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INDIANAPOLIS – The first game of the 2023 #BIGEASTwbb Tournament will feature the Butler Bulldogs playing the Georgetown Hoyas. Action at Mohegan Sun Arena will tip at 11 AM on Friday, March 3 as the No. 8 seed Bulldogs try to advance against the No. 9 seed Hoyas. Fans can watch the game live on SNY.
 
GameDay
Date: Friday, March 3
Time: 11:00 AM
Location: Uncasville, Conn. - Mohegan Sun Arena
Live Stats: BIGEAST.com – Statbroadcast
Watch: SNY
 
Bulldog Bits
- Friday will be the 21st overall meeting between Butler and Georgetown.
- This is the first meeting between Butler and Georgetown in the BIG EAST Tournament.
- Butler has won three BIG EAST Tournament games (Xavier 2x - 2016, 2017 and Providence 2018).
- Butler leads the BIG EAST in 3-point field goal percentage (38.0) and Georgetown is last (29.1).
- Anna Mortag leads the BIG EAST in 3-point field goal percentage (44.1).
- Mortag led Butler in scoring for the sixth time this season on Monday night with 16 points at Creighton.
- Mortag has made at least one 3-pointer in seven-straight games.
- Mortag was not active for Butler in the first meeting at Georgetown. She scored eight vs. GU in Indy.
- Shay Frederick ranks fifth and Rachel McLimore ranks seventh in the BIG EAST in 3-point field goal percentage.
- Sydney Jaynes ranks sixth in the BIG EAST in field goal percentage (51.4).
- Jaynes is just three rebounds away from 200 in her BU career.
- Jessica Carrothers recorded a career-high six assists at Georgetown.
- Carrothers pulled down a career-high nine rebounds in the second meeting vs. GU.
- Tenley Dowell is eight rebounds shy of 300 for her BU career.
- Butler is 2-0 this year when playing at a neutral site.
- The Bulldogs are 2-1 this season when playing on Friday and are 4-11 in day games.
- Georgetown has not scored 20 points in a quarter against Butler this year.
- Butler had 20+ turnovers in each game vs. Georgetown this season.
 
BIG EAST Standings
UConn 18-2, 26-5
Villanova 17-3, 26-5
Creighton 15-5, 21-7
St. John's 13-7, 22-7
Marquette 13-7, 20-9
Seton Hall 10-10, 17-13
DePaul 8-12, 15-16
Butler 6-14, 11-18
Georgetown 6-14, 13-16
Providence 4-16, 13-18
Xavier 0-20, 7-22
 
Scouting Georgetown                                                                           
The Hoyas earned the No. 9 seed in the tournament with a 6-14 conference record. They ended the regular season losing six of their final seven games to move their overall record to 13-16. Head Coach James Howard has a defensive-driven group that leads the BIG EAST in turnovers forced per game and ranks second in steals per game. Kelsey Ransom and Kennedy Fauntleroy lead the team in scoring and steals. Ransom, Graceann Bennett and Kristina Moore have started in all 29 games for the Hoyas. Bennett has scored in double figures in five-straight games heading into the tournament, but Fauntleroy was inactive in Georgetown's last game.
 
All-Time Series vs. Georgetown                                                         
Butler leads the all-time series over Georgetown 11-9. The Bulldogs swept the Hoyas this year just as Georgetown swept Butler the previous season. The two programs have split the season series five times. Butler has swept the series three times and Georgetown has swept it two times.
 
Butler's Last Game vs. Georgetown                                                  
Butler scored on their final possession to take a two-point lead and the Bulldogs would end the game with a stop to record a 58-56 win. Rachel McLimore drove past a Hoya defender and scored a layup while being fouled with just 17 seconds left. McLimore scored a game-high 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting. She made three 3-pointers and was perfect from the charity stripe (6-6). Georgetown saw four finish in double figures with Kelsey Ransom leading the way with 12 points.
 
Georgetown's Last Game                                                                                   
The Hoyas ended the regular season with a 61-53 setback at St. John's on Feb. 24. Graceann Bennett led GU in scoring with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting. She was one of three Hoyas to reach double figures. Kristina Moore had 14 against the Red Storm and Jada Claude was in the box score with 13. The game was a defensive battle that featured a 30-22 halftime score. Georgetown shot 36 percent from the floor and struggled from 3-point range (3-15). Jayla Everett and Kadaja Bailey led STJ to victory. That duo combined for 32 points and 12 rebounds.
 
First Year Success                                                                                                 
Austin Parkinson is the third coach in program history to win more than 10 games in his first year with the program. The Bulldogs have won 10 more games this year than last marking the largest jump in wins by a first-year head coach in Butler history.
 
Behind The Arc                                                                                       
Butler leads the BIG EAST and ranks eighth in the NCAA in 3-point field goal percentage (38.0). The Bulldogs average 7.8 made 3-point field goals per game (2nd in the BIG EAST) and have made 10 or more 3-pointers in a single-game seven times this season. BU is 5-2 this season when hitting 10+ 3-pointers. They made a season-high 14 at Xavier and nearly matched that effort with 13 in the win at Georgetown.
 
3-in-1                                                                                                                      
Butler will attempt to defeat Georgetown for the third time this season on Friday afternoon to signal the start of the BIG EAST Tournament. The Bulldogs accomplished this feat in 2018 by beating Providence three times. They won 68-57 at Hinkle Fieldhouse and 69-48 at Alumni Hall. The third meeting however went into overtime with Butler defeating the Friars 73-67 in the first round. That was Butler's last tournament win (March 3, 2018).
 
Tournament Seeding                                                                            
This is Butler's second time playing as the No. 8 seed in the conference tournament. Butler won the 8-9 matchup against Providence in 2018 to reach the quarterfinals. The following year, BU played as the No. 3 seed, but were upset by No. 6 seed Creighton in the quarterfinals. The Bulldogs are 3-2 all-time in the first round. They have never advanced past the quarterfinals.
 
First Time in the First Round                                                               
Only four players on the Butler roster have experience playing in the First Round of the BIG EAST Tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena (Jaynes, White, Dowell, Wingler). Dowell is the only Butler player to have earned playing time in multiple tournament games.
 
Switch Spots                                                                                           
Kendall Wingler scored a career-high 23 points at Georgetown, but scored just one point in the next meeting vs. the Hoyas. On the flip side, Rachel McLimore didn't score a point at Georgetown, but scored 21 points and dished out six assists in the rematch.
 
Keep It Going                                                                                                        
Rachel McLimore needs to make four shots vs. Georgetown to reach 500 career field goals! McLimore has shot 42 percent from the field over her career and heads into the conference tournament with 1,366 points.
 
Follow The Action                                                                                                
For the first time, SNY will air the BIG EAST Tournament First Round. John Fanta and Kim Adams will call the Butler game. The broadcast will be enhanced by the use of ShotTracker.
 
Butler at Creighton Recap                                                                   
Butler ended the regular season with a 74-46 setback at Creighton. The Bulldogs shot just 28 percent from the field and 27 percent from 3-point range. Anna Mortag was the team's leading scorer with 16 points. She added four rebounds and two blocked shots to her stat line. Creighton had four players in double figures and were led in the scoring column by Lauren Jensen. The Bluejays made nine 3-pointers, but were also dominant inside winning the points in the paint battle 32-14.
 
Up Next                                                                                                                 
No. 1 Seed UConn is waiting to play the winner of the Butler vs. Georgetown game. The Huskies beat Georgetown 65-50 in Hartford and 67-59 in D.C. The Bulldogs were also swept, taking an 80-47 loss at Hinkle Fieldhouse and a 79-39 setback in Storrs.