Butler and Wisconsin will go head-to-head at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Wednesday night. The Badgers are 8-2 overall and the Bulldogs are 9-2. The 7 p.m. tip on FloSports.com will be Butler's last midweek non-conference matchup of the season.
 
GameDay
Date: Wednesday, December 11, 2024
Time: 7:00 PM EST
Location: Indianapolis, Ind. - Hinkle Fieldhouse
Live Stats: ButlerSports.com
Watch: FloSports.com
 
Bulldog Bits
- At 9-2, this is Butler's best start to a season since 2018-19 when BU posted a 10-1 record.
- Butler is the first BIG EAST school to reach nine wins this season.
- Butler outscored Ohio 21-9 in the fourth quarter to secure a nine-point win.
- Kilyn McGuff recorded her fifth double-double of the year at Ohio with 18 points and 15 rebounds.
- McGuff leads the BIG EAST and ranks 12th in the nation in double-doubles (5).
- McGuff leads the team and ranks second in the conference in rebounds per game (7.9).
- McGuff has led Butler in rebounding in eight-straight games.
- McGuff needs two more 3-pointers to reach 100 in her career and Caroline Strande is three shy of 100.
- Strande ranks third among all BIG EAST players in made 3-pointers (22), she averages two per game.
- Ari Wiggins has been great from 3-point range this year making 77% of her attempts (7-9).
- Wiggins hasn't missed a 3-pointer since Nov. 20.
- Butler leads the BIG EAST in bench points per game (26.7).
- Cristen Carter ranks third in the league in blocked shots (15) and is sixth in blocks per game (1.3).
- Carter tied her career-high rebound total at Ohio (10) and added a career-high three steals in the win.
- The Bulldogs lead the league in free throw attempts (21.1) and free throws made (14.8) per game.
- Butler has attempted 20 or more free throws in five-straight games and eight times overall.
- The Bulldogs are 3-0 this year when playing on a Wednesday.
- Karsyn Norman has 16 points over her last two games; she had 10 total over her first nine.
- On the men's side, Butler and Wisconsin will meet on Dec. 14 as part of the Indy Classic.
 
BIG EAST Standings
Creighton 1-0, 7-2
UConn 0-0, 8-0
St. John's 0-0, 8-1
Butler 0-0, 9-2
Marquette 0-0, 6-2
Seton Hall 0-0, 6-2
Georgetown 0-0, 6-3
Villanova 0-0, 5-4
Providence 0-0, 6-5
DePaul 0-0, 3-7
Xavier 0-1, 4-5
 
Scouting Wisconsin                                                                          
The Badgers recorded a Big Ten win on Sunday afternoon, defeating Rutgers 66-64 at the Kohl Center. The victory moves their overall record to 8-2. Serah Williams led Wisconsin with 20 points and 13 rebounds. She was one of three Badgers to score in double figures along with Carter McCray and Tess Myers. Wisconsin outscored Rutgers 26-16 in the third quarter to take a 53-42 lead into the fourth, but the Scarlet Knights climbed back in the action with a 22-point fourth quarter. A late foul was the difference with Wisconsin earning a trip to the line with less than a second on the game clock. Natalie Leuzinger made the game-winner to keep Wisconsin undefeated at home (6-0).
 
All-Time Series                                                                                                   
Wisconsin leads Butler in the all-time series 3-2. These two programs met for the first time in Coconut Grove, Florida as participants in the Sonesta Thanksgiving Classic (2003-04). The Badgers won that contest 61-46 and would move to 2-0 in the all-time series with a 68-48 win over Butler in the 2011 WNIT. Wisconsin's third win was a 60-55 result at the Kohl Center during the 2016-17 season. The Bulldogs have won the last two matchups. Their first win came at Hinkle Fieldhouse (69-62) in 2017-18. Their second was recorded just one year ago at the Kohl Center (59-51).
 
Last Meeting vs. Wisconsin                                                            
Butler won a close game at the Kohl Center last year 59-51. The 'Dawgs led by four at the half and would outscore the Badgers by two points in each quarter during the second half. Serah Williams was a force for Wisconsin. She had 24 points and 14 rebounds in 37 minutes of action. Butler got 25 points from Rachel Kent and 17 from Caroline Strande.
 
History Has Been Made                                                                                  
The Bulldogs won six games during the month of November for the first time in program history. Head Coach Austin Parkinson guided BU to four November wins in his first season with the program and five in 2023-24. BU also won five games during the opening month of the season in 2018-19 and 2019-20.
 
NET Rankings                                                                                       
NET rankings were updated this week and the Bulldogs were listed at 82nd. UConn leads the league (2) and were one of eight BIG EAST schools to appear in the top 100. Georgetown (80), Seton Hall (81) and Butler (82) are grouped just behind Marquette (71).
 
Fourth Quarter Fireworks                                                                
Butler is averaging 18 points per game during fourth quarters this season. They outscored Ohio 21-9 and UT Martin 21-11 in the fourth quarter last week.
 
A Look at Last Week                                                                                         
Butler was +11 in rebound margin last week and made more free throws (33) than their opponent attempted (19). A balanced scoring attack featured six players averaging eight points or more. Kilyn McGuff led the way, averaging 14 points per game.
 
Indy 500                                                                                                                
Kilyn McGuff came to Indianapolis to reach 500 career rebounds. She had a career-high 15 rebounds in her last game, becoming the first Bulldog to grab 15 or more in a contest since Feb. 17, 2019. That day, Tori Schickel supplied BU with 19 rebounds in a game against Providence.
 
Makalusky Making Shots                                                                               
Riley Makalusky has scored in double figures six times over her last seven games. She had 11 in the win over UT Martin and posted 10 most recently at Ohio.
 
BIG EAST Play Begins Dec. 21                                                         
Butler only has two non-conference games left on the 2024-25 schedule. BIG EAST play starts Saturday, Dec. 21 when Butler travels to Chicago to play DePaul at 3 p.m.
 
Schedule Swap                                                                                                  
Three of Butler's first four BIG EAST games this year will be played on the road, but after their FS1 game at Marquette on Jan. 4, the Bulldogs will host four of their next five opponents at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The only road game during that stretch is a short drive over to Cincinnati to play Xavier.
 
Home Sweet Hinkle                                                                                         
The Bulldogs are undefeated at home with a 5-0 record. Wins have come against Chicago State, Indiana, Indiana State and UMass Lowell, and UT Martin. All five victories were double-digit wins.
 
1,000 Point Watch List                                                                                     
Three Bulldogs are closing in on 1,000 career points this year. Caroline Strande is the closest at 927. The graduate guard scored 484 points for BU last year just missing the program's top ten list for most points scored in a single-season. Belmont transfer Kilyn McGuff has 844 career points and Sydney Jaynes is up to 760 points.
 
Cheers To 50                                                                                                       
The Butler women's basketball program is celebrating 50 years of Bulldog basketball in 2024-25. Over the previous 49 years, BU has recorded 689 wins under the direction of nine head coaches. The program record for most wins in a single-season was set in 1980-81 when the Bulldogs went 26-2 under the leadership of Linda Mason. Butler's only NCAA Tournament appearance came in 1995-96 when BU posted a 21-9 overall record.
 
Up Next                                                                                                                 
Butler will close out their non-conference slate on Sunday with a home game against Saint Francis. The game will start at 1 p.m. and stream on FloSports.com.