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INDIANAPOLIS – The Butler Bulldogs will face the Providence Friars on a national stage this Sunday at Noon. The BIG EAST matchup will air on FS1 with Matt Schumacker and Kim Adams on the call. This contest is also Butler's BIG EAST Road Trip Game. Student, fans, and alumni are encouraged to come early and take part in the pre-game activities.
 
GameDay
Date: Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024
Time: 12:00 PM
Location: Indianapolis, Ind. - Hinkle Fieldhouse
Live Stats: ButlerSports.com – Statbroadcast
Watch: FS1
 
Bulldog Bits
- Karsyn Norman scored a career-high 11 points Wednesday night.
- Norman knocked down three of her four 3-point attempts in Queens.
- BU was +5 at St. John's with Norman on the court. She logged 26 minutes of playing time.
- Strande, Jaynes and Norman were responsible for 35 of Butler's 42 points at St. John's.
- Jaynes led Butler in scoring for the first time this season at St. John's with 13 points.
- Jaynes has scored in double figures for BU in back-to-back games.
- Strande has led Butler in rebounding in seven of the team's last eight games. She had six at STJ.
- Strande ranks eighth in the BIG EAST in rebounding (7.5) and 14th in scoring (14.1).
- Strande is the fourth-best free throw shooter in the conference (80.6%) and ranks seventh in field goal percentage (46.7%).
- Cristen Carter started for the first time in her collegiate career at St. John's.
- Six of Butler's eight wins this season have been played at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
- Jordan Meulemans ranks 17th in the NCAA in 3-point field goal percentage (45.2).
- The Bulldogs rank second in the BIG EAST in made 3-pointers per game (8.2) and third in 3-point percentage (37.8).
 
BIG EAST Standings
UConn 7-0, 15-3
Villanova 5-1, 12-5
St. John's 5-2, 11-8
Creighton 4-2, 13-3
Marquette 4-3, 15-3
Georgetown 3-3, 13-4
Seton Hall 3-4, 11-7
DePaul 2-4, 10-9
Providence 2-4, 8-11
Butler 0-6, 8-9
Xavier 0-6, 1-14
 
Scouting Providence                                                                             
The Friars are 8-11 and 2-4 in BIG EAST action after a tough home loss to Georgetown on Wednesday night (73-71). Kelsey Ransom drove hard past two Providence defenders at the end of the game to lift the Hoyas to victory. The Friars opened conference action on a high note with wins over Seton Hall and DePaul, but have now lost four-straight. First-year head coach Erin Batth saw four of her five starters score in double figures vs. Georgetown. Grace Efosa led the team with 19 and Olivia Olsen went 7-for-9 from the line to add 17. The Bulldogs will have to keep an eye on Brynn Faffell and Marta Morales as well. That duo went 6-for-6 from 3-point land on Wednesday night. Olsen pulled down a game-high nine rebounds in Providence's last game. She leads the BIG EAST with seven double-doubles this season. The standout junior ranks second in the league in rebounds per game, field goal percentage, and free throw attempts. She's also a key piece to the Friar defense coming up with 1.6 blocked shots per game.
 
All-Time Series                                                                                       
The all-time series between Butler and Providence is tied at 11-11. The two programs split the regular season a year ago with each team winning on the road. The Friars had won the previous five meetings before Butler's road win.
 
Last Meeting vs. Providence                                                               
The Bulldogs recorded a BIG EAST road win at Providence on Feb. 11, 2023 by defeating the Friars 63-62. BU dug in defensively and got a stop on the final possession of the game to find the win column. Butler limited Providence to just four made field goals in the fourth quarter. They outscored the Friars 15-11 over the final 10 minutes. Jordan Meulemans came off the bench to hit three 3-pointers helping her score 13 points. Providence had three players in double figures including Grace Efosa and Brynn Farrell.
 
Strength Against Strength                                                                   
Butler is one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the conference and Providence happens to defend the 3-point line better than any other program in the BIG EAST. Opponents are only making 27.5 percent of their 3-point attempts against the Friars this year, however Georgetown made nine of their 20 shots from long range on Wednesday.
 
BIG EAST Road Trip                                                                                              
The BIG EAST announced a 13-stop mobile tour to expand gameday celebrations for its member school fanbases. The first women's basketball game of the road trip stops in Indianapolis as the Butler Bulldogs host the Providence Friars at 12 PM on FS1. Developed and executed in partnership with Playfly Sports, the 'BIG EAST Road Trip,' will include pre-game pop-ups complete with entertainment and activities, mascot appearances, and a chance to take photos alongside the BIG EAST championship trophy. All activities within the BIG EAST Road Trip footprint will be open to students, alumni, and fans. For more details visit https://www.bigeast.com/roadtrip.
 
Last BU Win on FS1                                                                                              
It's been five years since the Bulldogs won a nationally televised game on FS1. Back on Jan. 20, 2019, the Bulldogs traveled to Omaha and handed Creighton a 75-43 loss. Butler has lost their last two games on FS1. They hosted Creighton on Jan. 14 in 2023 and Marquette on Jan. 24 in 2021. BU had great success when playing on FS2. They went 4-1 on FS2 from 2018-20 with wins over Marquette, Villanova (2x) and St. John's.
 
Find A Rhythm                                                                                       
The Bulldogs have not scored more than 55 points over their last five games. The team will try to get in sync against a Providence team on Sunday that only averages 57 points per game. Getting off to a fast start will help Butler. The 'Dawgs are 7-1 this season when leading at the half and 1-8 when trailing after 20 minutes.
 
Grab the Board                                                                                      
Caroline Strande is the top rebounding guard in the BIG EAST Conference. She has led Butler in rebounding 12 times (17 games) this season and five times over the team's first six BIG EAST games. Butler will need all of the Bulldogs to block out on Sunday as Providence ranks second in the BIG EAST in rebounds per game and rebound margin.
 
300 3-Pointers                                                                                        
Rachel Kent only needs two more 3-pointers to reach 300 in her collegiate career. The graduate transfer made 78 as a true freshman at St. Louis and hit 70 in her first season at IUPUI after transferring before the start of the 2021-22 campaign. Kent is a 40 percent career 3-point shooter and she ranks second on the team this year with 40 makes from behind the arc.
 
2 for 20                                                                                                    
Jordan Meulemans and Caroline Strande became the first Bulldog teammates to score 20 points or more in the same game since Feb. 28, 2020. Meulemans scored a team-high 23 points against Chicago State on Dec. 10 and Strande scored a career-high 22 points. The last Bulldog duo to score 20 each in the same game prior to this season was Kristen Spolyar and Kat Strong. Spolyar had 28 at St. John's and Strong posted 21.
 
Tied a Team Record                                                                                             
Jordan Meulemans made eight 3-pointers in the win over St. Thomas to match the single-game high in the BIG EAST this season. She ended the contest going 8-for-10 from behind the arc to score a career-high 24 points. Meulemans was just one 3-pointer shy of tying the single-game BU individual record and the 'Dawgs tied their team record with 16 made 3-pointers in the victory.
 
Up Next                                                                                                                  
Butler will play a pair of road games next week with trips lined up to Cincinnati and Milwaukee. The Bulldogs will play at Xavier on Wednesday night at 7 PM. Saturday's game against Marquette will begin at 3 PM Eastern / 2 Central. Each game will stream on FloHoops.com.