GAME 15:  Butler (9-5, 0-1 BIG EAST) vs. Creighton (10-4, 1-0 BIG EAST) 
Saturday, Jan. 5; Noon
Hinkle Fieldhouse; Indianapolis, Ind.
TV: FS1 - Justin Kutcher & @NickBahe
RADIO:  93.1 FM - @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)
TuneIn Radio App, Sirius 133, XM 210, SiriusXM Internet 966
@ButlerMBB  |  ButlerSports.com

Notes (PDF)

The Bulldogs continue BIG EAST play Saturday afternoon, hosting Creighton at Hinkle Fieldhouse for a Noon match-up.
 
The game will air on FS1. Justin Kutcher will handle play-by-play duties alongside analyst Nick Bahe. The Butler duo of Mark Minner and Nick Gardner will have the radio call on 93.1FM and the TuneIn Radio app. 
 
Butler enters the game with a 9-5 record after losing its BIG EAST opener to Georgetown in the team's most recent outing Wednesday night. Creighton, which ranks third nationally in three-point percentage and fourth in three-pointers made per game, is 10-4 on the season after a conference-opening road win at Providence. The Bulldogs will travel to Omaha Jan. 25 in the back end of the season series.
 
THE SERIES: In a series that dates back all the way to 1933, Creighton owns a 10-7 advantage. Both teams joined the BIG EAST prior to the 2013-14 season with 10 of the 17 match-ups coming during that time. Creighton is 6-4 against Butler during the BIG EAST era. The Bulldogs are 5-3 all-time in games played in Indianapolis.
 
LAST SEASON: The two teams split a pair of 2017-18 match-ups with each winning on its home court. Creighton won, 85-74, Jan. 9 in Omaha. Twenty-one of Marcus Foster's 23 points came in the first half as the Bluejays took a 49-32 halftime lead. Paul Jorgensen led Butler with 18 points.
 
Butler countered with a 93-70 win Feb. 20 in what served as Senior Night for the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs went 14-of-26 from three-point range. Kelan Martin led Butler with 26 points. Jorgensen and Nate Fowler scored 17 and 15 points, respectively.
 
0-FOR-1: Butler opened the BIG EAST season by losing to Georgetown, 84-76, Wednesday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Hoyas shot 53 percent from the field, including 12-of-22 from three-point range.
 
Butler is allowing opponents only an average of 65.9 points per game this season, a mark that leads the BIG EAST. However, Butler opponents have shot 50 percent or better from the field in five games this season, including the last two games. The Bulldogs are 1-4 in those games.
 
A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING: Kamar Baldwin led the Bulldogs with 17 points and nine rebounds against Georgetown Wednesday night. The nine rebounds tied the season-high for the 6-1 junior. Baldwin added four assists and two steals. The 17 points were the most by Baldwin since a 19-point performance in the win over Florida as part of the Battle 4 Atlantis Nov. 23.
 
Baldwin has posted four or more assists in 10 games this season. In nine games, he has registered both at least four rebounds and four assists.
 
'BOARD' OUT OF THEIR MINDS: Butler had a 43-35 rebounding advantage in Wednesday night's game against Georgetown. The +8 rebounding margin was the second-best this season for the Bulldogs (+16 vs. Miami Ohio in the season opener Nov. 10). The work on the glass also came one game after Florida posted a 46-18 edge in rebounding in the Gators' win Dec. 29.
 
In addition to Baldwin's team-best nine rebounds, Jordan Tucker pulled down a career-best eight caroms. Nate Fowler also tied his season-high with seven rebounds, all on the offensive end.
 
SWIPE RIGHT: The Bulldogs grabbed nine steals Wednesday night against Georgetown, tying the second-best mark of the season. Henry Baddley tied a career-high with three steals.
 
Baldwin, with two steals Wednesday, now has 134 career steals, ninth on Butler's all-time list.
 
'BADDLEY' NEEDED: Junior Henry Baddley came off the bench Wednesday to score 14 points for the Bulldogs on 5-of-8 shooting. It was a season-high for Baddley and tied the second-best output of his Butler career. Against the Hoyas, Baddley scored 10 points during a 15-2 first-half Butler run that eliminated an early 10-point lead for Georgetown.
 
HANDLE WITH CARE: Despite 15 turnovers against Georgetown, Butler is averaging only 10.9 turnovers per game, which leads the BIG EAST and is top 25 nationally. In two separate games this season, Butler has posted a season-low seven miscues.
 
ACCEPTING YOUR CHARITY: Butler used a 20-of-23 performance at the free throw line (87 percent) Dec. 21 to beat UC Irvine. On the season, the Bulldogs are shooting 75 percent on free throws. That leads the BIG EAST and is in the Top 35 nationally. 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.
 
BEHIND THE ARC: 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.
 
NOT A WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT: Including the win over UC Irvine Dec. 21, Butler has now won 50 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 nationally. 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.
 
Overall, the Bulldogs are 7-1 at Hinkle Fieldhouse this season, averaging 80.6 points per game.
 
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 third in the BIG EAST in assists (4.6) and fourth in assist/turnover ratio (2.1).
 
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.
 
POINT-BRUNK RANGE: On the season, Joey Brunk's .712 field goal percentage is second in the BIG EAST. Including his 11 points in the last outing vs. Georgetown, six of Brunk's seven 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.