GAME 33: No. 6 seed Bulldogs (20-12, 9-9 BIG EAST) vs. No. 2 seed Villanova (28-4, 14-4)
BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals
Friday, March 9  |  9 p.m. ET  
New York City, N.Y.  |  Madison Square Garden
TV: FS1  |  Gus Johnson, Jim Jackson, & @LisaByington
Radio: 93.1 FM & TuneIn Radio App  |  @MarkMinner & @n_gardner 
@ButlerMBB  |  ButlerSports.com

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. Villanova owns an 8-3 lead overall. The first meeting between the programs came as part of the 1996 Puerto Rico Tip-Off, the only one prior to meeting as BIG EAST foes. The Bulldogs won 101-93 Dec. 30 at Hinkle Fieldhouse, while Villanova took an 86-75 decision Feb. 10 in Philadelphia. Butler also swept the 2016-17 season series. 

• Butler's 75-74 win over Seton Hall Thursday night in the BIG EAST quarterfinals was the first win for the Bulldogs in the BIG EAST Tournament (0-4).
• Tyler Wideman's putback with less than four seconds on the clock gave Butler the win. Wideman was a perfect 4-of-4 from the field Thursday night, posting 10 points. Wideman leads the BIG EAST in shooting (67.7 percent).
• Kamar Baldwin's 32 points against Seton Hall were a career-best. It marked the second 30-point game of his career. 
• Butler committed only six turnovers against Seton Hall, the tenth time this season with single-digit turnovers.
• Butler is 18-0 this season when shooting a better percentage than its opponent (out-shot Seton Hall, 47.6-46.3 Thursday night).
• With 17 points Thursday night against Seton Hall, Kelan Martin now has 1,978 for his career. 
• With Thursday's win, Butler has 20 wins for the 12th time in the last 13 seasons. 
• The Bulldogs have made the NCAA Tournament field in nine of the last 11 seasons, and are looking to add to that mark. Seniors Wideman and Martin could become the third Butler senior class to play in four straight NCAA Tournaments. 
• Butler is 13-1 this season when allowing its opponent less than 70 points.

DAWGS vs. CATS:
• Kelan Martin has averaged 27.0 points per game in two games against Villanova this season. Martin is 12-of-16 (75 percent) from three-point range in those two games. Martin is averaging 21.4 points per game in his last five contests against Villanova.
• Kamar Baldwin has averaged 17.3 points per game in four career contests against Villanova, including 22.0 points per game in two match-ups this season. 
• Paul Jorgensen had a career-high 23 points in the Dec. 30 win over Villanova. 
• Butler is 27-of-51 from three-point range (53 percent) in two games against Villanova this season. 
• Baldwin had a season-high nine rebounds and a career-best seven assists in the Dec. 30 win over the Wildcats.
• Villanova has committed only 13 total turnovers in the 80 minutes of play against Butler this season.

FIGHT IN THE DAWG: Butler's win Thursday over Seton Hall included erasing a 14-point, first-half deficit. 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. 

Butler-Villanova, Round 1: For the third time in program history, Butler knocked off the No. 1 team in the country. The Bulldogs went a sizzling 15-of-22 from three-point range to beat top-ranked Villanova, 101-93, Dec. 30 in front of a sold-out Hinkle Fieldhouse crowd. Senior Kelan Martin led the Butler charge with 24 points on 7-of-12 shooting. He hit all four of his three-point attempts and added eight rebounds. Paul Jorgensen had a career-high 23 points, with 16 coming in the first half.
 
The Bulldogs' lead grew to 23 at 81-58 with 10:23 to play. After trading baskets, Villanova went on a 14-0 run to pull within eight at 84-76 with 5:05 to play. The visitors would get no closer than six down the stretch as Butler hit all eight of its free throws in the closing minutes. Martin had nine points in that closing 5:05 to take the win.

Butler-Villanova, Round 2: Kelan Martin and Kamar Baldwin combined for 55 points, but No. 1 Villanova used a 51-point second half to take an 86-75 win Feb. 10 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

Martin's 30 points came on 10-of-20 shooting. He made a career-best eight three-pointers (on 12 attempts).

Villanova scored 16 of the first 20 points in the second half to take a 51-42 lead with 14:53. The jump shot by Donte Divincenzo was two of his 20 points in the second half and career-high 30 points overall. Jalen Brunson added 27.
The host Wildcats continued to keep the Bulldogs at arms' length until a Marin three-pointer and Baldwin conversion in the lane pulled Butler within four at 75-71 with 2:37 to play. Villanova responded with the next four points and hit free throws in the closing minutes to determine the final margin.

MORE ON THE WIN OVER VILLANOVA: 
• Since the beginning of the 2016-17 season, Villanova is 1-3 vs. Butler, and 59-5 against all other teams. 
• Butler made 10 straight three-pointers in the Dec. 30 win over No. 1 Villanova, a program record. The previous mark was seven (vs. Detroit, Feb. 4, 1993). 
• Butler has three wins over a team ranked No. 1 since the beginning of the 2012-13 season. That includes two wins over Villanova and a 2012 Crossroads Classic victory over Indiana.
• Butler's 101 points were the first time that Villanova had given up 100 points since a 2014 loss to Creighton and Doug McDermott.
• Butler is the first team to score 100 points in a win over a No. 1-ranked team since UMass defeated Arkansas in 1994 (according to ESPN). 

WELL DESERVED: Senior Kelan Martin earned All-BIG EAST First Team honors, one of three unanimous selections by the league's head coaches.

Martin led the BIG EAST in scoring during conference play at 23.6 points per game. Since the BIG EAST reconfigured prior to the 2013-14 season, only one player has eclipsed Martin's conference-games only average from this season: consensus National Player of the Year Doug McDermott in 2013-14 (27.7ppg). 

Martin scored 20 or more points in 12 of the team's 18 conference games.