Butler (12-13, 4-10 BIG EAST) vs. #13/15 Xavier (19-5, 11-2)
Friday, Feb. 10;  7PM
Hinkle Fieldhouse; Indianapolis, Ind.
 
TV: FS1 - Jeff Levering & Stephen Bardo
Radio: 1430AM - @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)
Varsity Network Radio App, SiriusXM 380, SXM App 970
 
PDF notes can be found here.
 
Bulldogs vs. Xavier
• This will be the first meeting of the season between Butler and Xavier. The Bulldogs have already concluded home-and-home series with UConn, Creighton, Providence, Seton Hall, and St. John's. Butler and Xavier will also meet in the regular season finale March 4. 
• The series between Butler and Xavier dates back to 1937; among current BIG EAST rivals, only Butler's series against Marquette dates back longer (1922).
• The two programs have shared conference affiliation in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference, the Atlantic 10 and now the BIG EAST.
• The last two seasons have seen Xavier capture the four regular season match-ups while Butler defeated the Musketeers in the first round of both the 2021 and 2022 BIG EAST Tournaments (both games went to overtime).
• Thad Matta was the head coach at Xavier for the 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons, immediately following his 2000-01 season leading the Butler program. Butler assistant coach Mike Pegues spent six seasons as an assistant at Xavier to Chris Mack (2012-18).
 
Series: Xavier Leads, 45-25
Streak: Butler, W1
At Hinkle: Butler Leads, 17-16
First Meeting: XU, 28-26; 1/16/37
Last Meeting: BU, 89-82 (OT); 3/9/22
 
• According to KenPom, Butler has played the nation's tenth-toughest schedule so far this season.
• Butler had 19 assists on 23 made field goals in the Bulldogs' win over St. John's Tuesday.
• Jayden Taylor has led the Bulldogs with 19 points in each of the team's last two games.
• Over his last two games, Simas Lukosius is averaging 13.0 points, 6.0 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game.
• Tuesday's win over St. John's included overcoming a seven-point halftime deficit. It's the first time this season that Butler won when trailing at the half and the Bulldogs' first win of the season when the opponent registered a better field goal percentage than Butler. Butler is 11-0 this season when leading at halftime.
• After committing 22 turnovers in the Jan. 10 loss at St. John's, Butler only had 11 turnovers against the Red Storm in Tuesday's win.
• Butler has been without junior guard Chuck Harris for the last two games after he sustained a concussion in the Jan. 28 game against Seton Hall.
• Butler is committing only 12.9 fouls per game, which is third nationally.
• Butler is 11-0 this season when scoring 70 or more points.
• Butler is 9-4 at Hinkle Fieldhouse so far this season.
• Lukosius is 32-for-67 (48 percent) from three-point range in Butler's 13 home games.
• Butler has shot 40 percent or better from behind the arc 11 times this season.
• Butler has 10 games so far this season shooting 50 percent or better from the field; seven of those have come at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
• Ali Ali had a season-best eight rebounds Tuesday night against St. John's; it was one shy of his career-high.
• Lukosius, Harris, Manny Bates and Taylor have each led the Bulldogs in scoring in at least five games this season (includes ties).
• Butler has only allowed a combined nine offensive rebounds over the last two games. Those two opponents have combined to miss 56 shots from the field in those games.
• Butler held (then) No. 14 Marquette to only 60 points Saturday, which was the Golden Eagles' second-lowest output of the season; Marquette entered the game averaging 82.2 points per game, which was 14th nationally.
• Bates has 42 blocks this season, which already places him in seventh on Butler's single-season list.
• The 15 points scored by Bates Tuesday against St. John's were the most by the 6-11 center since scoring 15 at Georgetown New Year's Day (he did miss three games during that stretch).
• Butler is 11-2 this season when Eric Hunter Jr. scores in double figures.
• Lukosius is sixth in the BIG EAST in three-point shooting at 41.2 percent on the season.
• Lukosius has hit 29 of his 35 free throw attempts in BIG EAST play and his 82.9 percentage in conference action is sixth in the league.
• In BIG EAST games, Butler is committing only 11.5 turnovers per game, which is third among league schools.
• Among active coaches with at least 10 seasons of NCAA Division I experience, Matta's .730 winning percentage ranks fourth (Few, Self, Calipari). The Jan. 13 win over Villanova was Win No. 450 for Matta. Matta is 22-5 at Hinkle Fieldhouse as the head coach at Butler (2000-01 and 2021-22 seasons).