TICKETS | WATCH | LIVE STATS | GAME NOTES
 
INDIANAPOLIS – Vanderbilt will play at Hinkle Fieldhouse for the first time on Thursday night when the 6-2 Bulldogs play host to the 8-1 Commadores. The 7 PM tip will stream on FloHoops.com.
 
GameDay
Date: Thursday, Dec. 7
Time: 7 PM
Location: Indianapolis, Ind. - Hinkle Fieldhouse
Live Stats: ButlerSports.com – Statbroadcast
Watch: FloHoops.com
 
Bulldog Bits
- Rachel Kent made the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll by averaging 19.5 points per game in two Bulldog victories.
- Caroline Strande made six consecutive free throws to ice the win at Wisconsin.
- Butler had a season-low five turnovers in the win at Wisconsin. No player had more than one in the game.
- Butler became the first team to beat Wisconsin at the Kohl Center this year.
- Butler's first true road win of the season doubled as the team's first win over a Big Ten opponent since Dec. 20, 2018.
- Ari Wiggins had a career-high five assists and just one turnover in 29 minutes of action at Wisconsin.
- Wiggins matched her career-high rebound total at Wisconsin with five.
- Wiggins ranks seventh in the BIG EAST in steals per game (2.1).
- Caroline Strande ranks seventh in the BIG EAST in rebounding (7.4) and ninth in scoring (15.9).
- Strande ranks eighth in the conference in free throw percentage (82.9% / 29-for-35).
- Jordan Meulemans fouled out of a contest for the first time in her collegiate career on Sunday.
- Meulemans ranks second in the BIG EAST and ninth in the NCAA in 3-point field goal percentage (53.5).
 
BIG EAST Standings
Marquette 8-0
Georgetown 7-1
Creighton 6-1
Butler 6-2
Villanova 5-2
Seton Hall 5-3
UConn 4-3
DePaul 4-4
St. John's 4-5
Providence 3-5
Xavier 0-7
 
Scouting Vanderbilt                                                                              
The Commodores defeated Louisiana Tech on Sunday (71-63) to improve to 8-1 on the season. Thursday night's game will be just the third contest on the road for Vandy. They edged UT Martin in Tennessee 70-68 but lost at NC State 70-62. Head Coach Shea Ralph enters her third season on campus after spending the previous 13 seasons as an assistant at UConn. Ralph has a talented duo on the roster in junior Sacha Washington and preseason All-SEC Second Team selection Jordyn Cambridge. Washington shoots 58.3 percent from the field and leads the team with her 16.8 scoring average. Cambridge is second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.9 points per game. She's a two-time All-SEC defensive team selection that returns for her sixth season with the Commodores.
 
All-Time Series                                                                                       
The all-time series between Butler and Vanderbilt is tied at 1-1. The first-ever meeting came in 1990 when the Commodores hosted Butler in the Vanderbilt O'Charley's Classic. The Bulldogs went 3-0 in the tournament and posted a 91-88 victory at Vandy. The Commodores hosted another tournament in 1998. BU lost that year 78-64 in the First American Classic.
 
Last Win vs. the SEC                                                                              
Butler's last win over a SEC opponent came on Dec. 13, 2015. The Bulldogs hosted the Arkansas Razorbacks and posted a 63-57 win at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
 
Common Opponent                                                                                            
Vanderbilt defeated Iowa State the day after Thanksgiving on a neutral court. The two teams met in the South Point Shootout held in Las Vegas. The Commadores dominated the action in the second and fourth quarters to record a 68-53 victory. BU opened the year at Iowa State and took an 82-55 setback.
 
A Look Back at Last Week                                                                                  
Butler went 2-0 last week with a 67-46 home win vs. Bradley and a 59-51 victory at Wisconsin. BU limited the opposition to just 48.5 points per game and were led offensively by Rachel Kent and Caroline Strande. Kent hit four 3-pointers in each game to average 19.5 points per game. Strande scored 17 points in each game and also led BU in rebounding (7.5).
 
Net Rankings                                                                                          
Vanderbilt is listed at 60th in the updated NET rankings this week while the Bulldogs climbed up to 122. The BIG EAST Conference has five teams in the top 50! Creighton is 13, UConn is 16, Marquette is 22, Villanova is 35 and Seton Hall is 47. Butler's last win over Wisconsin helped as the Badgers come in at 104. NET ranking is determined by who you played, where you played, how efficiently you played and the result of the game.
 
Take Care of the Ball                                                                             
Every member of Butler's starting five had more assists than turnovers last week. Ari Wiggins led BU with nine and the 'Dawgs played through the post allowing Sydney Jaynes to dish out six assists. Since Nov. 20, Wiggins has 18 assists and just five turnovers over 120 minutes of playing time (24 mins per game).
 
Balanced Attack                                                                                                   
Six different BU players have led the team in scoring over the first eight games. Caroline Strande is the only player to do it more than once. She led BU with 17 points in the opener at Iowa State, paced BU vs. Austin Peay with 21 points and poured in 17 points in the home win over Bradley. Strande has also led Butler in rebounding five times this year.
 
Home Cookin'                                                                                        
Butler is 4-0 at home this season and is averaging 73 points in games played at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Being familiar with the facility has its perks with BU shooting 46 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range at home.
 
Behind the Arc                                                                                       
Butler hit 17 3-pointers last week while limiting the opposition to just six! The Bulldogs made 35 percent of their shots from long range (17-48) and their opponents shot just 18 percent (6-32).
 
6-2 Start                                                                                                                 
This is the third time in the last 10 years that Butler has started a season with a record of 6-2 or better. The 2019-20 team opened the year 6-2 and the 2018-19 team started 15-1.
 
250 Wins                                                                                                                
Austin Parkinson needs nine more wins to reach 250 in his head coaching career. He won 224 games at IUPUI and has 17 during his time at Butler.
 
Tied the Team Record                                                                          
Jordan Meulemans shot 80% from distance and drained eight triples vs. St. Thomas to match the single-game high in the BIG EAST this season. The Bulldogs made 16 as a team, the second-most by a conference team this year. Meulemans was just one 3-pointer shy of tying the single-game BU individual record and the 'Dawgs tied their team record.
 
Career Milestones                                                                                               
Kendall Wingler needs one assist vs. Vanderbilt to reach 100 in her collegiate career.
 
Winning Recipe                                                                                      
The Bulldogs are undefeated this year when three or more players score in double figures (4-0) and when they keep their opponent under 60 points (5-0). A fast start has also helped the Bulldogs as they are 5-0 when leading at halftime.
 
Up Next                                                                                                                  
Butler will host Chicago State this Sunday at 2 PM. The action will stream on FloHoops.com. The Bulldogs will be off the following week for final exams. They will head to UConn to open BIG EAST action on Monday, Dec. 18.