GAME 2:  Butler (1-0) vs. New Orleans (1-0)
 
Saturday, Nov. 9;  7PM
Hinkle Fieldhouse; Indianapolis, Ind.
TV:  FSN affiliates - @VinceWelch & @NickBahe
RADIO:  93.5FM/107.5FM/1070AM - @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)
TuneIn Radio App, SiriusXM Internet 987
@ButlerMBB  |  ButlerSports.com

Notes (PDF)
 
THE SERIES
Butler Leads, 1-0
Streak: Butler, W1
First Meeting: Butler, 57-44, 1/5/13 (Hinkle Fieldhouse)
 
• Sean McDermott led Butler with 26 points (10-11 FG; 4-5 3FG) in Wednesday's win over IUPUI.
• Bryce Nze posted a double-double in his Butler debut with 11 rebounds and 11 points vs. IUPUI.
• In Bryce Golden's first career start, he posted career-highs of 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
• Butler assisted on 21 of its 35 made field goals vs. IUPUI.
• Butler finished the game against IUPUI with only six available players.
• The Bulldogs limited IUPUI to 47 points on 37-percent shooting, including 3-of-21 from three-point range.
• Butler shot 59 percent from the field against IUPUI.
• New Orleans is the preseason favorite to win the Southland Conference title according to the league's coaches.
• The Bulldogs return four of their top six scorers from 2018-19.
• Butler posted a 12-4 record at Hinkle Fieldhouse in 2018-19.
• Butler has won 51 consecutive non-conference home games (second-longest active streak nationally behind Duke)
• The Bulldogs have now won their home opener in 21 consecutive seasons. That dates back to 1998 when Southwest Missouri State (now referred to as Missouri State) won a 72-57 decision at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
• Twenty-five of Butler's 31 regular season games in 2019-20 are scheduled against power conference opponents.
• Butler has made the postseason in 13 of the last 14 seasons.
• Kamar Baldwin is No. 16 on Butler's all-time scoring list with 1,456 career points.
• Aaron Thompson's 142 assists in 2018-19 are 10th on Butler's single-season list.

DEFINITION OF EFFICIENCY: Senior Sean McDermott made 10 of his 11 attempts from the field, including 4-of-5 from behind the arc, on his way to 26 points in Wednesday's win over IUPUI. 

In Butler's two exhibitions, McDermott combined to make 10 of his 16 attempts from three-point range (63 percent).

BULLDOG DEBUTS: In their respective Butler debuts, transfer forward Bryce Nze posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, while freshman Khalif Battle added 11 points. John-Michael Mulloy had four points and four rebounds. 

THAT'S GOLD, BRYCE. GOLD.: Sophomore Bryce Golden logged his first career start in Wednesday's win over IUPUI, posting career-highs of 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists. He had 25 points and 11 rebounds total in 15 contests as a freshman. 

MY TEAM IS ON THE FLOOR: Butler began its regular season opener vs. IUPUI with eight available players (but hoping to keep John-Michael Mulloy's redshirt opportunity available). After Kamar Baldwin and Campbell Donovan were injured within the first five minutes of the contest, the Bulldogs utilized Mulloy and played six players for the final 35 minutes. 

WATCH OUT FOR HIM: Senior guard Kamar Baldwin has found his way onto the watch lists for several national awards: the Naismith Trophy Men's Player of the Year, the Wooden Award, and the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award.

The conference's head coaches also selected Baldwin to the 2019-20 Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team.

NOT MESSING AROUND: Eighteen of Butler's 31 regular season games are against teams ranked or receiving votes in the preseason AP Top 25 poll. Of the remaining 13 games, five (potentially six) are against teams that made the 2019 NCAA Tournament.

A season ago, Butler played 13 games against 2019 NCAA Tournament teams and another 11 against teams in the 2019 NIT field. 

PUTTING THE D IN DAWGS: Butler limited its two exhibition opponents to an average of 43.5 points per game on 29-percent shooting. The Bulldogs forced 33 turnovers in those 80 minutes, while the opponents combined for just 15 assists. 

SHARING IS GLARING: In the team's two exhibition wins, the Bulldogs assisted on 67 percent of the team's made field goals. Butler handed out 37 assists on 55 makes. Junior Aaron Thompson led the team with a combined 11 assists in the two contests. 

DOUBLING DOWN: Bryce Nze, who sat out last season after transferring to Butler from Milwaukee, posted a double-double in the Bulldogs' second exhibition Friday night vs. the University of Indianapolis. The redshirt junior had 11 rebounds to go along with 10 points. In his two seasons at Milwaukee, Nze had seven double-doubles.

90+ YEARS YOUNG: Over the summer, a $10.5 million second phase of renovations to Hinkle Fieldhouse took place. Air-conditioning was added to the main arena and concourses. The program's practice facility, the Efroymson Family Gym, had a complete makeover, including the installation of the new Matt White Court, named in honor of the standout member of Butler's track and cross country teams during his years at Butler. White passed away in February, 2019 after a 19-year battle with ALS.

When the Fieldhouse was originally constructed in 1928, it was the largest basketball arena in the United States (15,000 seats), and it retained that distinction for more than 20 years.  The current capacity is 9,100.  The Fieldhouse was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987.

SMART DAWGS: The Bulldogs earned the NABC's Team Academic Excellence Award for achieving a team cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better. Butler has earned the recognition in four consecutive seasons. In 2018-19, only 36 Division I programs posted a GPA of 3.0 or better.