GAME 28:  #21/23 Butler (19-8, 7-7 BIG EAST) at #15/15 Creighton (21-6, 10-4)
 
The Bulldogs finish off a two-game road swing against Top 25 opponents, traveling to Omaha, Neb., for a Sunday tip against No. 15 Creighton.
 
Butler, ranked No. 21 and No. 23, respectively, in this week's national polls, is 19-8 overall and 7-7 in BIG EAST play. The Bluejays have won eight of their last nine games and currently stand at 21-6 (10-4 BIG EAST).
 
Following Sunday's game, Butler will have a week off before returning to Hinkle Fieldhouse for a match-up with DePaul.
 
Full Notes (PDF)

Sunday, Feb. 23;  3PM CT
CHI Health Center Center; Omaha, Neb.
TV:  FS1 - @KevinKugler & @NickBahe
RADIO:  1430AM - @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)
TuneIn Radio App, Sirius 133, XM 201, SiriusXM Internet 964
 
• Through Thursday's games, Butler (along with Creighton and Villanova) has 13 NET Quad 1 and Quad 2 wins, trailing only Kansas (17) and Baylor (15).
• Butler is one win away from its 20th 20-win campaign over the past 24 seasons.
• Kamar Baldwin has led the Bulldogs in scoring in 11 of the last 14 games.
• Baldwin is averaging 18.4 points per game in BIG EAST play, which is third in the conference.
• Bryce Nze leads the BIG EAST in field goal percentage (.622); Bryce Golden (eighth, .514) and Sean McDermott (tenth, .488) are also among the conference leaders.
• Aaron Thompson has 21 assists against only four turnovers in his last five games; he leads the BIG EAST in assist/turnover ratio (2.6).
• Nze posted his fifth double-figure rebounding game of the season Wednesday night at Seton Hall.
• The Bulldogs are 19th in the nation, allowing only 62.1 points per game.
• Butler's field goal percentage defense (.393) is 28th nationally.
• Butler is 20th nationally, committing only 11.1 turnovers per game.
• Coach LaVall Jordan is among 15 coaches on the late season watch list for the 2020 Naismith Men's Coach of the Year Award.
• Butler has out-rebounded 19 of its 27 opponents this season after out-rebounding only 10 of 33 in 2018-19.
• Baldwin has been selected as one of the Top 10 candidates for the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award, and as one of 30 for the Naismith Trophy Watch List.
• Baldwin is sixth on Butler's career scoring list with 1,892 points; he has scored 1,100 points in 68 career BIG EAST games (16.2 scoring average).
• Thompson (seventh) and Baldwin (ninth) hold two of the Top 10 spots on Butler's career assists list.
• Sean McDermott's 192 career three-pointers are seventh in Butler program history.
• Butler is 15-2 this season when leading at halftime (both losses to Seton Hall).
 
THE SERIES: Creighton Leads, 11-9
Streak: Butler, W1
In Omaha: Creighton Leads, 7-2
First Meeting: Creighton, 27-22, 1/30/1933 (Omaha)
Last Meeting: Butler, 71-57, 1/4/20 (Indianapolis)
 
FIRST TIME AROUND: Butler defeated Creighton, 71-57, Jan. 4 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Senior Kamar Baldwin led the No. 11/10 Bulldogs with 20 points, all coming in the second half.
 
Butler held the visiting Bluejays to 4-of-22 shooting from long range.
 
Butler used an 18-5 run midway through the first half as the basis of a 34-24 halftime advantage. That 10-point edge came despite Baldwin shooting 0-for-9 from the field in the opening 20 minutes.
 
Baldwin's first points would come with 16:34 remaining, giving Butler a 40-31 advantage. The teams traded baskets until Creighton cut the lead to four (50-46) for the first time in the second half at the 9:18 mark. Baldwin's three-pointer as the shot clock expired gave the Bulldogs a 53-46 advantage, some breathing room, and put the Hinkle Fieldhouse crowd on their feet once again. Butler's momentum turned that lead into a 17-point lead in the final seconds as the Bulldogs locked down defensively.
 
Sean McDermott posted his second consecutive double-double (and the second of his career) with 18 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Twelve of his points came in the first half as he helped Butler build its lead.
 
Aaron Thompson, despite missing a significant portion of the second half after being whistled for his fourth foul, had 10 points for Butler. Bryce Nze added nine points and seven rebounds. Butler shot 46 percent from the field.
 
Marcus Zegarowski led Creighton with 15 points.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Sandro Mamukelashvili's basket off an in-bounds play as time expired gave Seton Hall a 74-72 win over Butler Wednesday night at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
 
After the No. 16 Pirates built a five-point lead with 64 seconds remaining, the Bulldogs used three three-pointers over the final 31 seconds of the game to ultimately tie the contest at 72-72. Seton Hall's possession as the clock wound down resulted in a miss and the ball going out of bounds. Called in favor of Seton Hall initially, a monitor review didn't show enough to overturn the call, giving the ball to Seton Hall with 0.6 seconds remaining under its own basket.
 
Seton Hall's Quincy McKnight had 14 of his 18 points in the second half, including seven in the final two minutes as the Pirates built that 68-63 lead. He went 10-of-11 at the free throw line as Seton Hall went 20-of-22.
 
Kamar Baldwin led the Bulldogs with 20 points and six assists. He was one of four Bulldogs in double figures, followed by Bryce Golden's 17. Aaron Thompson returned after missing Butler's last game with a concussion. He had 12 points. Sean McDermott, with two three-pointers in the final 30 seconds, including the triple that tied the game at 72-72, finished with 11.
 
Seton Hall used an 8-0 run to take a 48-44 lead with 9:52 to play. That run gave the Pirates their first lead since 2-0. From that point on, it was back and forth as six ties and five lead changes came in the final 10 minutes of the game.
 
Butler was able to extend its lead to 10 on several occasions in the first half. The Bulldogs took a 34-28 lead at the half as 12 of Golden's points came in the opening 20 minutes.
 
ROAD WARRIOR: Senior Kamar Baldwin is averaging 19.9 points per game in Butler's true road games this season. He is shooting 49 percent from the field, including 43 percent from three-point range, in those nine contests.
 
Baldwin is averaging 18.4 points per game in BIG EAST play after averaging 13.9 per in non-conference contests.
 
SOMETIMES THE NUMBERS TELL THE STORY: Wednesday's loss at Seton Hall was Butler's first of the season that included the Bulldogs shooting better than 42 percent from the field. The Bulldogs do have two wins when shooting worse than 42 percent (vs. Minnesota and at St. John's).
 
Butler is 10-1 when attempting more free throws than its opponent; the Bulldogs are 6-7 when the opponent gets to the line more than Butler. (Butler and its opponent have attempted the same number of free throws three times.)
 
COMING UP CLUTCH: Kamar Baldwin scored 13 second-half points at Seton Hall Feb. 19. It was the 14th time (out of 21) he scored double figures in the second half against a power conference opponent this season. In those 21 games, he is averaging 12.3 points per game after halftime.
 
All 20 of his points in the Jan. 4 win over Creighton came in the second half. His second-half performances include 18 vs. Minnesota, 17 vs. Stanford, 19 at Ole Miss, and 16 at Villanova, in addition to the 19 points in the second half vs. Marquette (followed by an additional 10 in overtime).
 
With 5:42 remaining in regulation vs. Marquette Jan. 24, Baldwin stepped to the line with eight points and Butler trailing by five. He scored 23 points over the next 10:42 of play. His defense also helped to hold Marquette's Markus Howard scoreless over the final 7:30 of play.
 
HANDLE WITH CARE: Butler has 13 games this season with 10 or fewer turnovers. The Bulldogs committed a season-low five turnovers at Villanova Jan. 21.
 
ON THE BOARDS: What was one of Butler's most glaring weaknesses a season ago has become a strength in 2019-20. The Bulldogs have out-rebounded 19 of its 27 opponents this season 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.