Butler closes out the 2024 portion of the schedule Saturday, welcoming No. 13/11 UConn to Hinkle Fieldhouse. The contest serves as the BIG EAST home opener for the Bulldogs.
 
Butler (7-5, 0-1 BIG EAST) vs. #13/11 Connecticut (9-3, 1-0)
Saturday, Dec. 21 • Noon
Hinkle Fieldhouse • Indianapolis, Ind.
 
TV: Peacock • Noah Reed & Tim Welsh
Audio: Varsity Network App, SiriusXM 383, XM App 973 & TuneIn • @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)
 
• Butler is 6-5 in BIG EAST home openers since joining the conference prior to the 2013-14 season.
• The Bulldogs enter the game off an 80-70 road loss at No. 9 Marquette Wednesday night; the setback extends Butler's current losing skid to four games.
• The Bulldogs are in the midst of a five-game stretch that includes four Top 25 opponents (having played Houston, Wisconsin and Marquette, with Connecticut upcoming).
• In his 124th career game, Jahmyl Telfort posted the second double-double of his collegiate career with 16 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday night's game at Marquette.
• Kolby King also scored 16 points -- all in the second half -- to lead Butler against Marquette. It marked a season-best and the highest output in a Butler uniform for King, who reached double figures for the fourth time this season.
• Butler led Marquette, 35-32, at halftime Wednesday night; it marked the first time this season that Butler lost when leading at the half (previously 7-0).
• The Bulldogs shot 51.1 percent from the field at Marquette; Wednesday night was just the second time that Butler lost when shooting 50 percent or better from the field since Thad Matta returned to lead the Butler program prior to the 2022-23 season (now 23-2).
• Butler made nine of 22 attempts from three-point range at Marquette (41 percent); the Bulldogs rank 21st nationally in three-point percentage, making 39.4 percent of their attempts on the season.
• The Bulldogs went 13-for-15 from the free throw line (87 percent) Wednesday at Marquette, continuing a season of accuracy that has Butler ranked among the Top 50 nationally at 76.2 percent.
• Both the 15 attempts and the 13 makes from the free throw line at Marquette were season-lows for Butler. The Bulldogs rank 21st nationally in free throws made per game (18.7) and 32nd nationally in attempts per game (24.5).
• Marquette held a 38-27 rebounding advantage over Butler Wednesday night, which included 20 offensive rebounds and 28 second-chance points.
• Butler forced Marquette into only two turnovers; the Bulldogs rank 352nd nationally in turnovers forced per game (7.7).
• Butler's defense did limit Marquette to 6-for-30 shooting from three-point range (20 percent); on the season, the Bulldogs are allowing opponents to make only 29 percent of their three-point attempts, which is 39th nationally. 
• Patrick McCaffery's 47.1-percent accuracy from three-point range is 21st nationally. He has hit multiple three-pointers in 10 of the team's 12 games, including five twice.
• Telfort leads the BIG EAST in both free throws made (59) and attempted (73), while his 80.8-percent accuracy is eighth in the conference.
• Andre Screen is seventh in the BIG EAST at 1.4 blocks per game, while his 5.9 rebounds per game rank tenth.
• Butler's Big 3 of Telfort, Brooks and McCaffery have scored 531 of the team's 876 points this season (60.6 percent of the team's output).
• Telfort, McCaffery, and Brooks rank 1-3-6 in the BIG EAST in minutes played per game.
• The Bulldogs defeated Northwestern and No. 25 Mississippi State in taking the Arizona Tip-Off title over Thanksgiving.
 
Update on UConn
• UConn is ranked No. 13 and No. 11, respectively, in this week's national polls.
• The Huskies are 9-3 on the season and are coming off an overtime win at home over Xavier Wednesday night to open their BIG EAST schedule.
• UConn is 9-0 this season in games played in the continental United States as all three of their losses came in the Maui Invitational. In addition to Wednesday's win over Xavier, the Huskies' last two weeks include wins over Baylor, Texas and Gonzaga.
• Alex Karaban is the only returning starter from last season's national championship squad, and he leads UConn at 16.0 points per game.
 
The Series with the Huskies
UConn Leads, 9-0
Streak: UConn, W9
At Hinkle: UConn Leads, 4-0
First Meeting: April 4, 2011; UConn, 53-41 (NCAA Champ. Game)
Last Meeting: Feb. 6, 2024; UConn, 71-62 (at UConn)
 
• The Bulldogs and UConn first met in the 2011 NCAA Championship Game in Houston.
• The other eight match-ups in the series to date have come since UConn returned to the BIG EAST prior to the 2020-21 season.