Butler (8-2) vs. Saginaw Valley State (6-3)
Friday, Dec. 15;  7PM
Hinkle Fieldhouse; Indianapolis, Ind.
 
TV: FS1 - Wayne Randazzo & Casey Jacobsen
Radio: WXNT 1430AM, Varsity Network Radio App, SiriusXM 380, SXM App 970 - @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)
 
Series: Butler Leads, 1-0
At Hinkle: 1-0
First Meeting: Butler, 68-57, 11/30/21
**Only regular season match-up; teams have also previously played exhibitions
 
OF NOTE:
• Butler carries a five-game winning streak into Friday's game, which also serves as the final non-conference tip of the season.
• Butler is in the midst of a five-game homestand, which includes the final four non-conference games of the season and the BIG EAST opener vs. Georgetown Dec. 19.
• Butler's win over Cal was the team's first double-overtime game since Feb. 28, 2018 at St. John's.
• Butler shot 52 percent from the field Saturday vs. Cal; the Bulldogs have shot 50 percent or better in six of the team's 10 games this season.
• The Bulldogs rank fourth nationally, committing just 13.1 fouls per game.
• Butler has scored at least 80 points in seven of its 10 games to start the season; the Bulldogs only hit the 80-point mark six times total a season ago.
• Butler's 77.7-percent free throw percentage is 15th nationally. The Bulldogs have shot 70 percent or better from the free throw line in every game this season.
• Posh Alexander led the Bulldogs in Saturday's win over Cal with a season-high 21 points to go along with six assists.
• Jahmyl Telfort, after going 1-for-7 from the field for only two points in the first half, finished with 20 points on 8-for-18 shooting against Cal. Thirteen (13) of his 20 points came in the two overtime sessions.
• Butler had a 21-5 advantage in bench scoring in the win over Cal. That included a career-high eight points from Finley Bizjack.
• The Bulldogs trailed 37-34 at halftime, giving the team its first win of the season when trailing at intermission (1-2).
• Pierre Brooks II scored 18 points Saturday, his fifth consecutive game scoring 17 or more points. Brooks has averaged 20.8 points per game over the five-game stretch.
• Jalen Thomas handed out a career-best four assists in the win over Cal.
• Andre Screen had a season-best three blocks Saturday after combining for a total of three blocks over the team's first nine games.
• DJ Davis ranks 11th nationally in free throw percentage (94.3). He has two separate games going 10-for-10 from the charity stripe and has hit 33 of his 35 attempts on the season.
• Thomas posted 18 points and 10 rebounds in the Dec. 5 win over Buffalo; it marked his first double-double at Butler and the fourth of his collegiate career.
• Against Buffalo, Telfort matched or set new career-highs in rebounds (nine), assists (eight) and steals (four) to go along with 18 points. His career-high eight assists came one game after setting a then career-high of seven against Texas Tech Nov. 30.
• Prior to the Nov. 30 win over Texas Tech, the Bulldogs last scored 100 points in a game Dec. 30, 2017 when Butler defeated No. 1 Villanova, 101-93, at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
• Screen has made 32 of his first 44 attempts (73 percent) to begin his Butler career. Screen had a season-high 14 points in the win over Texas Tech.
• Butler has committed 10 or fewer turnovers in five games this season. Butler is 6-0 this season when committing fewer turnovers than its opponent.
• Butler out-rebounded Texas Tech, 40-24, Nov. 30. The +16 differential was the best of the season so far for the Bulldogs. Butler is 7-0 this season when out-rebounding its opponent.
• Nine different Bulldogs have scored in double figures in at least one game so far at this early point of the season. Brooks is the only Bulldog who has scored at least 10 points in each game so far this season.
• Entering the season, Thad Matta has won 453 games in his 18 seasons as a head coach, which averages out to 25.2 wins per season.
 
Home, Sweet Hinkle
• Butler is 76-2 over its last 78 non-conference home games.
• Butler has won 14 straight non-conference home games.
• Thad Matta is 29-7 at Hinkle Fieldhouse as the head coach at Butler (2000-01 and his current stint that began prior to the 2022-23 season).
• Butler has scored at least 80 points in five of its six home games this season (going over the 90-point mark four times).
 
Working Overtime
• Butler is 2-0 in overtime games so far this season with a single-overtime win over Texas Tech Nov. 30 and a double-overtime win over Cal Dec. 9.
• In the three overtime sessions totaling 15 minutes, Butler scored 44 points. Over those 15 minutes, the Bulldogs shot 72 percent from the field, 80 percent from three-point range, and 93 percent at the free throw line.
• Butler has nine assists against one turnover in those 15 minutes.
• Butler scored on every possession during the overtime period in the Bulldogs' 103-95 win over Texas Tech Nov. 30. Butler went 4-of-6 from the field, but collected offensive rebounds on both misses and scored. The team went 10-for-10 from the free throw line and did not commit a turnover.