Butler (11-10, 3-7 BIG EAST) at #23/21 Providence (15-5, 7-2)
Wednesday, Jan. 25;  8:30PM
Amica Mutual Pavilion; Providence, R.I.
 
PDF notes can be found here:  https://bit.ly/3NGADRf
 
TV: FS1 - Dave Sims & Donny Marshall
Radio: 1430AM - @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)
Varsity Network Radio App, SiriusXM 385, SXM App 975
 
THE SERIES: Providence Leads, 17-5
Streak: Providence, W5
In R.I.: Providence Leads, 7-2
First Meeting: PC, 65-56; 1/21/14
Last Meeting: PC, 72-52; 12/29/22
 
• This is the second meeting of the season between the two teams; Providence won, 72-52, Dec. 29 at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
• Devin Carter led PC with 21 points in the Dec. 29 win over Butler in Indianapolis.
• In that match-up, PC limited Butler to 2-for-16 three-point shooting and held a 44-29 rebounding advantage.
• All 22 match-ups between the two teams have come since Butler joined the BIG EAST for the 2013-14 season.
 
• According to KenPom, Butler has played the nation's 11th-toughest schedule so far this season.
• In Butler's 10 losses this season, their opponents have averaged a 12.5-point halftime lead and have averaged a +12.9 rebounding margin.
• Butler is committing only 12.8 fouls per game, which leads the nation.
• Butler went 16-for-16 from the free throw line in Sunday's loss at UConn; it's the fourth time in program history that the Bulldogs have made at least 15 free throws in a game without a miss.
• Butler is now 43rd nationally in free throw percentage at 75.0 percent.
• Butler's eight blocks Sunday at UConn were the second-most in a game for the Bulldogs this season; both Connor Turnbull and Myles Wilmoth set new career-highs with three blocks apiece.
• In addition to leading the Bulldogs with 16 points at UConn Sunday, Chuck Harris also had a career-high five steals.
• Manny Bates has missed the last three games (knee), his first missed outings of the season.
• In BIG EAST games, Butler is committing only 10.8 turnovers per game, which is second among league schools.
• Butler is 11-0 this season when leading at halftime; Villanova opened the second half with a 16-1 run Jan. 13 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 .733 winning percentage ranks fourth (Few, Self, Calipari). The Jan. 13 win over Villanova was Win No. 450 for Matta.
• Simas Lukosius, Harris, Bates and Jayden Taylor have each led the Bulldogs in scoring in at least four games this season (includes ties).
• Butler shot 56.6 percent from the field against Villanova Jan. 13, 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 has shot 40 percent or better from three-point range 10 times this season.
• Taylor is averaging a team-high 14.4 points per game in Butler's 10 games away from Hinkle Fieldhouse this season; he has led the team in scoring in five of those games.
• Over the last four games, Lukosius is averaging 18.3 points per game, while shooting 63 percent from the field and making all 13 of his free throw attempts.
• Lukosius is sixth in the BIG EAST in three-point percentage, making 41.1 percent of his attempts from behind the arc.
• Lukosius led Butler with a career-high 28 points and five three-pointers in the Jan. 13 win over Villanova.
• Jalen Thomas has led the Bulldogs in rebounding in five of his 10 games played this season since returning from a pulmonary embolism; that includes pacing the team in boards in four of the last five games.
• Harris is now 21st in Butler history in career three-pointers (127).
• 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 37th nationally in blocks per game at 1.9 per game.
• Eric Hunter Jr. led the Bulldogs with a season-high seven assists Jan. 13 vs. Villanova, which was one shy of his career-best.