#rv/rv Butler (2-0) vs. Ole Miss (1-0)
Friday, Nov. 16; 8PM
Hinkle Fieldhouse; Indianapolis, Ind.
TV: FS2 - @ShaneBacon & @JordanCornette
RADIO: 93.1 FM, TuneIn Radio App, XM 309, SiriusXM Internet 978 - @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)
Full Notes (PDF)
The Bulldogs continue an early-season homestand, welcoming Ole Miss to Hinkle Fieldhouse Friday night for a BIG EAST-SEC match-up. The 8 p.m. tip will air on FS2. The Butler duo of Mark Minner and Nick Gardner will have the radio call on 93.1FM and the TuneIn Radio app.
NOT A WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT: Including the team's 2-0 mark to start the season, Butler has now won 45 consecutive home games against non-conference foes. The streak dates back to a loss to Pittsburgh in the 2012 College Basketball Invitational (CBI). That current streak trails only Duke and Arizona. Opponents who have fallen victim at Hinkle Fieldhouse during the streak include Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Cincinnati, Northwestern (twice), Utah, Princeton (twice), Saint Louis, Chattanooga, Belmont, and Vermont.
POINT-BRUNK RANGE: Redshirt sophomore
Joey Brunk is shooting .909 (10-11) from the field through the Bulldogs' two games this season. That ranks second in the country for players with enough attempts per game to qualify. In his two games, Brunk has scored a total of 30 points, which matches his total output from 2017-18, when he saw action in 20 contests. Two of Brunk's three career double-digit scoring performances have come this season.
In the BIG EAST rankings (which require fewer attempts than the NCAA list to qualify), Brunk,
Aaron Thompson (.889) and
Nate Fowler (.857) currently claim the top three spots in field goal percentage.
TOP DAWG: Junior
Kamar Baldwin led the Bulldogs in points (26), rebounds (8) and assists (6) in the team's win over Detroit Mercy Monday night. Baldwin also led the team in points and assists in the season-opening victory over Miami (Ohio). His averages of 23.5 points and 6.0 assists per game are each currently third in the BIG EAST rankings. Baldwin has led the team in scoring 11 times in his Butler career.
Early in his junior campaign, Baldwin is only 60 points shy of 1,000 for his career. He would become the 40
th Bulldog to hit the plateau. His 115 career steals are just seven away from cracking Butler's career Top 10 list.
2018-19…HELLO: Butler opened up the 2018-19 season officially on Saturday night, taking a 90-68 decision over visiting Miami (Ohio). The Bulldogs shot 60 percent in the contest and had four players in double figures. It was Butler's first time shooting 60 percent or better in a game since a win at Marquette, Jan. 31, 2018 (.600; 33-55).
The Nov. 10 win over Miami (Ohio) marked the 20
th consecutive season that the Bulldogs have won their home opener. That dates back to 1998 when Southwest Missouri State (now referred to as Missouri State) won a 72-57 decision at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Steve Alford was the coach of that team, which included Brandon Miller on the roster. Miller would later transfer to Butler and also spend time at his alma mater as both an assistant coach and head coach.
PAINT BY NUMBERS: The Bulldogs posted a 48-22 advantage in points in the paint against Miami (Ohio) Saturday night. More than half of the Bulldogs' 90 points came in the paint. Butler's post tandem of
Nate Fowler and
Joey Brunk combined to shoot 10-of-11 from the field.
The Bulldogs have shot an uncharacteristic .319 from three-point range this season. However, on two-point attempts, Butler is shooting a sizzling .731. Overall, Butler's field goal percentage of .561 leads the BIG EAST and is 12
th nationally.
BRUNK-THROUGH PERFORMANCE: Redshirt sophomore
Joey Brunk went a perfect 7-of-7 from the field against Miami (Ohio), registering a career-best 17 points in the season-opening win.
Brunk helped Butler to a 26-12 advantage in bench points Saturday against Miami (Ohio).
SECOND HALF SPARK: Redshirt senior
Paul Jorgensen netted 17 points, including 15 in the second half, in Saturday's win over Miami (Ohio). Jorgensen and
Nate Fowler each had a team-high seven rebounds. Jorgensen scored in double figures 20 times a season ago.
FUTURE DAWGS: Butler signed standouts Khalif Battle and John-Michael Mulloy to national letters of intent Nov. 14. Both will join the Butler program beginning with the 2019-20 season. Battle, a 6-5 guard from Edison, N.J., averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game as a junior at Trenton Catholic Academy. He is rated as a four-star recruit by ESPN, Rivals and 247sports. ESPN pegs him as the 76
th best prospect in the class of 2019. Mulloy averaged 15 points per game on 58-percent shooting as a junior, leading his Carmel (Ind.) High School team to a 21 wins and an appearance in the IHSAA Class 4A State Championship game. The 6-9 post player is listed as a four-star recruit by ESPN, while 247sports and Rivals have him at three stars.
HIGH EXPECTATIONS: Kamar Baldwin's standout 2017-18 campaign propelled the 6-1 guard to a unanimous selection on the preseason All-BIG EAST team by the conference's head coaches. As a sophomore, he averaged 15.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals. He was even more productive in BIG EAST play as his averages increased to 16.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per conference contest. Baldwin also earned a spot on the 2018 BIG EAST All-Tournament Team thanks in large part to a career-high 32-point outburst against Seton Hall in the quarterfinals. His 893 points through his first two seasons at Butler are the fourth-most in program history.
PRESEASON PICK: The Bulldogs were picked fifth in the BIG EAST preseason poll, as voted on by the league's head coaches. Butler received one first-place vote in the poll, which saw Villanova, Marquette and Providence take the top three spots. Butler is receiving votes in both the preseason AP and coaches polls.
WATCH OUT: Junior
Kamar Baldwin has been named to the preseason watch lists for both the Naismith Trophy and the Wooden Award, two of the most prestigious national player of the year awards. Each list included 50 players.
VETERAN MOVES: The Bulldogs return six players who averaged 15 or more minutes a season ago. While the team will need to fill the void left by graduated players
Kelan Martin and
Tyler Wideman, Butler does return 62 percent of its scoring from a season ago.
WHAT WILL HE DO FOR AN ENCORE?: Aaron Thompson set a Butler freshman record with 118 assists a season ago. His 32 starts were the most by a Butler freshman since Shelvin Mack and Gordon Mack each started 32 games in 2008-09.
BANGED UP: True freshmen
Bryce Golden (shoulder) and
Markeese Hastings (knee) missed both of Butler's exhibitions and the first two regular season contests. Butler had 10 players in uniform for all of those contests.
ON THE WAY: Duke transfer
Jordan Tucker will be able to play for the Bulldogs once the fall semester concludes after arriving at Butler midseason a year ago. Prior to his semester at Duke, Tucker was ranked as the No. 40 overall prospect nationally by ESPN in the Class of 2017.
FAMILIAR FACE: Bryce Nze, who played for LaVall Jordan at Milwaukee as a freshman in 2016-17, has transferred to Butler and will sit out this season due to NCAA transfer requirements. His rebounding average of 8.5 per game set a Milwaukee single-season record.
CHALLENGING SLATE: The Bulldogs' non-conference schedule includes the Battle 4 Atlantis, a home game with Ole Miss, road contests at Florida and Saint Louis, and a Crossroads Classic date with Indiana in downtown Indianapolis.
GOT ONE TICKET TO PARADISE: The field for the 2018 Battle 4 Atlantis includes Butler alongside Wisconsin, Florida, Virginia, Oklahoma, Stanford, Dayton, and Middle Tennessee State in the field.
