GAME 29: rv/rv Bulldogs (18-10, 8-7 BIG EAST) vs. rv/rv Creighton (19-8, 8-6)
Tuesday, Feb. 20  |  7 p.m. ET  
Indianapolis, Ind.  |  Hinkle Fieldhouse
TV: FS1  |  @TimBrando & @NickBahe
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 17th match-up between the two programs and the tenth since the programs both joined the BIG EAST prior to the 2013-14 season. The teams first met (twice) during the 1932-33 season. Creighton leads the all-time series, 10-6. The Bluejays took an 85-74 decision in Omaha Jan. 9. Creighton also swept the 2016-17 season series, the only BIG EAST foe to take both match-ups against the Bulldogs last season.
 
• Tuesday is Senior Night for Kelan Martin and Tyler Wideman.
• Martin leads the BIG EAST at 23.1 points per game in conference play. Martin has scored 20 or more points in 10 of the Bulldogs' 15 BIG EAST contests.
• Paul Jorgensen led Butler with 18 points at Creighton Jan. 9; Martin posted a double-double.
• Martin is averaging 26.2 points per game over his last five games.
• Butler forced Providence into 30-percent shooting, including only 5-for-32 (16 percent) in the second half, in Saturday's 69-54 win.
• Butler is 13-3 this season at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
• Wideman is shooting a BIG EAST-best 69 percent from the field in conference games.
• Butler is shooting 78 percent at the free throw line this season, seventh nationally.
• The Bulldogs are averaging only 11.3 turnovers on the season, which is second in the BIG EAST.
• Aaron Thompson had a career-high eight rebounds Saturday vs. Providence.
• Sean McDermott returned to the starting line-up against Providence for the first time since Nov. 24.
• Following the game with Creighton, Butler will have a week off before finishing the regular season with two road games.
 
SENIOR SEND-OFF: Tuesday's game is Butler's final home game of the season. Seniors Kelan Martin and Tyler Wideman will be recognized in a postgame ceremony as they play in Hinkle Fieldhouse for the final time. Martin is currently No. 5 on Butler's career scoring list and sixth in career three-pointers (200). Wideman is fifth on Butler's career blocks list (104) and is on pace to leave Butler as the program's most accurate shooter of all-time (career .625 field goal percentage).
 
FIRST TIME AROUND: A second-half comeback fell short for the Bulldogs as No. 25 Creighton pulled out an 85-74 win at CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Neb., Jan. 9. Butler turned a 17-point halftime deficit into a six-point game with less than four minutes to play. Marcus Foster led Creighton with 23 points. Martin Krampelj had 14 points and 14 rebounds.

Twenty-one of Foster's points came in the first half as Creighton took a 49-32 lead after 20 minutes. Back-to-back Kelan Martin baskets in the paint pulled Butler within six at 74-68 at 3:55 to play. However, the Bulldogs could not push any closer than that. Paul Jorgensen led Butler with 18 points. Creighton shot 54 percent in the contest and had 23 assists on 33 makes. Butler shot 47 percent.
 
LAST TIME OUT: A stout defensive effort lifted Butler to a 69-54 win over Providence Saturday afternoon. Butler forced Providence into 30-percent shooting, including only 5-for-32 (16 percent) in the second half. Kelan Martin led the Bulldogs with 19 points. He added seven rebounds. Butler shot 46 percent from the field and was able to generate just enough offense to keep a double-digit deficit for much of the second half.
 
The Bulldogs scored the first six points of the second half to take a 39-35 advantage. It was Butler's first lead since 9-8. From there, Butler continued to dig in on the defensive end. Providence made only two of their first 18 attempts from the field in the second half as Butler opened up a 56-42 lead with 7:39 to play. At that point, Butler had scored 23 of the first 30 points of the half after Providence had a 35-33 halftime lead.
 
PUTTING THE D IN DAWGS: Other than allowing St. John's 45 points in a win Jan. 27, the 54 points by Providence Saturday were the lowest of the season for a Butler opponent in BIG EAST play. The Friars shot only 30 percent (18-60) from the field, which was the third-lowest mark for a Butler opponent this season (St. John's, .291, Jan. 27; and Saint Louis, .286, Dec. 2). Providence scored only 19 points in the second half while shooting 16 percent (5-32).

The Providence trio of Rodney Bullock, Jalen Lindsay and Kyron Cartwright combined for 11 points on 3-of-23 shooting; they entered the game averaging a combined 36.1 points per game.
 
Butler is 13-1 this season when allowing its opponent less than 70 points. Butler is 16-0 when shooting a better field goal percentage than the opposition.
 
WIRED TO SCORE: Kelan Martin leads the BIG EAST at 23.1 points per game in conference play. Martin has scored 20 or more points in 10 of the Bulldogs' 15 BIG EAST contests. Martin's average of 23.1 points per game in conference play trails only Trae Young (30.1ppg, Oklahoma/Big 12) and Jerome Robinson (25.9ppg, Boston College/ACC) among players from the top-ranked seven conferences nationally (BIG EAST, Big 12, ACC, Big Ten, SEC, Pac-12, American).
 
HOME, SWEET HINKLE: Butler is 13-3 this season at home. At Hinkle Fieldhouse this season, the Bulldogs are averaging 85.6 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the field. Butler has reached 80 points in 13 of the 16 games. Butler is averaging 72.3 ppg on 43-percent shooting away from Hinkle.
 
Butler hit 80 points for the 15^th time this season with the 87-83 loss to Georgetown Feb. 13. The Bulldogs are now 12-3 when scoring 80 or more. Butler has scored 80 points or more in all three of its home losses this season. 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.
 
YOU WANT THEM ON THAT LINE; YOU NEED THEM ON THAT LINE: Butler went 14-for-18 (78 percent) at the free throw line Saturday against Providence. That was actually below the team's season average. Butler has shot 80 percent or better from the line 14 times this season, including six of the last eight 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 88.3 percent, Kelan Martin is third in the BIG EAST in free throw shooting. Martin is 29-of-30 (97 percent) at the free throw line over his last five games.
 
TIGHT GRIP: The Bulldogs committed only 10 turnovers in Saturday's win over Providence. The Bulldogs are averaging only 11.3 turnovers on the season, which is second in the BIG EAST. That number drops to 10.3 per game in BIG EAST play, also second in the BIG EAST. Butler has eight games this season when the Bulldogs have committed single-digit turnovers; six of those have come in BIG EAST play.
 
BACK IN THE LINE-UP: Sophomore Sean McDermott was reinserted into the starting line-up for Saturday's game against Providence. McDermott had started the first six games of the season before an ankle sprain sidelined him in that sixth game. McDermott had five points and four rebounds in the win over Providence. On the season, he is Butler's fifth-leading scorer and fourth-leading rebounder. He is shooting 44 percent from three-point range, which is second on the team.
 
BIG MAN IN THE MIDDLE: Tyler Wideman had 10 points and seven rebounds for Butler in Saturday's win over Providence. He was 4-of-7 from the field. Wideman leads the BIG EAST in field goal percentage in both all games (.689) and in conference play (.692).
 
Butler's single-season field goal percentage record (min. 100 attempts) belongs to Duane Lightfoot, who posted a .657 mark in 2002-03. The BIG EAST single-season record for field goal percentage in conference play is .683 (held by Louisville's David Padgett during the 2007-08 season).
 
Wideman is also in the Top 15 of the BIG EAST in free throw percentage for both all games (.800, 13th) and in conference play (.842, ninth). Wideman shot .415 from the free throw line as a freshman.
 
TO THE GLASS: Freshman Aaron Thompson pulled down a career-best eight rebounds in Saturday's win over Providence. His previous high was four in his second collegiate game (Nov. 12 vs. Princeton). Saturday was also the first time in his career that he led the Bulldogs in rebounds.
 
As a team, Butler out-rebounded Providence, 42-35, Saturday. Butler had been out-rebounded in its four most recent games. The Bulldogs are 13-3 (and 5-2 in BIG EAST play) when out-rebounding their opponent this season.

MORE ON MARTIN: Kelan Martin has 1,883 career points, which puts him in the No. 5 spot on Butler's career scoring list. In 69 BIG EAST games, Martin has registered 1,023 career points. He is one of only 42 players who have scored 1,000 career points in regular season BIG EAST games. In 28 games this season, Martin has already scored 579 points, a mark that is seventh on Butler's list for senior campaigns. His 200 career three-pointers are sixth on Butler's career list.
 
Martin is the first Bulldog with back-to-back 30-point scoring performances (vs. Xavier and Villanova, Feb. 6 and Feb. 10) 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.
 
WORKING DOWN LOW: Butler is +36 in points in the paint over its last two games (36-18 over Providence Saturday after 48-30 over Georgetown Feb. 13).