GAME 17:  Butler (10-6, 1-2 BIG EAST) at Xavier (10-7, 2-2 BIG EAST) 
Sunday, Jan. 13; Noon
Cintas Center; Cincinnati, Ohio
TV: CBS Sports Network - Andrew Catalon & Steve Lappas
RADIO:  107.5FM, 1070AM - @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)
TuneIn Radio App, XM 380, SiriusXM Internet 971
@ButlerMBB  |  ButlerSports.com

Notes (PDF)

The Bulldogs travel to Cincinnati Sunday afternoon for a BIG EAST contest with Xavier. Sunday's contest is the second in a three-game stretch away from Hinkle Fieldhouse for the Bulldogs.   
 
The noon tip will air on CBS Sports Network. Andrew Catalon will handle play-by-play duties alongside analyst Steve Lappas. The Butler duo of Mark Minner and Nick Gardner will have the radio call on 107.5FM, 1070AM and the TuneIn Radio app. 
 
Butler enters the game with a 10-6 (1-2 BIG EAST) record after dropping a 76-75 decision at Seton Hall Wednesday night in the team's most recent outing. Xavier, 10-7 on the season and 2-2 in BIG EAST play, defeated Georgetown in Cincinnati Wednesday night. The Bulldogs will host the Musketeers at Hinkle Fieldhouse March 5 in the back end of the season series. That will be Butler's Senior Night.
 
LAST SEASON: Xavier took both meetings during the 2017-18 season: 86-79 Jan. 2 in Cincinnati and 98-93 in overtime in Indianapolis, Feb. 6. In the first meeting, five Musketeers scored in double figures. Butler committed only five turnovers but was limited to 41-percent shooting. Kamar Baldwin led Butler with 28 points. In Indianapolis, Butler overcame an 18-point deficit behind 14 three-pointers. Kelan Martin led Butler with 34 points.
 
In five career games against Xavier, Baldwin is averaging 18.0 points per game.
 
DOUBLE YOUR FUN: Redshirt sophomore Joey Brunk registered the first double-double of his Butler career in the team's last outing, which came Wednesday night at Seton Hall. Brunk posted career-highs of 20 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Brunk's 20 points included a three-pointer. It marked the third attempt from three-point range in Brunk's Butler career. He attempted two in his first collegiate game (both misses) Nov. 12, 2016 vs. Northern Colorado and then had not fired one behind the arc until Wednesday night.
 
2 FOR 20: In addition to 20 points from Joey Brunk, Baldwin led the Bulldogs with 23 points Wednesday night at Seton Hall. It was the third time this season that two Bulldogs had scored 20 or more in the same game (also Nov. 16 vs. Ole Miss and No. 22 vs. Middle Tennessee).
 
For Baldwin, it marked the second time in his Butler career that he posted 20 or more points in back-to-back games. He also had a three-game stretch of 20-point games to open this season.
 
AT THE LINE: Butler stepped to the free throw line and made 18 of 22 attempts Wednesday night at Seton Hall (82 percent). On the season, Butler is shooting 75 percent at the charity stripe, which leads the BIG EAST. There have been seven games this season when Butler has shot 80 percent or better from the free throw line. Butler used a 20-of-23 performance at the free throw line (87 percent) Dec. 21 to beat UC Irvine. Butler made all 18 of its second-half free throw attempts in solidifying the win over Ole Miss Nov. 16. In the Ole Miss game, Butler went 23-of-27 (85 percent) overall. Baldwin was a perfect 12-of-12 on the night.
 
PROTECTING THE ROCK: With only eight turnovers Wednesday at Seton Hall, Butler is now averaging 10.6 miscues per game, which leads the BIG EAST and is top 15 nationally. The Seton Hall game marked the fifth time this season that Butler has committed single-digit turnovers, including the last two games. In two separate games this season, Butler has posted a season-low seven miscues.
 
The Bulldogs had a 23-6 advantage in points off turnovers Wednesday at Seton Hall. Butler has been positive in the points off turnover statistic in 14 of the team's 16 games this season.
 
TAKEN: Sophomore Aaron Thompson had a career-high four steals Wednesday against Seton Hall. In the previous game, Butler tied a season-high with 12 steals in the Jan. 5 win over Creighton. Eight different Bulldogs had at least one steal in that contest. Ironically, Thompson was the only Bulldog who played more than three minutes not to register a steal in the win over Creighton.
 
KAMAR-VELOUS AFTERNOON: Behind a season-best 28 points from junior guard Kamar Baldwin, the Bulldogs posted an 84-69 win over Creighton Jan. 5 at Hinkle Fieldhouse. He tied his career-high with seven assists, adding five rebounds and two steals. Baldwin made 11 of his 18 attempts from the field. Baldwin earned a spot on the five-member BIG EAST honor roll for his performances last week.  
 
Baldwin has climbed to No. 30 on Butler's career scoring list with 1,164 points. He is now sandwiched between two of the program's Academic All-Americans, Chris Miskel (1,170) and the late Andrew Smith (1,147).
 
GETTING DEFENSIVE: Butler's defense limited Creighton to seven three-pointers on 26-percent shooting from long range Jan. 5. The Bluejays entered the contest third nationally in three-point percentage (.448) and fourth nationally in three-pointers made per game (12.1).
 
Butler is allowing opponents only an average of 66.8 points per game this season, a mark that is second in the BIG EAST. Only five of Butler's 16 opponents this season have eclipsed 70 points.  
 
HELPING HAND: Sophomore Aaron Thompson has registered seven or more assists in four games this season. Thompson handed out a career-high nine assists as part of Butler's 27-assist performance against Northern Illinois Dec. 8. Thompson is fourth in the BIG EAST in assists (4.3) and fifth in assist/turnover ratio (2.0).
 
Thompson led the Bulldogs to a 76-67 win over Presbyterian Dec. 18 with a career-high 18 points, making eight of his 10 attempts from the field.
 
ALL-AROUND GOOD GUY: Kamar Baldwin is among the BIG EAST Top 10 in scoring, assists, steals, free throw shooting, and minutes. He also stands in the Top 20 in rebounding.
 
Baldwin has posted four or more assists in 11 games this season. In 10 games, he has registered both at least four rebounds and four assists.
 
BEHIND THE ARC: Butler made 11 three-pointers Jan. 5 against Creighton, the most by the Bulldogs since hitting 17 Dec. 8 in a win over Northern Illinois. The Bulldogs shot 53 percent (9-17) from three-point range against UC Irvine Dec. 21, the fifth time this season that Butler has shot 40 percent or better from behind the arc.
 
BOARD WORK: Sean McDermott pulled down a season-high eight rebounds in the Jan. 5 win over Creighton. It came one game after Kamar Baldwin (nine), Jordan Tucker (eight) and Nate Fowler (seven, all offensive) all set season-best rebounding numbers in the Jan. 2 loss to Georgetown.
 
POINT-BRUNK RANGE: On the season, Joey Brunk's .675 field goal percentage is third in the BIG EAST. Eight of Brunk's nine 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.
 
TWIN TOWERS: Nate Fowler, coming off the bench for the first time this season, scored 11 points in the win over Creighton Jan. 5. That included tying his career-high with three three-pointers. The 11 points were a season-high for the 6-10 senior. Joey Brunk, making the first start of the 6-11 redshirt sophomore's Butler career, had 13 points and five rebounds for the Bulldogs.
 
Henry Baddley also made the first start of his Butler career in the Jan. 5. He posted five points and six rebounds in a career-best 31 minutes.