The Bulldogs have their final prep for the 2022-23 season Tuesday night as Butler welcomes Davenport to Hinkle Fieldhouse for a 7 p.m. exhibition tip.

Butler (0-0) vs. Davenport (0-0)
Tuesday, Nov. 1;  7PM
Hinkle Fieldhouse; Indianapolis, Ind.
TV: None
Radio: WXNT 1430AM & Varsity Network Radio App - @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)
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FIRST AUDITION: Butler came away with a 75-65 win over Tiffin Saturday night in the team's first exhibition contest.

SOPHOMORE JUMP: Seventeen of Simas Lukosius's game-high 20 points came in the second half Saturday against Tiffin. He went 7-for-10 from the field overall.

OLD FACES IN NEW PLACES: Graduate transfers Eric Hunter Jr. and Manny Bates had 17 and 16 points, respectively, against Tiffin. Bates went 7-for-12 from the field and had a team-best eight rebounds in his unofficial Butler debut. Hunter was 6-for-13 from the field and had four assists.

MISSING OUT: The Bulldogs were without Jalen Thomas, John-Michael Mulloy and Ali Ali against Tiffin due to various injuries.

WELCOME BACK TO THE NEW GUY: Thad Matta has returned to his alma mater to lead the Bulldogs. Matta also led the Bulldogs as the head coach during the 2000-01 season and served three seasons as Barry Collier's top assistant for the three seasons prior to that. The 1990 Butler graduate played three seasons for the Bulldogs after transferring from Southern Illinois.
In his 17 years as a college head coach, which includes stints at Butler, Ohio State and Xavier, Matta possesses an incredible record of 439-154 (.740). Matta's teams won 20 or more games in 16 of those 17 seasons, advancing to the NCAA Tournament 13 times.

Matta is a combined 70-26 in the first season at each of his previous head coaching stops (Butler in 2000-01, Xavier in 2001-02, and Ohio State in 2004-05), winning at least 20 games in each of those seasons.

LOOKING FOR THREE IN A ROW: Chuck Harris led Butler in scoring as both a freshman (2020-21) and a sophomore (2021-22). He looks to become the first Bulldog to lead the team in scoring in three consecutive seasons since Kellen Dunham (2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16). During the 2020-21 season, Harris was the first freshman to lead the Bulldogs in scoring since Tony Warren in the 1979-80 season.

PLAYING ABROAD: The Bulldogs went 4-0 on a European foreign tour over the summer, winning two games in Rome and another two games in Athens. Butler was abroad August 2-12.

PRESEASON PICKS: BIG EAST coaches have voted Butler eighth in the conference's preseason poll, while Butler junior Chuck Harris was named Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention for the second consecutive season.

NEW FACES: The Bulldogs added four transfers and one true freshman over the offseason in Eric Hunter Jr. (Purdue), Manny Bates (North Carolina State), Jalen Thomas (Georgia State) and Ali Ali (Akron). Three (Hunter, Thomas and Ali) were members of 2022 NCAA Tournament teams. Both Thomas and Ali are currently out due to injury.

Connor Turnbull joins the Bulldogs after earning Class 6 All-State honors from the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association following both his junior and season seasons. Pierce Thomas redshirted for the Bulldogs during the 2021-22 campaign, but will suit up for Butler this season in the first of his four seasons of eligibility.

TOUGH SLATE: Butler's schedule includes 20 BIG EAST conference games as the league plays a true home-and-home round robin schedule. Butler will open the Battle 4 Atlantis with Tennessee, ranked No. 11 in both the preseason AP and coaches polls. The field also includes No. 5 Kansas, No. 24/25 Dayton, and USC, which is receiving votes in both polls. Butler will host Kansas State at Hinkle Fieldhouse in the BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle, and will travel to Penn State (Gavitt Games) and California during the non-conference portion of the schedule.

UP NEXT: The Bulldogs officially open the 2022-23 season Monday night (Nov. 7), hosting New Orleans at Hinkle Fieldhouse. A limited number of tickets are still available.