Butler (10-7, 2-4 BIG EAST) at St. John's (11-6, 1-5 BIG EAST)
Tuesday, Jan. 10;  6:30PM
Carnesecca Arena; Queens, N.Y.
 
PDF notes can be found here:  https://bit.ly/3NGADRf
 
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THE SERIES: Butler Leads, 10-9
Streak: St. John's, W2
At SJU: St. John's Leads, 6-3
First Meeting: SJU, 78-68; 3/13/58
Last Meeting: SJU, 91-57; 2/18/22
 
Bulldogs vs. Red Storm
• The teams first met in the 1958 NIT.
• The remainder of the match-ups have come since Butler joined the BIG EAST prior to the 2013-14 season.
• St. John's swept the season series in 2021-22, which they had only done one other time: in 2013-14, Butler's first season in the BIG EAST.
 
• Only three of Butler's 17 games this season have been decided by single digits.
• Butler has attempted a combined 54 free throws over the last two games; the Bulldogs combined to attempt 52 in the five games prior to that stretch. Butler is 9-3 this season when attempting more free throws than their opponents.
• Butler is a combined +10 in rebounding margin over the last three games, out-rebounding two of those three opponents; in Butler's first three BIG EAST games, the Bulldogs' opponents were a combined +57 in rebounding margin against Butler. The Bulldogs are 7-0 this season when out-rebounding its opponent.
• Through six conference games, Butler has committed only 9.7 turnovers per game, which is the best mark in the BIG EAST.
• Butler is committing only 12.6 fouls per game, which is second in the nation.
• Butler is 10-0 this season when leading at halftime.
• Butler is 10-0 this season when scoring 70 or more points.
• Butler has shot 50 percent or better from the field nine times already this season; the Bulldogs hit the 50-percent mark six times all of last season (31 games). In a similar fashion, Butler already has eight games this season shooting 40 percent or better from three-point range, which was only done four times during the 2021-22 season.
• Including Saturday's loss to Seton Hall, Jayden Taylor has led the Bulldogs in scoring in five of the team's eight games away from Hinkle Fieldhouse this season. He is averaging 16.6 points per game in this eight outings.
• Among active coaches with at least 10 seasons of NCAA Division I experience, Thad Matta's .736 winning percentage ranks fourth (Few, Self, Calipari).
• Manny Bates, Taylor and Chuck Harris have each led the Bulldogs in scoring in at least four games so far this season (includes ties).
• Butler shot a season-low 28.6 percent from the field in Saturday's loss to Seton Hall.
• Manny Bates has 35 blocks already this season, moving him just two away from tenth on Butler's single-season list.
• Bates is 11th nationally with a 64.5 field goal percentage and is 31st nationally in blocks per game at 2.1 per game.
• Bates is shooting 67 percent in BIG EAST play, good for third in the conference.
• Eric Hunter Jr. led the Bulldogs with a career-high 23 points in Wednesday's win over DePaul. It marked the first time that Hunter led Butler in scoring this season.
• The New Year's Day win over Georgetown was the third-most lopsided win by Butler over a BIG EAST opponent since joining the conference in 2013-14 (89-56, at St. John's, 2/6/16; and 79-46, at DePaul, 3/6/14).
• Butler held Georgetown to 28.8-percent shooting in the win; it's the third time since joining the BIG EAST that Butler has held a conference opponent under 30-percent shooting (vs. St. John's, 1/27/18 and at Seton Hall, 1/25/17).
• It was the Bulldogs' best defensive performance against any opponent since limiting Louisiana-Monroe to 23.3-percent shooting Dec. 28, 2019.
• Taylor led the Bulldogs with a career-high 24 points at Georgetown, featuring a career-best six three-pointers.
• Butler's 12 three-pointers at Georgetown were the second-best output of the season for the Bulldogs.
• Butler has placed all five starters in double figures three times this season, with the most recent coming at Cal Dec. 10.
• After missing the first 11 games of the season, the duo of Jalen Thomas (pulmonary embolism) and Ali Ali (nasal surgery/concussion symptoms) is contributing a combined 13 points per game over the six games they have played. 
• Harris is now 21st in Butler history in career three-pointers (119).
• Harris posted career-highs of 32 points and six three-pointers in the Dec. 3 win over Tennessee Tech.
• Bates led the Bulldogs with 22 points and 10 rebounds against Kansas State Nov. 30, his third double-double of the season.