Butler (13-17, 6-13 BIG EAST) vs. #11/11 Villanova (22-7, 15-4 BIG EAST)
Saturday, March 5;  12PM
Hinkle Fieldhouse; Indianapolis, Ind.
TV:  FOX - @BrandonGaudin & @StephenBardo
Radio:  1430AM - @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)
Varsity Network Radio App, XM386, SiriusXM App 976
 
Full Notes (PDF)
 
Butler hosts No. 11 Villanova in the regular season finale that also serves as Senior Day for the Bulldogs and their seven departing student-athletes. The Bulldogs are back at Hinkle Fieldhouse after a recent stretch that saw Butler play four of its last five games on the road.
 
THE SERIES: Villanova owns a 14-5 advantage in the all-time series between the two programs. Only one match-up (in the 1996 Puerto Rico Shootout) came prior to Butler joining the BIG EAST with the 2013-14 season. Four of Butler's five wins have come at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
 
Villanova Leads, 14-5
Streak: Villanova, W1
At Hinkle Fieldhouse: Tied, 4-4
LaVall Jordan (at BU) vs. Villanova: 3-7
First Meeting: Villanova, 62-54; 11/30/96 (Puerto Rico)
Last Meeting: Villanova, 82-42; 1/16/22 (at VU)
 
• Butler has won four of the last five match-ups with Villanova at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
• Saturday will be the 12th Top 25 game for Butler this season and the 14th game against a team currently ranked among the Top 40 of the NCAA NET metric.
• According to KenPom, Butler has played the 16th-toughest schedule in the nation so far this season.
• Six of Butler's last 10 games have been decided by three points or less.
• Seven members of the Butler program will be recognized in a postgame ceremony Saturday.
• Bryce Golden plans to utilize his "COVID redshirt season" and return in 2022-23.
• Bo Hodges is averaging 13.4 points and 7.7 rebounds in his 10 starts this season.
• Bryce Nze posted his third double-double of the season (and second consecutive) in Saturday's loss at Marquette.
• Nze has 974 career rebounds.
• Nze tied his career-high with five assists at Marquette.
• Butler registered 17 assists on 21 made field goals Saturday at Marquette.
• Eight different Bulldogs have led the team in scoring this season.
• The 25 points by Bo Hodges Feb. 23 at Seton Hall were his high in a Butler uniform and the second-most by a Bulldog in a game this season.
• 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 39 of his last 41 free throw attempts and is shooting 89 percent from the charity stripe on the season.
• Butler has seven players averaging between 7.4 points and 10.3 points per game in BIG EAST contests.
• LaVall Jordan is 57-20 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in his five seasons at the helm of the Butler program.
• 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.
 
TOURNAMENT IMPLICATIONS: The bracket for next week's BIG EAST Tournament in New York is taking shape.
 
A Butler win over Villanova or a DePaul loss at UConn Saturday would make Butler the No. 9 seed (and a first round match-up against No. 8 seed Xavier). A Butler loss coupled with a DePaul win would push the Bulldogs to the No. 10 seed and a first round game against No. 7 seed St. John's.
 
FIRST TIME AROUND: No. 14 Villanova shot 60 percent from the field in taking an 82-42 win over Butler Jan. 16 at Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia.
 
The Wildcats made nine of their first 11 three-point attempts and finished 12-for-19 from behind the arc on the afternoon.
 
Collin Gillespie led four Villanova players in double figures with 17 points. He hit five of the team's three-pointers.
 
Villanova scored the first 12 points of the second half (and ultimately put together a 21-3 run) to put the game out of reach.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Marquette used a strong second half to take a 64-56 win over Butler Saturday afternoon at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
 
The eight-point final margin was also the Golden Eagles' largest of the day as Marquette was able to convert 16 Butler turnovers into 22 points. Marquette had a 22-4 advantage in that statistic.
 
A 14-4 run evaporated Butler's final lead of the afternoon and gave Marquette a 57-51 lead with 4:55 remaining in the contest. The Golden Eagles' 48-47 advantage during that stretch was the team's first lead since 3-2.
 
Butler jumped out to a 23-14 lead over the first 7:36 of the game, hitting 10 of their first 15 attempts from the field. The Bulldogs would go only 11-for-40 the rest of the way, finishing at 38-percent shooting. Included in that was a 4-for-23 performance from behind the arc (Butler hit three of their first four attempts from long distance Saturday). In Butler's 85-79 win over Marquette Feb. 12, the Bulldogs made a season-high 13 three-pointers.
 
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. 8 Purdue -- Crossroads Classic, No. 14 Houston -- Maui Invitational in Las Vegas, and Michigan State -- Gavitt Games, which is receiving votes in the AP poll and No. 25 in this week's coaches 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.