Butler (13-16, 6-12 BIG EAST) at RV/rv Marquette (17-10, 9-7 BIG EAST)
Saturday, Feb. 26;  1PM ET
Fiserv Forum; Milwaukee, Wis.
TV:  FOX - Aaron Goldsmith & Jim Jackson
Radio:  1430AM - @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)
Varsity Network Radio App, XM385, SiriusXM App 975
 
Full Notes (PDF)
 
Butler concludes a five-game stretch that has put the Bulldogs on the road for four of those contests as the team travels to Milwaukee for a Saturday tip with Marquette on FOX.
 
THE SERIES: Butler holds a slim 24-22 lead in the all-time series between the two schools. The series dates back all the way to 1922, but the teams have played twice per season since the 2012-13 campaign. That was the season prior to Butler joining the BIG EAST (the teams met in both the 2012 Maui Invitational and the 2013 NCAA Tournament that year).
 
Butler Leads, 24-22
Streak: Butler, W1
At Marquette: Marquette Leads, 14-10
LaVall Jordan (at BU) vs. Marquette: 4-5
First Meeting: Marquette, 18-17; 12/16/1922 (at MU)
Last Meeting: Marquette, 85-79; 2/12/22 (at Hinkle)
 
• According to KenPom, Butler has played the 18th-toughest schedule in the nation so far this season.
• The 25 points by Bo Hodges Wednesday night at Seton Hall were his high in a Butler uniform and the second-most by a Bulldog in a game this season.
• Hodges is averaging 16.2 points and 8.4 rebounds over his last five games.
• Bryce Nze posted his second double-double of the season in Wednesday's outing at Seton Hall.
• Bryce Golden scored a career-high 22 points in the Feb. 12 win over Marquette.
• Butler's 85 points and 13 three-pointers vs. Marquette Feb. 12 were both season-highs.
• Six of Butler's last nine 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 7.7 points and 10.4 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.
• In the Feb. 18 game at St. John's, Jayden Taylor became the first Bulldog this season 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 37 of his last 39 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 (154) is now ninth 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: Bryce Golden's career-high 22 points led five Bulldogs in double figures as Butler knocked off No. 18 Marquette by a score of 85-79 Feb. 12 at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
 
Butler led by as many as 21 points in the first half and by 18 with 14:18 to play after a Simas Lukosius three-pointer capped an 8-0 run that gave the Bulldogs a 54-36 lead. Marquette would respond with a 19-6 run to pull within five (60-55) at 7:44 remaining. The Golden Eagles would only get within four at one point the rest of the way.
 
Golden went 7-of-12 from the field and hit three of Butler's 13 three-pointers. The 13 three-pointers were a season-high and the team's 18 assists were one shy of the team's season-best. Butler hit six of its first eight attempts from behind the arc in opening a 31-11 lead less than 11 minutes into the game.
 
Bo Hodges had his first double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Simas Lukosius came off the bench to score 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, while Chuck Harris's 15 points included four three-pointers. Bryce Nze had 12 points and nine rebounds.
 
Justin Lewis led Marquette with 27 points and nine rebounds. He went 10-of-17 from the field. All 17 of Tyler Kolek's points came in the second half as the Golden Eagles made their run.
 
LAST TIME OUT: A frantic comeback bid by Butler fell just short as Seton Hall was able to come away with a 66-60 win Wednesday night at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
 
A 20-2 run by the host Pirates gave Seton Hall a 56-40 advantage with 6:35 remaining. At that point, Butler had made only two of 15 attempts from the field in the second half. Butler's offense would heat up as the Bulldogs scored the next 13 points to make it a three-point game (56-53) with 3:30 remaining.
 
The teams would trade points as Butler cut it to two on three occasions over the final two minutes. Four late free throws gave Seton Hall the final margin.
 
Jared Rhoden led four Pirates in double figures with 17 points. Seton Hall used 15 offensive rebounds to hold a 38-32 edge on the glass.
 
Bo Hodges led Butler with 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting. That was a new high for the senior in a Butler uniform. Bryce Nze posted 12 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season.
 
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.