Butler (1-0) vs. Central Arkansas (0-1)
Friday, Nov. 12;  6:30PM 
Hinkle Fieldhouse;  Indianapolis, Ind.
TV:  FS2 & FOX Sports App - @MattSchumacker_ & @NickBahe
Radio:  1430AM - @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)
Varsity Network Radio App, SiriusXM App 985
 
The Bulldogs tip off the first of back-to-back games on back-to-back nights Friday night when Central Arkansas visits Hinkle Fieldhouse. Twenty-five hours later, Butler will host Troy.
 
• Butler limited IUPUI to 47 points and 13-percent three-point shooting in the Bulldogs' season-opening win.
• Freshmen Jayden Taylor and Simas Lukosius got starts in their first collegiate game.
• With Tuesday's win, the Bulldogs have won their home opener in 23 consecutive seasons; that dates back to 1998 when Southwest Missouri State (now referred to as Missouri State) won a 72-57 decision at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
• Butler is 60-1 over its last 61 non-conference home games.
• Butler was picked to finish sixth in the BIG EAST Preseason Poll by the conference's head coaches.
• Sophomore Chuck Harris was an honorable mention selection to the Preseason All-BIG EAST team by the conference's head coaches.
• Butler's 2021-22 roster includes six players who are entering their fifth or sixth season of college basketball.
• The Bulldogs return 10 of their 11 top scorers from a season ago.
• Butler's roster returns 97.2 percent of its scoring and 96.2 percent of its minutes played from last season.
• Butler adds graduate transfer Ty Groce to the roster; Groce led Eastern Michigan in both scoring and rebounding in 2020-21.
• Five of Butler's 10 wins in 2020-21 included double-digit comebacks.
• Harris was the first freshman to lead Butler in scoring since 1979-80 season.
• Harris was a unanimous selection to the 2020-21 BIG EAST All-Freshman Team.
• Eight different Bulldogs led the team in scoring last season; six different Bulldogs posted 20-point games.
• Butler committed single-digit turnovers in nine games last season.
• Butler went 8-4 at Hinkle Fieldhouse during the 2020-21 season.
• Bryce Nze finished fourth in the BIG EAST in rebounding (7.7 per game)
• Nze posted five double-doubles during the 2020-21 season and eight games with double-digit rebounds.
 
THE SERIES: Butler and Central Arkansas have only met once, a match-up at Hinkle in 2016. The Bulldogs won 82-58 behind 30 points from Kelan Martin, who is currently with the NBA's Indiana Pacers.
 
YOUNG GUNS: Both Jayden Taylor and Simas Lukosius got the start in the regular season opener against IUPUI Tuesday night. Freshmen starting in their first Butler game is a rarity. Multiple freshmen starting their first collegiate game at Butler was last done in 2008 (Gordon Hayward, Shelvin Mack, Ron Nored). The only other freshman to start his first Butler game between 2008 and 2021 was Myles Tate in 2020.
 
OPENING NIGHT: Butler used a strong defensive effort to post a 56-47 win over IUPUI on the first night of the 2021-22 season. The Bulldogs limited the visitors to 38-percent shooting, including a 3-of-23 clip from three-point range.
 
Butler sophomore Chuck Harris led the team with 16 points, utilizing a 10-of-13 performance from the free throw line. Harris added five rebounds and four assists. Jayden Taylor also reached double figures with 12 points.
 
DRESS REHEARSAL #1: The Bulldogs opened the season with a 94-84 exhibition win over Tiffin Oct. 30 at Hinkle. Freshman Jayden Taylor led the Bulldogs with 25 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Both Bryce Nze (23 points, 10 rebounds) and Aaron Thompson (11 points, 10 assists) posted double-doubles. The Bulldogs shot 58 percent for the contest and held strong advantages in rebounding (37-23) and points in the paint (50-28). Tiffin stayed in the contest by shooting 15-of-29 from three-point range.
 
DRESS REHEARSAL #2: The Bulldogs closed the exhibition portion of their schedule with a Friday night win over the University of Indianapolis, 73-68. Chuck Harris led the Bulldogs with an efficient 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Bryce Nze posted 15 points and 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the preseason. Jayden Taylor added 12, his second straight double-figure scoring performance. The Bulldogs committed only five turnovers.
 
TOUGH SLATE: In addition to a true round-robin format that has Butler playing all 10 BIG EAST foes both on the road and at home, the Bulldogs will challenge themselves significantly with this season's non-conference schedule. Butler will host Michigan State Nov. 17 in the annual Gavitt Games. The Maui Invitational (now being played in Las Vegas) features an opening-round match-up with 2021 Final Four team Houston. The Bulldogs travel to Oklahoma Dec. 7 in the annual BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle. Butler and Purdue, which is No. 7 in the AP preseason poll, will meet Dec. 18 in the Crossroads Classic. 
 
ON THE WAY: Connor Turnbull, a 6-10 forward/center from Missouri, has signed a national letter of intent to join the Bulldogs beginning with the 2022-23 season.
 
Turnbull, from Saint Paul, Mo., stars for Fort Zumwalt North High School, where he earned Missouri Basketball Coaches Association All-State honors for Class 6. As a junior, Turnbull averaged 14.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.0 blocks per game, leading the team to a 27-4 record and the Class 6 state semifinals. He shot 34 percent from three-point range. Turnbull helped Brad Beal Elite to a runner-up finish at the 2021 Peach Jam as part of the Nike EYBL circuit.
 
HAPPY RETURNS: Butler returns 10 of its top 11 scorers from last season. In all, Butler's roster returns 97.2 percent of its scoring and 96.2 percent of minutes played from the 2020-21 season. Butler returns five double-digit scorers from a season ago and adds Ty Groce, a graduate transfer from Eastern Michigan. Groce led the Eagles in scoring last season, the sixth player on the Butler roster to average double figures in 2020-21. Butler has six players who will play their fifth season of college basketball during the upcoming campaign -- Aaron Thompson, Bryce Nze, Jair Bolden, Christian David, Bo Hodges, and Ty Groce. Of that group, Nze, Bolden and Groce are in their sixth year of college after previously redshirting and now taking advantage of the additional season of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
PRESEASON PICKS: The BIG EAST head coaches picked the Bulldogs to finish sixth in the league standings in the preseason poll that was announced as part of BIG EAST Media Day in New York City in October.
 
WHAT WILL HE DO FOR AN ENCORE?: Butler's Chuck Harris was recognized as an honorable mention selection to the 2021-22 All-BIG EAST preseason team. Harris was one of three unanimous picks on the 2020-21 All-BIG EAST Freshman Team, joining Posh Alexander of St. John's and Marquette's Dawson Garcia (Garcia has since transferred to North Carolina). Harris led the Bulldogs in scoring during the 2020-21 season, becoming the first freshman to lead the team in scoring since the 1979-80 season (Tony Warren). Harris led the team in scoring in 17 of his 24 games played, scoring 20 or more points six times.
 
Harris became the third Bulldog to earn a spot on the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team since Butler joined the BIG EAST prior to the 2013-14 season. Kamar Baldwin was also a unanimous selection in 2016-17 and Andrew Chrabascz earned a spot on the 2013-14 team.
 
TOP 10 WINS: Butler defeated No. 8 Villanova, 73-61, Feb. 28 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in the Bulldogs' Senior Day. It was Butler's second Top 10 win of the season; the Bulldogs also defeated No. 8/6 Creighton on Jan. 16.
 
HOME SWEET HINKLE: Butler is 49-14 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in LaVall Jordan's five seasons as head coach of the Bulldogs.
 
CALL IT A COMEBACK: Five of Butler's 10 wins during the 2020-21 season included a double-digit comeback. The Bulldogs overcame a 19-point deficit in the BIG EAST Tournament win over Xavier, which was Butler's biggest comeback since erasing a 20-point deficit at Georgetown Dec. 27, 2017, taking a 91-89 double-overtime win.
 
Other comebacks included a Feb. 9 16-point comeback against St. John's as well as 12 vs. DePaul, Feb. 6; 13 vs. Creighton, Jan. 16; and 11 vs. Georgetown, Jan. 6.