Butler (7-3) vs. Presbyterian (6-5)
Tuesday, Dec. 18; 8:30PM
Hinkle Fieldhouse; Indianapolis, Ind.
TV: FS1 - @VinceWelch & @NickBahe
RADIO: 93.1FM, TuneIn Radio App, XM 381, SiriusXM Internet 972 - @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)

Full Notes (PDF)

The Bulldogs return to Hinkle Fieldhouse Tuesday night, welcoming the Blue Hose of Presbyterian for an 8:30 p.m. tip. This is the first meeting between the two programs.  
 
The game will air nationally on FS1. The Butler duo of Mark Minner and Nick Gardner will have the radio call on 93.1FM and the TuneIn Radio app. 
 
HOME COOKING: The Bulldogs are 5-0 at Hinkle so far this season, averaging 84.4 points per game while shooting 53 percent from the field. Butler is shooting 40 percent from behind the arc at home this season.
 
NOT A WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT: Including the win over Northern Illinois, Butler has now won 48 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 now trails only Duke after Arizona lost to Baylor Saturday night. Opponents who have fallen victim at Hinkle Fieldhouse during the streak include Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Cincinnati, Northwestern (twice), Utah, Princeton (twice), Saint Louis, Chattanooga, Belmont, and Vermont.
 
FROM DOWNTOWN: In Saturday's Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis, redshirt junior Sean McDermott went 6-of-10 from behind the arc, leading the Bulldogs with 20 points. It was his third game this season with six or more three-pointers. He has 13 bombs over his last two games. McDermott has registered three 20+ point games on the season and has led the Bulldogs in scoring in five of the team's 10 games.
 
McDermott is third in the BIG EAST in three-pointers (3.4 per game) and eighth in three-point percentage (.447). He scored a career-best 23 points in Butler's most recent home game (Dec. 8 against Northern Illinois).
 
COMING OFF A TOUGH ONE: Indiana freshman Rob Phinisee hit a three-pointer from 30 feet out as time expired to give the #25 Hoosiers a 71-68 win over Butler Saturday afternoon at the Crossroads Classic. The Bulldogs held the lead for 34 minutes in the contest with the final three-point margin being Indiana's largest advantage of the contest.
 
LAST TIME AT HINKLE: Butler scored a season-high 95 points in a win over Northern Illinois in the team's most recent home game Dec. 8. The Bulldogs registered season-bests with 17 three-pointers and 27 assists on the team's 34 field goals.
 
Butler hit 16 three-pointers against Middle Tennessee Nov. 22, which also set a Battle 4 Atlantis single-game record (previously held by UMass in a 2011 game against Utah).
 
DOUBLING UP: McDermott was one of five Bulldogs in double figures in the win over Northern Illinois. It marked Butler's first game with five players in double figures since a road win at Marquette Jan. 31, 2018.
 
ASSISTED GIVING: Aaron Thompson handed out a career-high nine assists as part of Butler's 27-assist performance against Northern Illinois. Thompson has registered at least four assists in seven of the team's 10 games this season. Thompson is fourth in the BIG EAST in assist/turnover ratio (2.4) and sixth in assists (4.5).
 
FILLING THE STAT SHEET: On the season, Kamar Baldwin is in the BIG EAST Top 10 in points, assists, minutes, and free throw percentage. He is 11^th in steals and 12th in rebounding. Baldwin has posted four or more assists in nine of the team's 10 games. In eight of those 10 games, he has registered at least four rebounds and four assists.
 
Baldwin's 126 career steals are tenth on Butler's all-time list.
 
HANDLE WITH CARE: The Bulldogs have committed only seven turnovers in each of the past two home games, in addition to surrendering just 10 against Indiana Saturday. The seven turnovers represent a season-low. Butler is averaging only 10.1 turnovers per game, which leads the BIG EAST and is top 15 nationally. Butler is also in the top 25 nationally (again leading the BIG EAST) in assist/turnover ratio (1.5).
 
DIGGING IN: With 71 points Saturday, Indiana became only the second of Butler's 10 opponents this season to score more than 70 points (the other occurrence came in Butler's 83-76 win over Ole Miss, Nov. 16). The Bulldogs' defense is allowing only 64.1 points per game on average, which is the stingiest mark in the BIG EAST.
 
In the Nov. 23 win over Florida to conclude the Battle 4 Atlantis, Butler limited the Gators to 22 points in the second half on 29-percent shooting. Florida made only one of its 12 three-point attempts after the break.
 
DEBUT PERFORMANCE: With the fall semester concluded, Jordan Tucker was eligible to suit up for the Bulldogs for the first time after transferring to Butler from Duke in January of 2018. Tucker checked in to Saturday's game with Indiana at the 9:37 mark of the first half. Twenty seconds later, he hit the first attempt of his Butler career (a three-pointer).
 
'PAULING' OUT: Paul Jorgensen's 16.0 points per game are tenth in the BIG EAST and second among the Bulldogs. He's shooting 41 percent from behind the arc this season. Earlier this season, he set career-highs with 27 points and six three-pointers in the win over Ole Miss Nov. 16. Jorgensen has led the team in scoring in four games this season.
 
AT THE LINE: On the season, Butler leads the BIG EAST with a 76.1 percent mark from the free throw line. Butler made all 18 of its second-half free throw attempts in solidifying the win over Ole Miss Nov. 16. For the game, Butler went 23-of-27 (85 percent). Baldwin was a perfect 12-of-12 on the night. Incarnate Word leads the nation in free throw percentage. Bulldog alum Darnell Archey, who set an NCAA record by making 85 consecutive free throws during his playing days, is a first-year assistant coach at Incarnate Word.
 
POINT-BRUNK RANGE: Redshirt sophomore Joey Brunk is shooting .763 (29-38) from the field this season. Four of Brunk's five career double-digit scoring performances have come this season. Brunk has posted 7-of-7 (vs. Miami Nov. 10) and 6-of-6 (vs. Northern Illinois Dec. 8) performances already in 2018-19.