Butler (11-8, 3-5 BIG EAST) vs. rv/- Creighton (10-8, 4-3 BIG EAST)
Tuesday, Jan. 17;  7PM
Hinkle Fieldhouse; Indianapolis, Ind.
 
PDF notes can be found here:  https://bit.ly/3NGADRf
 
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Bulldogs vs. Creighton
• The teams first met in the 1932-33 season with each team winning on its home court as they split a home-and-home series.
• Butler has won seven of the last eight meetings against Creighton that have been played at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
• Prior to both teams joining the BIG EAST for the 2013-14 season, the teams had not met since the 1975 Pillsbury Classic in Minnesota.
• In Creighton's 78-56 win over Butler Dec. 22 in Omaha, the Bluejays went 8-for-16 from three-point range and shot 14-for-20 at the free throw line. Butler made only two three-pointers and attempted only seven free throws.
 
THE SERIES: Creighton Leads, 16-11
Streak: Creighton, W2
At Hinkle: Butler Leads, 9-3
First Meeting: CU, 27-22; 1/30/33
Last Meeting: CU, 78-56; 12/22/22
 
• Tuesday night will be the program's annual Project 44 Game, honoring the legacy of the late Andrew Smith and driving awareness of the national bone marrow registry.
• Creighton is the first BIG EAST opponent that the Bulldogs will play for a second time this season; the Bluejays won, 78-56, Dec. 22 in Omaha. Butler has still not played Marquette or Xavier this season.
• Simas Lukosius led Butler with a career-high 28 points and five three-pointers in Friday's win over Villanova.
• It marked the third time this season and sixth time in his career that Lukosius has led Butler in scoring; the Bulldogs are 6-0 in those games.
• Manny Bates missed the Villanova game (knee), forcing Butler to utilize a different starting line-up for the third consecutive game.
• According to KenPom, Butler has played the nation's 18th-toughest schedule so far this season.
• Butler is committing only 12.7 fouls per game, which leads the nation.
• Butler is 8-2 at Hinkle Fieldhouse this season, averaging 75.5 points per game while hitting 50 percent from the field and 39 percent from three-point range.
• Lukosius is 23-for-49 (47 percent) from three-point range in Butler's 10 home games.
• Lukosius and Eric Hunter Jr. have combined to average 28.5 points per game in the team's 11 wins against only a combined 11.2 points per game in the team's eight losses.
• Thad Matta is 21-3 at Hinkle Fieldhouse as the head coach at Butler (2000-01 and the current 2021-22 seasons).
• Butler's top five scorers each are averaging double figures.
• Butler went 18-for-21 at the free throw line against Villanova, the second-most makes in a game this season and matching the second-best percentage.
• Butler shot 56.6 percent from the field against Villanova, which is the second-best output of the season. It's the tenth game this season for the Bulldogs shooting 50 percent or better.
• Butler's nine made three-pointers vs. Villanova are tied for the third-most this season. The Bulldogs shot 43 percent from behind the arc in the game, the ninth game shooting 40 percent or better from three-point distance.
• Ali Ali became the seventh different Bulldog to register double figures in a game this season with his 10 points Tuesday at St. John's.
• Chuck Harris, Manny Bates and Jayden Taylor have each led the Bulldogs in scoring in at least five games this season (includes ties).
• Friday's win over Villanova was only the fourth of Butler's 19 games this season to be decided by single digits.
• Jalen Thomas has led the Bulldogs in rebounding in four of his eight games played this season since returning from a pulmonary embolism. 
• Butler is 11-0 this season when leading at halftime; Villanova opened the second half with a 16-1 run Friday to erase a 10-point Butler halftime lead before the Bulldogs responded for the win.
• Butler is 11-0 this season when scoring 70 or more points.
• The Bulldogs are 7-0 this season when out-rebounding its opponent.
• Among active coaches with at least 10 seasons of NCAA Division I experience, Matta's .735 winning percentage ranks fourth (Few, Self, Calipari). Friday's win over Villanova was Win No. 450 for Matta.
• Butler has placed all five starters in double figures three times this season, with the most recent coming at Cal Dec. 10.
• Harris is now 21st in Butler history in career three-pointers (124).
• Bates has 35 blocks already this season, moving him just two away from tenth on Butler's single-season list.
• Bates is 16th nationally with a 62.8 field goal percentage and is 34th nationally in blocks per game at 1.9 per game.
• Hunter Jr. led the Bulldogs with a season-high seven assists Friday vs. Villanova, which was one shy of his career-best.