrabascz against Indiana Dec. 17 and Martin on Jan. 1 against Providence. They each enter Sunday's game with exactly 1,200 career points.

THOSE COUNT FOR MORE: Butler hit 10 three-pointers at Villanova Wednesday, the seventh time this season that the Bulldogs have made 10 or more behind the arc. Butler is 7-0 in those games. Butler's season average of 7.8 three-pointers per game is fifth in the BIG EAST.

Avery Woodson is 13-of-24 from three-point range over his last three games. That is a 54-percent clip.

ON THE BOARDS: Butler out-rebounded Villanova, 32-31, which is Butler's fourth straight game leading the rebounding category. The Bulldogs are now 15-2 on the season when pulling down more caroms than their opponents. Butler out-rebounded St. John's, 40-25, Feb. 15. It was Butler's largest rebounding advantage of the season.

PAINT JOB: Butler had a 46-24 edge in points in the paint against DePaul Feb. 19, which marked the largest advantage of the season. Butler shot 26-of-38 from two-point range against the Blue Demons (68 percent).
 
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 the Feb. 19 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 5.7 and 13.4 points per game.
 
PROTECTING THE ROCK: On the season, the Bulldogs are averaging only 10.3 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. Butler is 11-2 this season when committing 10 or fewer turnovers.

Butler committed a season-high 16 turnovers against Villanova and still got the win. It marked the first time that Butler had committed more than 15 turnovers in 44 games, dating back to the Jan. 16, 2016 game against St. John's.

SEEING 20/20: Butler is 22-6 overall, posting its 11^th 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.
 
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 Friday's RPI rankings released by the NCAA, the Bulldogs come in at No. 11. Butler has a record of 15-4 against teams currently ranked in the RPI Top 100 (Indiana currently has an RPI ranking at No. 101). Those 15 wins against the Top 100 trail only Kansas (17) and Villanova (16). Florida also has 15 (through the games of Feb. 23).
 
Butler is now 6-2 against ranked teams this season, including a 5-1 mark against teams that were ranked in the Top 15 at the time of the contest.

HOME, SWEET HINKLE: Butler is now 13-2 at Hinkle Fieldhouse this season and 39-8 at home under head coach Chris Holtmann.  
 
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 Feb. 19. 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 3.71 assist/turnover ratio.
 
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).