Butler (13-15, 6-11 BIG EAST) at --/rv Seton Hall (16-9, 7-8 BIG EAST)
Wednesday, Feb. 23;  8:30PM
Prudential Center; Newark, N.J.
TV:  FS1 - Noah Eagle & Casey Jacobsen
Radio:  1430AM - @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)
Varsity Network Radio App, XM391, SiriusXM App 981
 
Full Notes (PDF)
 
The Bulldogs return to the road for a Wednesday match-up with Seton Hall in Newark. Butler is in the midst of a five-game stretch that includes four contests away from Hinkle Fieldhouse.
 
THE SERIES: Butler holds a slim 10-9 advantage in the all-time series between the two schools, a series that has been played exclusively since the Bulldogs joined the BIG EAST prior to the 2013-14 season. The two teams have split eight previous tips in Newark.
 
Butler Leads, 10-9
Streak: Seton Hall, W1
At Seton Hall: Tied, 4-4
LaVall Jordan (at BU) vs. SHU: 3-7
First Meeting: Butler, 64-57; 1/29/14 (at SHU)
Last Meeting: Seton Hall, 71-56; 1/4/22 (at Hinkle)
 
• According to KenPom, Butler has played the 19th-toughest schedule in the nation so far this season.
• Six of Butler's last eight games have been decided by three points or less.
• Eight different Bulldogs have led the team in scoring this season.
• Butler has seven players averaging between 7.8 points and 10.6 points per game in BIG EAST contests.
• The Bulldogs committed only eight turnovers in 45 minutes of play vs. Providence Sunday, the team's fourth game this season with single-digit miscues.
• Butler is 9-2 this season when winning the rebounding margin.
• Chuck Harris led the Bulldogs with 17 points vs. Providence Sunday.
• Bo Hodges has led the Bulldogs in rebounding in seven of the 12 games he has played this season.
• Bryce Golden had a team-high 19 points in the first meeting between Butler and Seton Hall this season (Jan. 4).
• In Friday's game at St. John's, Jayden Taylor became the first Bulldog to lead the team in scoring (19), rebounds (6) and assists (4) in the same game.
• All six of Simas Lukosius's double-digit scoring games have come against BIG EAST opponents and the Bulldogs are 5-1 in those games.
• Lukosius has made 34 of his last 36 free throw attempts and is shooting 89 percent from the charity stripe on the season.
• Aaron Thompson is now Butler's leader in career assists; he broke Thomas Jackson's record (540) Feb. 12 vs. Marquette.
• Thompson (152) is now tenth on Butler's career steals list.
• Butler had five players in double figures vs. Marquette, the first time that has happened since Dec. 23, 2020 vs. Providence.
 
FIRST TIME AROUND: No. 24/22 Seton Hall pulled away from Butler for a 71-56 win Jan. 4 at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
 
Jared Rhoden led the Pirates with 17 points. Alexis Yetna had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
 
A Bryce Nze three-pointer with 4:01 remaining in the game pulled Butler within six at 58-52, which was the closest Butler had been since the opening minutes of the second half. Seton Hall responded with seven of the game's next nine points to solidify the result.
 
Bryce Golden led the Bulldogs with 19 points, one off his then career-high. All 56 of Butler's points came from their starting five as the Pirates held a 16-0 advantage in bench points.
 
Both teams shot 41 percent, but the Pirates went 18-for-19 from the free throw line and had a 36-25 rebounding edge.
 
LAST TIME OUT: No. 8 Providence was able to overcome a 19-point deficit to force overtime and eventually take a 71-70 win over Butler Sunday afternoon at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
 
Butler had a 33-20 lead at the half and extended that lead to 19 (43-24) with 17:16 remaining in regulation with an 8-0 run. Providence cut the lead to single digits (47-39) with 11 minutes to play, the first single-digit advantage since 15-7.
 
A.J. Reeves made back-to-back three-pointers to pull PC within one at 61-60. Three Butler free throws and a Providence basket made it a two-point game before Noah Horchler tied the game 64-64 with 23 seconds to play. Butler was unable to convert in the closing seconds of regulation. The Friars went 7-for-12 from three-point in the second half.
 
Jared Bynum hit two free throws with 38 seconds remaining in overtime to give Providence a 71-70 lead. A Butler three-pointer with 10 seconds remaining was off the mark and Providence was able to swing the ball around until the clock ran out.
 
Nate Watson led the Friars with 22 points; Bynum (18) and Horchler (15) also reached double figures. Providence shot 62 percent from the field in the second half and 42 percent for the game.
 
Chuck Harris led Butler with 17. Aaron Thompson had 16 points, while Bo Hodges and Bryce Nze added 13 and 11 points, respectively. Butler had 38 points in the paint, including 24 in the first half as they took an early lead. Butler went 15-of-21 from the free throw line.
 
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 includes No. 4 Purdue -- Crossroads Classic, No. 14 Houston -- Maui Invitational in Las Vegas, and Michigan State -- Gavitt Games, which is the first team on the outside of this week's poll.
 
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.
 
QUITE THE BATTLE: As part of the annual BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle, the Bulldogs picked up a 66-62 overtime road win Dec. 7 at Oklahoma. Chuck Harris led the Bulldogs with 26 points. Butler trailed by 10 points at the half and by 13 early in the second half before clawing all the way back. After Oklahoma forced overtime with a three-pointer with two seconds remaining in regulation, the Sooners took a 62-58 lead in overtime before Butler scored the game's final eight points.
 
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.
 
BULLDOGS ANNOUNCED AS PART OF 2022 BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS FIELD: The Bulldogs will participate in the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis for the third time as the 2022 bracket has been announced. Celebrating its 11th year of elite collegiate tournament play, the 2022 field will include Butler, BYU, Dayton, Kansas, North Carolina State, USC, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. Butler was previously part of the Battle 4 Atlantis field in both 2014 and 2018. The Bulldogs went 2-1 in each event.
 
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. 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.