GAME 27: Bulldogs (17-9, 7-5 BIG EAST) vs. Georgetown (14-10, 4-9)
Tuesday, Feb. 13 | 6:30 p.m. ET
Indianapolis, Ind. | Hinkle Fieldhouse
TV: CBS Sports Network | Andrew Catalon & Steve Lappas
Radio: 107.5 FM, 1070 AM & TuneIn Radio App | @MarkMinner & @n_gardner
@ButlerMBB | ButlerSports.com
Tickets: Still available -
purchase
Full Notes (PDF)
THE SERIES: This will be the 12th 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. The teams first met in the 2009 Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden (a 72-65 Georgetown win). Georgetown leads the series, 6-5. On Dec. 27, Butler overcame a 20-point deficit to push the game to double overtime and an eventual 91-89 win. The teams split the 2016-17 series with each winning on the other's home court.
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Kelan Martin leads the BIG EAST at 23.5 points per game in conference play. Martin has scored 24 or more points in nine of the Bulldogs' 13 BIG EAST contests.
• The Bulldogs have made 10 or more three-pointers in five of their last six games after hitting that mark in only three of the team's first 20 games.
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Kamar Baldwin had a career-high 31 points at Georgetown Dec. 27.
• In his last five games against Georgetown,
Kelan Martin is averaging 23.0ppg.
• Butler is shooting 77.8 percent at the free throw line this season, eighth nationally.
• The Bulldogs are averaging only 11.4 turnovers on the season, which is second in the BIG EAST.
• Butler is 12-2 this season at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Butler's next three games are at home.
SENSATIONAL SENIOR: Kelan Martin leads the BIG EAST at 23.5 points per game in conference play. That includes 30 points Saturday at No. 1 Villanova. Martin has scored 24 or more points in nine of the Bulldogs' 13 BIG EAST contests. He averaged 32.0 points per game last week in match-ups with (then) No. 5 Xavier and No. 1 Villanova.
Martin's average of 23.5 points per game in conference play trails only Trae Young (31.3ppg, Oklahoma/Big 12) and Jerome Robinson (25.5ppg, Boston College/ACC) among players from the top-ranked seven conferences nationally (BIG EAST, Big 12, ACC, Big Ten, SEC, Pac-12, American).
HOT FROM DISTANCE: Kelan Martin made a career-high eight three-pointers Saturday at Villanova. That came one game after Martin hit a (then) career-best six three-pointers against Xavier. Over his last two games, Martin is 14-of-24 from three-point range (58 percent). In the two regular season match-ups with Villanova, Martin made 12 of his 16 attempts from behind the arc (75 percent).
Led by Martin's shooting, Butler made 12 three-pointers at Villanova Saturday. The Bulldogs have made 10 or more three-pointers in five of their last six games after hitting that mark in only three of the team's first 20 games. Butler has shot 40 percent or better from behind the arc in five of its last six games; the Bulldogs did that in only five of the team's first 20 games.
FIRST TIME AROUND: Butler overcame a 20-point deficit to take a 91-89 double-overtime win at Georgetown Dec. 27 in the BIG EAST opener for both teams.
Kamar Baldwin had a career-high 31 points and
Kelan Martin's finish in the lane with less than three seconds to play in the second extra session gave the Bulldogs the win.
The overtime sessions would not have been possible if not for Sean McDermott's tip-in at the end of regulation. After shooting 32 percent in the first half and falling behind 42-24 at the half, the Bulldogs mounted a monumental comeback. The Bulldogs scored 51 points in the second half thanks to 64-percent shooting.
HINKLE-COURT ADVANTAGE: Butler is 12-2 this season at Hinkle Fieldhouse. At Hinkle, the Bulldogs are averaging 86.9 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the field. Butler has reached 80 points in 12 of the games. Butler is 5-7 away from its home court, averaging 72.3 ppg on 43-percent shooting.
Butler hit 80 points for the 14th time this season with the 98-93 overtime loss to Xavier Feb. 6 in the team's most recent home game. The Bulldogs are now 12-2 when scoring 80 or more. Butler's other home loss this season also came when scoring 80 points as the team lost, 90-87, to Seton Hall Jan. 6. The 93 points against Xavier were the most points scored by Butler in a loss since a 99-94 double-overtime loss to DePaul Jan. 9, 2014, Butler's third game as a member of the BIG EAST.
TIGHT GRIP: The Bulldogs committed only 12 turnovers in the 50 minutes at Georgetown Dec. 27. The Bulldogs are averaging only 11.4 turnovers on the season, which is second in the BIG EAST. That number drops to 10.4 per game in BIG EAST play, also second in the BIG EAST. Butler has seven games this season when the Bulldogs have committed single-digit turnovers; five of those have come in BIG EAST play.
CAPITAL 'OFFENSE': In the Dec. 27 game in Washington, D.C., sophomore
Kamar Baldwin had a career-high 31 points. He played 49 of the game's 50 minutes. Baldwin made 12 of his 21 attempts from the field.
Baldwin had 25 points Saturday at Villanova. The sophomore went 8-of-14 from the field and made all seven of his free throw attempts.
DOING A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING: Paul Jorgensen had only five points Saturday at Villanova, but the junior contributed team-highs in both rebounds (six) and assists (seven). The seven assists tied a career-high for the transfer from George Washington, who also had seven helpers against LaSalle Feb. 21, 2016 (while at GW).
BIG 'Mc': Sean McDermott pulled down a career-best 12 rebounds in the Dec. 27 double-overtime win over Georgetown, including a tip-in at the end of regulation. Georgetown's Jessie Govan gave the Hoyas a 75-73 lead with seven seconds to play.
Kamar Baldwin took the in-bounds pass, dribbled up court and let go of a three-point attempt that would have won the game. It caromed off, but McDermott was there to tip it in among traffic as the regulation horn sounded. McDermott followed that with 11 rebounds at Xavier Jan. 2, the second double-figure rebounding output of his career.
McDermott is shooting 11-of-16 from three-point range over his last four games (69 percent).
BIG MAN IN THE MIDDLE: Tyler Wideman had 15 points and eight rebounds for Butler in the win at Georgetown Dec. 27. Most of his work came down low as Butler had a 50-34 advantage in points in the paint. Wideman leads the BIG EAST in field goal percentage in both all games (.689) and in conference play (.794). Butler's single-season field goal percentage record (min. 100 attempts) belongs to Duane Lightfoot, who posted a .657 mark in 2002-03.
MORE ON MARTIN: Kelan Martin has 1,842 career points, which puts him in the No. 5 spot on Butler's career scoring list. In 67 BIG EAST games, Martin has registered 982 career points. Only 40 players have scored 1,000 career points in regular season BIG EAST games. (Xavier's Trevon Bluiett currently has 984 career BIG EAST points.) In 26 games this season, Martin has already scored 538 points, a mark that is eighth on Butler's list for senior campaigns. His 196 career three-pointers are sixth on Butler's career list.
Martin is the first Bulldog with back-to-back 30-point scoring performances since Matthew Graves in 1997-98. Martin's career-high 37 points against Marquette Jan. 12 were the most by a Bulldog since Graves scored 42 against Cleveland State on Jan. 15, 1998.
For the second consecutive season, Martin has been named one of 10 finalists for the Julius Erving Award, which is presented annually to the nation's top small forward.
At 20.7 points per game, Martin is on pace for the highest single-season scoring average since Darin Archbold averaged 24.8 in 1991-92.
YOU WANT THEM ON THAT LINE; YOU NEED THEM ON THAT LINE: Butler went 9-for-9 at the free throw line against Villanova Saturday.
Kamar Baldwin led the effort with a 7-of-7 performance. Butler has shot 80 percent or better from the line 13 times this season, including five of the last six games. As a team, Butler is shooting 78 percent from the free throw line this season. That percentage improves to 81 percent in BIG EAST play. Butler is in the Top 10 nationally in free throw shooting.
At 87.4 percent, Kelan Martin is fourth in the BIG EAST in free throw shooting.
FIGHT IN THE DAWGS: Butler overcame an 18-point first half deficit Feb. 6 against Xavier to take a second-half lead before ultimately falling in overtime. The Bulldogs were in search of another large comeback win. Earlier in the season, Butler overcame a 15-point deficit with 3:46 to play in regulation in an overtime win over Ohio State, and posted a 20-point comeback in an overtime win over Georgetown in the BIG EAST opener.
BUILDING A RESUME: Butler, currently ranked No. 20 by KenPom, has seven wins against the KenPom Top 100 at this point in the season. That includes a win over No. 2-ranked Villanova. The Bulldogs also own wins over Ohio State, Marquette (twice), Utah, St. John's, and Georgetown. (Additionally, DePaul, which Butler owns two wins over, is currently ranked No. 101.) Eight of Butler's nine losses have come against teams ranked in the KenPom Top 50. KenPom rankings are through the games of Sunday, Feb. 11.
