GAME 33: BUTLER (16-16) AT NEBRASKA (18-16)
NIT - First Round
Wednesday, March 20; 8PM CT
Pinnacle Bank Arena; Lincoln, Neb.
TV: ESPN2 - Jordan Bernfield & Kevin Lehman
RADIO: 107.5FM, 1070AM & TuneIn Radio App - @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)

PDF Notes

• Butler has made the postseason in 13 of the last 14 seasons.
• This is Butler's ninth NIT appearance, having most recently participated in 2006.
• Nine of the BIG EAST's 10 teams earned bids to the 2019 NCAA Tournament or 2019 NIT. • Butler played 13 games this season against NCAA Tournament teams and another 11 against teams in the 2019 NIT field.
• Paul Jorgensen helped George Washington to the 2016 NIT title.
• Kamar Baldwin earned All-BIG EAST second team honors; he averaged 18.9 points per game in conference games, a mark that is fifth in the BIG EAST.
• Jorgensen was selected as the BIG EAST Sixth Man of the Year, while Nate Fowler was chosen as the BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award recipient.
• Aaron Thompson played a career-high 39 minutes vs. Providence in the BIG EAST first round; his 4.1 assists per game are fifth in the BIG EAST.
• Butler's bench has outscored its opponent's bench in 16 of the team's 18 BIG EAST games (by a total margin of 429-206).
• Butler has 10 single-digit turnover games this season; Butler's 10.9 turnovers per game are the 29th-fewest nationally.
• Jorgensen, Sean McDermott and Jordan Tucker have each hit at least six three-pointers this season in a single game.
• Butler is 12-2 this season when holding its opponent under 70 points. • Butler is 8-2 this season when out-rebounding its opponent.
• Baldwin's free throw percentage of .856 is third in the BIG EAST.
• McDermott had a career-high 27 points Feb. 20 at Marquette.
• Butler is shooting 74 percent at the free throw line. That is second in the BIG EAST.
• Including a 12-of-28 performance against DePaul in the Feb. 16 win, Butler has made 10 or more three-pointers in 11 games; Butler is 9-2 in those games.

The Bulldogs have advanced to the 2019 postseason after being selected to the NIT. Butler, one of four No. 5 seeds in the 32-team field, will open the NIT Wednesday night, traveling to Lincoln, Neb., for a 9 p.m. (Eastern, 8 p.m. Central) match-up with fourth-seeded Nebraska.  
 
The Butler duo of Mark Minner and Nick Gardner will have the radio call on 107.5FM and 1070AM, which is also available via the TuneIn Radio app. The tip will air nationally on ESPN2 (Jordan Bernfield & Kevin Lehman).  
 
Butler enters the first round of the NIT with a 16-16 record; Nebraska is 18-16.
 
POSTSEASON ACTION: The Bulldogs have now made the postseason in 13 of the past 14 seasons, including the past five seasons in a row. This is Butler's ninth NIT appearance, having previously participated in 1958, 1959, 1985, 1991, 1992, 1999, 2002, and 2006. The Bulldogs have also made 16 NCAA Tournament appearances (ten of those have come since 2007). Butler's best NIT performance came in 1999 when Butler advanced to the quarterfinals.

That 1998-99 Butler team was coached by Barry Collier (Butler's current Vice President/Director of Athletics). He led the Butler basketball program from 1989-2000 before assuming the head coach position at Nebraska from 2000-06. He returned to Butler in his current role in 2006.

THE SERIES:  This will be the fourth meeting between Butler and Nebraska. The Huskers have a 2-1 advantage in the all-time series. The teams last played Dec. 29, 1986 (a 67-56 Nebraska win) as part of the Rochester Classic. Sophomore guard Campbell Donovan's father, Rick, was part of that 1986-87 Butler team. The first two match-ups in the series came in the 1929-30 and 1930-31 seasons with each team winning on its home court.  

TOUGH SLATE: Nine of the 10 BIG EAST teams were selected to either the NCAA Tournament or NIT. The Bulldogs played 13 games against teams that made the 2019 NCAA Tournament field, and another 11 games against the teams in the 2019 NIT field. 

BIG EAST HONORS: Butler junior Kamar Baldwin earned All-BIG EAST second team honors as voted on by the league's head coaches.

On the season, Baldwin's 17.2 points per game lead the Bulldogs and are seventh in the BIG EAST entering the postseason. He is also among the conference leaders in free throw percentage (.856; third), steals (1.5 per game; fifth), and assists (3.2 per game, 15^th). The 6-foot-1 guard also leads the Bulldogs in rebounding at 5.0 per game.

In Butler's 18 BIG EAST regular season games, Baldwin's scoring output jumped to 18.9 points per game, which is fifth among conference players. Baldwin registered double figures in all 18 conference games this season, featuring seven games with 20 or more points (which included one 30-point performance).

SENIOR RECOGNITION: Butler's seniors Nate Fowler and Paul Jorgensen were recognized by BIG EAST coaches with the 2018-19 BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award and BIG EAST Sixth Man of the Year Award, respectively.

Fowler has played a key role in several of Butler's community service initiatives. Through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, Butler "adopted" elementary-aged Seth Dennison as a teammate over the past two seasons. Dennison, who suffers from an extremely rare chromosome deletion, regularly attends team events, games and practices with his family. Fowler's volunteer service also includes the Bread N Bowl soup kitchen, Riley Children's Hospital Field Day, YMCA Summer Camps, and the Caring & Sharing Adopt a Family Christmas Program.

For the last few years, Fowler has been part of Butler's Basketball Clinic for Children with Special Needs. The annual clinic is spearheaded by Butler chemistry professor Anne Wilson with Butler student-athletes leading drills and spending time with the enthusiastic participants.

In the classroom, Fowler is a Dean's List student with a 3.6 GPA, working toward a dual major in Mechanical Engineering and Economics. The dual-degree program has Fowler taking classes on both the Butler and IUPUI campuses this season. He earned 2017-18 CoSIDA Academic All-District honors.

Jorgensen started only three of Butler's 18 BIG EAST games in earning the conference's Sixth Man of the Year Award. On the season, Jorgensen's 11.7 points per game are second on the team. Jorgensen is also tied for the team lead in three-pointers made (69), and is second in three-point percentage (.383); both marks rank among the BIG EAST Top 15. He scored his 1,000^th career point March 2 at Villanova, a total that includes two seasons at Butler and two seasons at George Washington.

Fowler is the fourth Bulldog (in Butler's six seasons as a BIG EAST member) to be selected as the conference's Sportsmanship Award recipient. He joins Tyler Wideman (2018), Kellen Dunham (2016) and Alex Barlow (2015).

DOWN THE STRETCH: Paul Jorgensen registered double figures in nine of the Bulldogs' final 10 BIG EAST games of the regular season after accomplishing the feat in only one of the team's first eight conference games this season. Jorgensen sparked the Bulldogs with 19 points March 5 against Xavier on his Senior Night at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Jorgensen's night included five three-pointers. His 19 points were the most for him in BIG EAST play this season. His Senior Night was also the fourth time this season that Jorgensen had hit five or more three-pointers (and the first time in BIG EAST play this season).

Jorgensen won an NIT Championship in 2016 during one of his two seasons at George Washington prior to transferring to Butler.

NEXT YEAR'S SLATE: Butler, along with Oklahoma, Stanford and Missouri, are set to face off next season in Kansas City, Mo., in the championship rounds of the 2019 Hall of Fame Classic Powered by ShotTracker, Nov. 25-26 at Sprint Center. The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) announced the field March 12. Butler's 2019-20 schedule will also include games against Florida (home) and Ole Miss (away), in addition to a match-up with Purdue as part of the Crossroads Classic in downtown Indianapolis. Butler's opponents in the Gavitt Tipoff Games (Big Ten opponent) and in the BIG EAST-Big 12 series have yet to be announced.

LEADER OF THE PACK: Sophomore Aaron Thompson went a perfect 5-for-5 from the field in Butler's BIG EAST Tournament loss to Providence Wednesday. Thompson played a career-high 39 minutes. His 12 points were his sixth time this season scoring in double figures. Thompson also had a game-high six assists.

Thompson is fifth in the BIG EAST in assists (4.1 per game). Thompson has handed out six or more assists in six games this season.

HANDLE WITH CARE: Butler only committed nine turnovers in the regular season finale at Providence March 9, the tenth single-digit turnover game of the season. The Bulldogs tied their season-best mark by committing only seven turnovers March 2 at Villanova. Butler is committing only 10.9 turnovers per game, which is second in the BIG EAST and inside the Top 30 nationally. Butler's +2.0 turnover margin on the season is also second in the BIG EAST.