GAME 3:  Butler (1-1, 0-1 BIG EAST) vs. rv/rv Indiana (4-2, 0-0 BIG TEN)
Saturday, Dec. 19;  11:30AM  --  Crossroads Classic
Bankers Life Fieldhouse;  Indianapolis, Ind.
TV:  FS1 - @VinceWelch & @StephenBardo
Radio:  107.5FM/93.5FM/1070AM - @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)
TuneIn Radio App, XM 385, SiriusXM Internet 975
@ButlerMBB  |  #ButlerWay  |  ButlerSports.com

THE SERIES: Indiana Leads, 39-15
Streak: Indiana, W1
At Crossroads Classic: Tied, 2-2 
LaVall Jordan (at BU) vs. Indiana: 0-1 
First Meeting: Butler, 22-17; 2/8/1901
Last Meeting: Indiana, 71-68, 12/15/18 (Crossroads Classic)

Notes (PDF)

The Bulldogs make the short drive to downtown Indianapolis for the annual Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Butler will meet Indiana, and that contest will be followed by Purdue and Notre Dame. 

For Butler, it will be only their third game of the season due to a pause in accordance with COVID-19 protocols that saw a 21-day gap between their season opener Nov. 25 vs. Western Michigan and the team's last game (Wednesday night at No. 7 Villanova). 

• Butler is 6-3 all-time in the Crossroads Classic. 
• The Bulldogs are 11-5 in games played at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
• Butler and Indiana have split four meetings at the Crossroads Classic, including two that have been determined by shots at the final horn.
• All 66 of Butler's points at Villanova were either scored by seniors (41) or freshmen (25)
• Aaron Thompson scored a career-high 21 points to lead Butler to a season-opening win over Western Michigan.
• The Bulldogs had a 16-2 advantage in points off turnovers over WMU; Butler committed only six turnovers in the game. 
• After shooting 73 percent from the free throw line a season ago, Butler has posted consecutive 15-of-24 (.625) performances at the line in its first two games. 
• Thompson was second in the BIG EAST in assist/turnover ratio (2.5) and fourth in assists per game (4.7) a season ago. 
• Thompson has 396 career assists, which is already seventh in Butler history.
• Bryce Nze earned preseason All-BIG EAST second team recognition by the league's head coaches
• Joey Brunk played at Butler from 2016-19 before transferring to Indiana to finish his collegiate career.
• Butler has now won 59 consecutive home games against non-conference opponents, the longest active streak in the nation.
• The Bulldogs finished the 2019-20 season ranked 21st (coaches) and 23rd (AP) in the national polls; Butler was ranked No. 5 in both national polls Jan. 13, the highest in-season ranking in program history.
• Butler's 10 NET Quad 1 wins were tied for third nationally in 2019-20. 
• Butler led the BIG EAST and was 11th nationally, allowing only 62.1 points per game during the 2019-20 season.
• Butler has won 20 or more games in 20 of the past 24 seasons.

AVAILABILITY UPDATE: 

--Aaron Thompson is questionable for Saturday's game against Indiana. He has been diagnosed with a sprained ligament in his right knee, suffered in Wednesday night's game at Villanova. An update on his availability will be provided Saturday morning following a pregame evaluation by Butler's medical staff.
--Bryce Golden is available for Saturday's Crossroads Classic game against Indiana.
--Bo Hodges is academically ineligible per NCAA rules for the 2020-21 season.
--Christian David, Campbell Donovan, Mike Parker, and Scooby Johnson are unavailable for Saturday's game against Indiana.
 
While Butler has had several gaps in its schedule of 10+ days over the years (largely between the conference tournament and NCAA Tournament while a member of the Horizon League), the 21-day in-season break looks to be the longest gap between games in Butler program history.

GETTING THEIR LEGS BACK: Jair Bolden led Butler's hot start at No. 7 Villanova Wednesday night, scoring 13 points in the first 5:05 of the game as Butler came away with points on its first eight possessions. 

The Bulldogs could not sustain the momentum as Villanova turned a two-point lead (43-41) with 16:15 to play into an 85-66 victory. 

YOUNG GUYS: In a six-point game midway through the second half at No. 7 Villanova, coach LaVall Jordan employed a line-up of his four freshmen alongside John-Michael Mulloy, who played a total of 76 minutes as a freshman last season. Butler was only able to dress nine players for the contest. Chuck Harris and JaKobe Harris made the first start of their respective Butler careers at Villanova, joining freshman Myles Tate, who got the start in the season opener vs. Western Michigan. 

This is only the third season since 2008-09 that three true freshmen have started a game for Butler: 2020-21 (Tate, Harris, Coles); 2011-12 (Roosevelt Jones, Kameron Woods, Jackson Aldridge); and 2008-09 (Gordon Hayward, Shelvin Mack, Ron Nored). 

1-0: The Bulldogs did post a 66-62 win over Western Michigan on the first evening of the 2020-21 season (Nov. 25). In a game that featured 13 ties and nine lead changes, Butler utilized a career night from senior Aaron Thompson. The point guard had a career-best 21 points, going 6-of-9 from the field and 8-of-11 from the free throw stripe.

HANDLE WITH CARE: Butler turned the ball over only six times against Western Michigan, continuing a strong trend from last season. Butler had 14 games last season with 10 or fewer turnovers. Butler's 15 turnovers at Villanova Wednesday night were a key factor, as the Wildcats had a 21-7 advantage in points off turnovers. 

FLUID SCHEDULE: Butler has added a Monday night home game against Southern Illinois. That Dec. 21 date previously had a game with DePaul that was added on Dec. 11 only to be postponed Dec. 14 due to COVID-19 issues within the Blue Demons program. 

Butler had to postpone four additional games due to COVID-19 protocols earlier in the season. 

PRESEASON LOVE: The league's head coaches selected Bryce Nze to the 2020-21 Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team. Nze is the Bulldogs' leading returning scorer (9.2 points per game). He shot 62.9 percent from the field, which is the fourth-best single-season mark in Butler history and also led the BIG EAST a season ago. Nze's 6.6 rebounds per game were sixth in the BIG EAST last season, while also leading the Bulldogs.

PRESEASON NON-LOVE: Butler was picked to finish eighth in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll by the conference's head coaches. With Connecticut returning to the BIG EAST, there are now 11 teams in the conference. The Bulldogs were also predicted eighth a season ago before finishing the season fifth in the league standings. In fact, Butler has "bettered" its preseason pick by multiple positions in the league standings in four of the last six seasons.

NEXT DAWGS UP: Butler will look to replace 62.9 percent of its scoring from a season ago, which includes All-BIG EAST performer Kamar Baldwin (fourth in Butler career scoring) and Sean McDermott (who recently signed a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies). The Bulldogs only return 21 of their made 212 three-pointers from a season ago. 

ON THE BOARDS: What was one of Butler's most glaring weaknesses in 2018-19 became a strength in 2019-20. The Bulldogs out-rebounded 23 of its 31 opponents after out-rebounding only 10 of 33 in 2018-19. Butler held a 46-24 rebounding advantage at St. John's in the BIG EAST opener on New Year's Eve, its largest margin since 63-28 vs. The Citadel Nov. 14, 2015. The Bulldogs also out-rebounded Providence, 44-26, in the Jan. 10 win in Rhode Island. 

Last season, the Bulldogs finished second among BIG EAST schools in rebounding margin in all games (+4.3) and in conference games (+3.6). 

AN IMPORTANT LINE: Butler was 11-1 last season when attempting more free throws than its opponent; the Bulldogs were 7-7 when the opponent got to the line more than Butler. (Butler and its opponent attempted the same number of free throws five times.)

THE NEXT GROUP: The Butler men's basketball Class of 2021 has a distinct local Indiana feel. Coach LaVall Jordan has announced the signing of three standouts from the greater Indianapolis area to national letters of intent.

Joining the Bulldogs beginning with the 2021-22 season will be Jayden Taylor (6-4 guard; Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian), Pierce Thomas (6-6 guard/forward; Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg) and Dionte "D.J." Hughes (6-8 forward; Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North). Each is ranked among the Top 10 recruits in the state and Top 50 nationally at their position by ESPN.

ON THE MEND: Senior forward Christian David continues to rehab from a torn ACL suffered Jan. 21 at Villanova. He is participating in non-contact portions of practice currently in hopes of returning to action later this season. Walk-on guard Campbell Donovan is also rehabbing a torn ACL in hopes of playing this season. Freshman Scooby Johnson suffered a torn ACL in August. He will miss the season.