GAME 30: Butler (15-14, 6-10 BIG EAST) vs. Xavier (16-13, 8-8 BIG EAST)
Tuesday, March 5; 6PM ET
Hinkle Fieldhouse; Indianapolis, Ind.
TV: FS1 - @TimBrando & @NickBahe
RADIO: 93.1 FM - @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)
TuneIn Radio App, Sirius 98, XM 207, SiriusXM Internet 966
@BUTLERMBB | BUTLERSPORTS.COM

Notes (PDF)

The Bulldogs return to Hinkle Fieldhouse to host a Senior Night contest against rival Xavier. Butler seniors Nate Fowler and Paul Jorgensen will be recognized in a postgame ceremony. With a week remaining in the regular season, Butler and Xavier are among the eight BIG EAST teams in a logjam with between six and eight conference wins.  
 
The Butler duo of Mark Minner and Nick Gardner will have the radio call on 93.1 FM and the TuneIn Radio app. The 6 p.m. tip will air nationally on FS1 (Tim Brando and Nick Bahe).  
 
Butler enters the game with a 15-14 record, coming off a road loss at Villanova Saturday. The Bulldogs are 6-10 in BIG EAST play, currently tied for eighth in the conference standings. Xavier has won five straight games to climb to 8-8 in BIG EAST play, which is currently tied for third. The Musketeers are 16-13 overall.  
 
THE SERIES: Xavier owns a 41-20 advantage in the all-time series between the two programs. However, Butler is 15-14 against the Musketeers in Indianapolis. The series dates back to 1937 and the two programs have been conference foes in both the Midwestern Collegiate Conference and for a single season in the Atlantic 10 prior to entering the BIG EAST together for the 2013-14 season.
 
FIRST TIME AROUND: Xavier overcame a 10-point margin over the final four minutes to take a 70-69 win over Butler Jan. 13 in Cincinnati. Naji Marshall's made free throw with 3.2 seconds to play proved to be the difference as Butler's attempt at the buzzer fell short.

Butler made four of its five attempts from behind the arc during a stretch to take a 64-54 lead with 5:21 to play. Empty possessions on both sides would carry that score to the under-4 media timeout.

Xavier would go on a 12-2 run to tie the game at 66-66 with 1:22 to play. Kamar Baldwin took the lead back for Butler, completing a three-point play, but a Kyle Castlin three-pointer tied the game back up with 53.2 seconds to go. After a missed shot by Butler, Xavier had the ball with 33 seconds to play. Marshall dribbled most of the time away before attacking the rim. He was fouled and made his second free throw to take the lead for the Musketeers. Butler inbounded the ball after a timeout with 3.2 seconds to play and got to the top of the key, but a contested three-pointer was no good as Xavier escaped with the win.

Baldwin led the Bulldogs with 18 points and seven assists, while Paul Jorgensen and Jordan Tucker came off the bench to add 14 and 12 points, respectively. The Bulldogs shot 47.3 percent from the field, including 56 percent in the second half.

Xavier was led by Paul Scruggs with 23 points, going 5-for-8 from three-point range. Marshall had 14 for the Musketeers and Castlin added 14. Xavier had a 40-29 rebounding advantage and shot 13 more free throws than Butler.

ONE LAST TIME: Butler's senior duo of Nate Fowler and Paul Jorgensen will be recognized Tuesday night in a postgame ceremony. In his four seasons, Fowler has played in 118 games for the Bulldogs. This season, Fowler leads the Bulldogs in offensive rebounding and has started 16 contests. Jorgensen stands at 1,000 career points exactly after hitting the mark Saturday at Villanova. After averaging 3.6 and 4.9 points per game, respectively, in his two seasons at George Washington, Jorgensen has averaged 10.8 points per game (while shooting 37 percent from three-point range) during his time at Butler.

BIG IN THE BIG EAST: Kamar Baldwin scored 27 points in Tuesday's overtime loss to Providence. It marked the sixth time in BIG EAST play this season that the junior has scored 20 or more points. Earlier in league contests, Baldwin scored 30 (vs. St. John's, Jan. 19) and 28 (vs. Creighton, Jan. 5).

Baldwin's 18.8 points per game in BIG EAST play are fifth in the conference rankings.

HANDLE WITH CARE: The Bulldogs tied their season-best mark by committing only seven turnovers in Saturday's loss at Villanova. It was Butler's ninth single-digit turnover game of the season and the third time with only seven miscues. Butler is committing only 11.0 turnovers per game, which is third in the BIG EAST and inside the Top 30 nationally. Butler's +1.8 turnover margin on the season is also second in the BIG EAST.

Both Aaron Thompson (4.1 assists per game; fourth) and Baldwin (3.3 assists per game; 12th) are among the BIG EAST leaders in assists.

DRY SPELL: Butler is 11-for-50 from behind the arc over its last two games (both losses). That includes a 5-of-26 performance at Villanova Saturday as the 19.2-percent mark is the second-lowest of the season. That is in stark contrast to Butler's season mark of 35.3 percent from behind the arc. Butler is 9-2 in the 11 games this season when hitting 10 or more three-pointers. The Bulldogs have also shot 40 percent or better from behind the arc 10 times this season, most recently in the Feb. 16 win over DePaul (42.9 percent).

NEED TO EARN THE FREEBIES: Butler is shooting 74 percent from the free throw line this season, a mark which is second in the BIG EAST. However, the Bulldogs only attempted five free throws Saturday at Villanova. It marked the eighth time this season that Butler attempted 10 or fewer free throws (with five of those occurrences coming in BIG EAST play).

In Butler's previous game against Providence, the Bulldogs had more than a third of their points come from the free throw line, where they went 23-of-29. Butler's 23 made free throws tied a season-best, which also occurred in the Nov. 16 win over Ole Miss (23-27). Baldwin's mark of .858 from the free throw line this season is third in the BIG EAST. Sean McDermott (.833) and Jordan Tucker (.805) are also shooting better than 80 percent at the line this season.  

BENCH MOB: Butler's reserves outscored their counterparts from Villanova, 25-9, Saturday in Philadelphia. Butler has had the advantage in bench scoring in 14 of the team's 16 BIG EAST contests. In Butler's BIG EAST games, that combined advantage has been 388-166 (an average of +13.9 points per game). Jorgensen, Fowler and Henry Baddley combined for 32 points off the bench against St. John's Feb. 12 as Butler had a 32-2 advantage in points off the bench.

HE'S 'SEAN' FIRE: Redshirt junior Sean McDermott had a career-high 27 points in the Feb. 20 loss at Marquette. McDermott made eight of his 13 attempts from the field, including a 4-of-5 performance from behind the arc. Both his seven made free throws and eight free throws attempts were career-highs.

For McDermott, the performance was his fourth 20-point game of the season and the sixth time he had led the Bulldogs in scoring in 2018-19. McDermott had a team-high eight rebounds in the game as well.