#rv/rv Butler (0-0) vs. Miami (Ohio)
Saturday, Nov. 10; 7PM
Hinkle Fieldhouse; Indianapolis, Ind.
TV: FOX Sports Network affiliates - @MikeMonaco_ & @JordanCornette
RADIO: 107.5 FM, 1070 AM, TuneIn Radio App, SiriusXM Internet 991 - @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)

Full Notes (PDF)

The Bulldogs tip off the 2018-19 season officially on Saturday, hosting Miami (Ohio) at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The 7 p.m. tip will air on FOX Sports Network affiliates, including FOX Sports Indiana. The Butler duo of Mark Minner and Nick Gardner will have the radio call on 107.5FM, 1070AM, and the TuneIn Radio app. 

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.

CHALLENGING SLATE: The regular season opener is Saturday, Nov. 10 when Miami (Ohio) visits Indianapolis. That match-up is already sold out. 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.

Butler has won 43 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.

'PAUL'-ING OUT: Senior Paul Jorgensen led the Bulldogs with 24 points in the team's 79-58 exhibition win over Southern Indiana Saturday. Jorgensen made 10 of his 17 attempts from the field. He added 11 points in the first exhibition against Tiffin, joining Henry Baddley and Joey Brunk as Bulldogs to register double figures in both games. Jorgensen was third on the team in scoring in 2017-18.

FIRST LOOK: The Bulldogs posted a 100-63 win over Tiffin Oct. 28 in the team's first exhibition. Six Bulldogs registered double figures and all nine scholarship players who dressed scored at least seven points. No Bulldog played more than 27 minutes.

SQUEEZE THE ORANGE: Butler committed only 12 total turnovers over the course of 80 minutes of exhibition play this preseason (five vs. Tiffin and seven vs. Southern Indiana). That carries over from the 2017-18 season when the Bulldogs were second in the BIG EAST and 33rd nationally, committing just 11.2 turnovers per game.

SHARING IS CARING: The Bulldogs had 19 assists in the win over Tiffin. Coach LaVall Jordan started a three-guard line-up. Aaron Thompson, Kamar Baldwin and Paul Jorgensen combined for 13 assists against only two turnovers.

CONTROLLING THE PAINT: Butler had a 60-26 advantage in points in the paint over Tiffin and followed that with a 44-12 edge against Southern Indiana. The Bulldogs also had a 42-32 rebounding advantage and blocked nine Tiffin attempts Oct. 28.

BRING ON THE BRUNK: In the team's two exhibitions, Joey Brunk averaged 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per contest. He led the team in rebounding in both contests. Brunk and Nate Fowler will split a majority of time in the post this season, with Brunk's role increasing with Tyler Wideman's graduation.

FOUR IN A ROW: Butler is one of just eight programs to win at least one game in each of the last four NCAA Tournaments. Joining the Bulldogs with at least one win in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 are the following: Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Villanova, and Xavier.

Butler is now 11-1 in its last 12 NCAA Tournament first-round games. That dates back to 2001, when the Bulldogs, with senior LaVall Jordan leading the team, beat Wake Forest 79-63. The halftime score of that contest was 43-10.

SMART DAWG: Nate Fowler was selected to the 2017-18 CoSIDA Academic All-District Team. Fowler is one of five honorees for the district that includes Division I universities based in the states of Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Michigan. The honor recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom. Fowler carries a 3.63 GPA in Butler's Mechanical Engineering and Economics dual degree program.

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. Bryce Nze, who played for LaVall Jordan at Milwaukee as a freshman in 2016-17, will sit out this season due to NCAA transfer requirements.

BANGED UP: True freshmen Bryce Golden (shoulder) and Markeese Hastings (knee) missed both of Butler's exhibitions due to their respective injuries. Neither will play Saturday against Miami (Ohio). Butler will have 10 players in uniform for Saturday's contest.