Butler (3-1) vs. No. 15 Houston (3-0)  -- Maui Invitational
Monday, Nov. 22;  4:30PM ET  
Las Vegas, Nev.; Michelob ULTRA Arena
TV:  ESPN2 - Dan Shulman & Jay Bilas
Radio:  1430AM - @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)
Varsity Network Radio App, XM 383, SiriusXM App 973

Full Notes (PDF)

• This is Butler's second appearance in the Maui Invitational. The Bulldogs went 2-1 in 2012, advancing to the championship game. 
• Butler's last trip to Las Vegas was also part of an MTE as the Bulldogs captured the 2016 Las Vegas Invitational.
• Dating back to 2014, Butler is 12-4 in MTE games, including two championships (2016 Las Vegas, 2019 Kansas City)
• An MRI Thursday revealed a partial labrum tear in Bryce Nze's left shoulder (sustained in Wednesday's game against Michigan State). He will continue to be evaluated over the next few days. No determination on his availability for the Maui Invitational has been made at this time.
• Ty Groce led the Bulldogs in both scoring (15) and rebounding (8) in the Gavitt Games loss to Michigan State Wednesday. 
• Butler is Top 50 nationally in both points allowed and opponents' three-point field goal percentage.
• Fifteen of Chuck Harris's 23 points against Troy Nov. 13 came in the second half as he made six of his seven attempts.
• Butler made 12 three-pointers Nov. 13 vs. Troy, the most by the team since hitting 12 against Nebraska in the 2019 NIT.
• Jair Bolden's 21 points vs. Troy matched the most points he has scored in a Butler uniform. 
• Freshmen Jayden Taylor and Simas Lukosius got starts in their first collegiate game (vs. IUPUI Nov. 9).
• 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.

The Bulldogs make their second appearance as part of the Maui Invitational as Butler will play three games in three days beginning with Monday's match-up against No. 15 Houston. This year's event has been moved to Las Vegas. 

Butler is 3-1 on the young season. 

MAUI MEMORIES: Butler's only other appearance in the Maui Invitational came in 2012. The Bulldogs went 2-1, advancing to the championship game. Rotnei Clarke hit a wild three-pointer as time expired to give Butler a 72-71 win over Marquette in the opening round. The Bulldogs then defeated No. 9 North Carolina in the semifinals before falling to Illinois in the title match. That 2012-13 season was Butler's only one as a member of the A10. The Bulldogs made the NCAA Tournament, falling to that same Marquette team in the second round. 

WHAT HAPPENED IN VEGAS: Butler's last trip to Las Vegas featured a 2016 Las Vegas Invitational championship as the Bulldogs defeated Vanderbilt in the semifinals and No. 9 Arizona in the championship game. That 2016-17 team would go on to advance to the NCAA Sweet 16. 

LAST TIME OUT: Michigan State's strong defensive effort limited Butler to 29-percent shooting as the Spartans took a 73-52 win at Hinkle Fieldhouse as part of the annual Gavitt Tipoff Games. Butler forced the Spartans into 20 turnovers, but MSU had a 41-25 rebounding advantage. Gabe Brown (19) and Max Christie (18) paced Michigan State, while Ty Groce came off the bench for season-highs of 15 points and eight rebounds to lead Butler. Butler forward Bryce Nze left the game midway through the first half with a shoulder injury and did not return. 

ON THE DEFENSIVE: Butler is allowing its opponents only 58.0 points per game so far this season, a mark that is Top 40 nationally. The Bulldogs' four opponents have combined to shoot only 26 percent (24-94) from three-point range. 

BEHIND THE LINE: Through four games, Butler is shooting 37 percent from three-point range, averaging 9.5 makes per game. Jair Bolden is 11-of-22 (50 percent) in 2021-22. Butler shot only 32 percent from behind the arc a season ago.

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.

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.  

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: The Bulldogs posted a pair of wins last season over Top 10 opponents. Butler defeated No. 8 Villanova, 73-61, Feb. 28 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in the Bulldogs' Senior Day. The Bulldogs also defeated No. 8/6 Creighton on Jan. 16.
 
HOME SWEET HINKLE: Butler is 51-15 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in LaVall Jordan's five seasons as head coach of the Bulldogs. 

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.