Butler (13-14, 6-10 BIG EAST) vs. #8/9 Providence (21-3, 11-2 BIG EAST)
Sunday, Feb. 20;  1PM
Hinkle Fieldhouse; Indianapolis, Ind.
TV:  FS1 - Lisa Byington & Brian Butch
Radio:  1430AM - @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)
Varsity Network Radio App, XM390, SiriusXM App 970
 
Full Notes (PDF)
 
The Bulldogs conclude a three-game week with a Sunday tip at Hinkle Fieldhouse with No. 8 Providence.
 
THE SERIES: Providence owns a 14-5 advantage in the all-time series between the two programs, one that has been played exclusively since the Bulldogs joined the BIG EAST prior to the 2013-14 season. Three of Butler's five wins in the series have come at Hinkle Fieldhouse, including one last season.
 
Providence Leads, 14-5
Streak: Providence, W2
At Hinkle Fieldhouse: Providence Leads, 5-3
LaVall Jordan (at BU) vs. PC: 3-7
First Meeting: PC, 65-56; 1/21/14 (at PC)
Last Meeting: Providence, 69-62, 1/23/22 (at PC)
 
• According to KenPom, Butler has played the 18th-toughest schedule in the nation so far this season.
• Chuck Harris had a game-high 21 points in the Jan. 23 game at Providence.
• Jayden Taylor scored a team-high 19 points in Friday's loss to St. John's; the 19 points were two shy of his career-high.
• In Friday's game at St. John's, Taylor became the first Bulldog to lead the team in scoring (19), rebounds (6) and assists (4) in the same game.
• Simas Lukosius scored a career-high 19 points in Tuesday's win at DePaul.
• All six of Lukosius's double-digit scoring games have come against BIG EAST opponents and the Bulldogs are 5-1 in those games.
• Chuck Harris's 18 points at DePaul came on only seven shots from the field.
• After eight first-half turnovers, the Bulldogs committed only two miscues over the second 20 minutes at DePaul.
• The Bulldogs shot 50 percent at DePaul, the sixth game this season that Butler has shot 50 percent or better from the field.
• Bryce Nze (knee) returned to action Friday at St. John's after missing the DePaul game; Bo Hodges (muscle strain) missed his second game in a row.
• Aaron Thompson is now Butler's leader in career assists; he broke Thomas Jackson's record (540) Feb. 12 vs. Marquette.
• Butler had five players in double figures vs. Marquette, the first time that has happened since Dec. 23, 2020 vs. Providence.
• Butler's 85 points vs. Marquette tied for the team's season-high.
• The Bulldogs' 13 three-pointers were a season-high and the most since hitting 13 at DePaul Jan. 16, 2019.
• Bryce Golden scored a career-best 22 points Feb. 12 vs. Marquette; it marked the third 20-point game of his career.
• Butler is 9-2 this season when winning the rebounding margin.
• Thompson (151) is now tenth on Butler's career steals list.
• Eight different Bulldogs have led the team in scoring this season.
• Lukosius has made 34 of his last 36 free throw attempts and is shooting 89 percent from the charity stripe on the season.
 
FIRST TIME AROUND: No. 21 Providence came away with a 69-62 win over Butler Jan. 23 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, R.I.
 
Nate Watson led the Friars with 18 points, including a personal 9-4 run that turned a 58-56 Providence advantage into a 67-60 lead with 1:07 to play.
 
Providence shot 51 percent for the game and went 10-of-14 from the free throw line. The Bulldogs shot 47 percent from the field, but only 5-of-20 from behind the three-point line and only attempted four free throws on the afternoon.
 
Chuck Harris led the Bulldogs with 21 points; Bo Hodges added 17 points and eight rebounds.
 
Butler opened the second half by scoring the first eight points to erase a Providence halftime lead and take a 41-39 advantage, which was the team's first lead since 14-12 with 12:55 remaining in the first half.
 
LAST TIME OUT: St. John's took control of the game with a late first-half run and then pulled away over the final 20 minutes in taking a 91-57 win over Butler Friday afternoon at Carnesecca Arena in Queens, N.Y.
 
Julian Champagnie led the Red Storm with 31 points on 11-of-22 shooting. He hit four three-pointers.
 
St. John's ended the first half by hitting 12 of their final 14 attempts to take a 46-30 halftime advantage after Posh Alexander banked in a three-pointer at the horn. A 17-3 St. John's run turned a one-point Butler advantage into a 36-23 lead with 3:06 remaining in the opening stanza.
 
The St. John's momentum would continue in the second half as the lead climbed above 30. St. John's shot 61 percent for the game, including an 11-for-22 mark from behind the arc.
 
Freshman Jayden Taylor led the Bulldogs with 19 points, just two shy of his career-high. He went 4-of-6 from three-point range and 6-for-14 overall.
 
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 challenged themselves significantly with this season's non-conference schedule.
 
Butler's non-conference opponents include three of the top 20 teams in this week's AP poll (No. 5 Purdue -- Crossroads Classic, No. 19 Michigan State -- Gavitt Games, and No. 14 Houston -- Maui Invitational in Las Vegas).
 
TWO TIMES FOR THE FIRST YEAR: Simas Lukosius was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week Jan. 31 following an impressive 2-0 week for the Bulldogs. This is the second weekly conference honor for the Lithuanian, who also was recognized on Jan. 3.
 
Lukosius averaged 13.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in the team's two contests. In the Jan. 26 win over Creighton, Lukosius scored 14 points and went 6-for-6 from the free throw line. He was the team's leading scorer in the Jan. 29 win over Georgetown, recording 13 points. He shot 45 percent from three-point range in the team's two games.