GAME 26: Butler (14-11, 5-7 BIG EAST) vs. DePaul (13-10, 5-7 BIG EAST)
Saturday, Feb. 16; 8PM
Hinkle Fieldhouse; Indianapolis, Ind.
TV: FS1 – Jeff Levering and Len Elmore
RADIO: 107.5FM, 1070AM - @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)
TuneIn Radio App, Sirius 113, XM 201, SiriusXM Internet 964
 
Notes (PDF)

The Bulldogs return to Hinkle Fieldhouse for a Saturday night tip against DePaul. The two teams have identical 5-7 marks in BIG EAST play, two of the eight BIG EAST teams with four, five or six conference wins at this point in the season.
 
The game is a "white-out" in honor of the life and legacy of Matt White, who passed away last weekend after living with ALS for 19 years. Fans are encouraged to wear white to the game. More information on Matt can be found on ButlerSports.com. 
 
The Butler duo of Mark Minner and Nick Gardner will have the radio call on 107.5FM, 1070AM and the TuneIn Radio app. The game will air nationally on FS1 (Jeff Levering and Len Elmore).
 
Butler enters the game with a 14-11 record, coming off an overtime loss (77-73) loss at St. John's Tuesday night. DePaul is 13-10, having most recently lost to Marquette Tuesday night.
 
THE SERIES: Butler is 10-1 against the Blue Demons since the Bulldogs joined the BIG EAST prior to the 2013-14 season. The series, which Butler leads 11-6 overall, dates back to the 1938-39 season. Butler has won 10 straight games in the series, including an 87-69 win Jan. 16 in Chicago. Two of the match-ups came with DePaul ranked in the top five nationally as the #1 Blue Demons won in 1979-80 and the #3 Blue Demons won during the 1980-81 season.

FIRST TIME AROUND: A dominating second half led the Bulldogs to an 87-69 road win at DePaul Jan. 16 in Chicago. Kamar Baldwin spearheaded the effort with 17 points and a career-high 14 rebounds, while the Bulldogs also got 19 points and eight rebounds from Jordan Tucker.
 
The Bulldogs shot 71 percent in the second half, erasing a four-point halftime deficit. A 17-0 run gave the Bulldogs a 63-47 lead midway through the second 20 minutes as Butler opened the second half by making nine of 13 attempts, including six of seven from behind the arc.
 
Tucker was 7-of-14 from the field and hit five three-pointers.
 
The Bulldogs shot 58 percent for the game, and hit 13 three-pointers (on 28 attempts). Sean McDermott added 17 points and Aaron Thompson had 12.
 
Butler's strong second half came from momentum gained near the end of the first 20 minutes.
 
Butler heated up midway through the first half, hitting 10 of 13 attempts from the field during a stretch that saw the Bulldogs take their first lead of the game on a Tucker three-pointer (32-30) with 2:32 to play in the half. DePaul closed by scoring 10 of the final 14 points leading into the intermission for a 40-36 halftime edge. Fourteen of McDermott's points came in the first half, which included a 4-of-6 clip from behind the arc.
 
The Bulldogs' defense limited DePaul to 41-percent shooting overall and only 31 percent in the second half.
 
DOUBLING DOWN: In arguably his most impressive all-around performance of the season, Baldwin posted the first double-double of his Butler career with 17 points and a career-high 14 rebounds at DePaul Jan. 16 in the team's win. Ten of those rebounds came in the first 16 minutes of play and the total eclipsed his previous career-best of 11. Baldwin made eight of his 11 attempts from the field and added five assists.
 
LONG RANGE: The Bulldogs hit 13 three-pointers in the Jan. 16 win over DePaul. It was one of 10 times this season when Butler has hit 10 or more three-pointers in a game. The DePaul win started a stretch for the Bulldogs that has seen Butler hit 10 or more three-pointers in five of their last eight games. Butler is 8-2 on the season when making 10 or more three-pointers. The Bulldogs have also shot 40 percent or better from behind the arc nine times this season.
 
Tucker (two), McDermott (three) and Jorgensen (three) have combined for eight games this season hitting five or more three-pointers. In fact, each of the three has hit six three-pointers in a single game this season.

THE GAME IS ON THE GLASS: Butler won the rebounding battle, 37-30, Jan. 16 against the Blue Demons. That included the career-high 14 from Baldwin and eight each by Tucker and Nate Fowler. Butler uncharacteristically lost its most recent outing at St. John's despite taking a 47-32 advantage on the glass. Butler is now 7-2 on the season when out-rebounding its opponent.

Jorgensen led the Bulldogs with nine rebounds Tuesday night at St. John's, setting a new career-high for the 6-2 guard.

ALL THE WAY BACK: The Bulldogs overcame a 13-point first-half deficit and an 11-point margin in the second half to take their first lead of the game over St. John's Tuesday night with 17 seconds to play. That 66-65 lead came on a Jorgensen runner. St. John's would get a free throw in the closing seconds to force overtime and ultimately took the 77-73 win.

Butler has twice won games this season when trailing by 10 or more at some point in the contest. One of those wins came Jan. 16 at DePaul when Butler trailed by 10 points midway through the first half.

SPARK OFF THE PINE: Butler has had the advantage in bench scoring in 11 of the team's 12 BIG EAST contests. In Butler's last nine games, that combined advantage has been 244-60 advantage (an average of +20.4 per game over that nine-game stretch). Jorgensen, Fowler and Henry Baddley combined for 32 points off the bench against St. John's Tuesday as Butler had a 32-2 advantage in points off the bench.

BIG IN THE BIG EAST: Kamar Baldwin has registered four 20-point games in BIG EAST play. Baldwin is averaging 18.9 points per game in conference games, a mark that is sixth in the BIG EAST. Baldwin is also fifth in the conference with an .841 mark from the free throw line in BIG EAST games.

GETTING DEFENSIVE: Butler's defense limited Georgetown to 69 points on 37.7-percent shooting in Saturday's win. Georgetown entered the game leading the BIG EAST in scoring in conference games at 81.7 points per game. The 69 points and 37.7-percent shooting were both the second-worst outputs for Georgetown in its 11 conference games to date. For Butler, the 37.7-percent shooting was the lowest percentage Butler had held an opponent so far this season in league play.

Georgetown's last field goal of the game came with 4:25 remaining. Butler held Jessie Govan to 12 points on 2-of-8 shooting; he entered the contest averaging 18.3 ppg. The Bulldogs limited James Akinjo to two points, almost 12 points shy of his 13.9 ppg scoring average.

PUTTING THE D IN DAWGS: Butler improved to 11-2 this season (and 4-0 in BIG EAST games) when holding its opponent under 70 points with Saturday's win over Georgetown. On the season, the Bulldogs are allowing opponents only an average of 68.9 points per game, which is third in the BIG EAST.

TIGHT GRIP: Despite a season-worst 18 turnovers at St. John's Tuesday, the Bulldogs are averaging only 11.1 turnovers per game, a mark that is second in the BIG EAST and 30^th nationally. The Seton Hall game Feb. 2 marked the seventh time this season that Butler has committed single-digit turnovers. In two separate games this season, Butler has posted a season-low seven miscues.