Tipping Off
• The Bulldogs finish off a three-game homestand by hosting No. 17/16 Creighton Saturday afternoon.
• The contest will conclude a five-game stretch for Butler that includes four Top 25 opponents.
• KenPom ranks Butler's schedule so far this season as the nation's 15th-toughest slate.
 
Butler (16-9, 7-7 BIG EAST) vs. #17/16 Creighton (18-7, 9-5)
Saturday, Feb. 17;  12:30PM
Hinkle Fieldhouse; Indianapolis, Ind.
 
TV: FOX - Kevin Kugler & LaPhonso Ellis
Radio: WXNT 1430AM, Varsity Network Radio App, SiriusXM 384, SXM App 974 - @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)
 
First Time Around
• Butler won a 99-98 shootout in Omaha between the two teams Feb. 2. It was the first BIG EAST game since 2011 with both teams scoring 95 or more in regulation.
• The Bulldogs were without Posh Alexander in that match-up due to a foot injury.
• Butler went 13-for-22 from three-point range at Creighton. The 59.1-percent clip was a season-high and Butler's best three-point percentage since a Feb. 25, 2015 win over Marquette (6-for-10).
• Butler committed only five turnovers, matching the team's season-low.
• The Bulldogs overcame a halftime deficit by scoring 54 second-half points at Creighton. That was the highest-scoring half for Butler in a BIG EAST game since Feb. 6, 2018 vs. Xavier.
• Jahmyl Telfort (26) and DJ Davis (22) led the Bulldogs, who were able to win despite four Bluejays scoring 20 or more points.
 
The Series with the Bluejays
• The Bulldogs and Creighton first met in 1933
• Prior to both programs joining the BIG EAST beginning with the 2013-14 season, the teams had not met since 1975.
• Homecourt advantage has been important in the series. Butler's win in Omaha earlier this month snapped the Bluejays' eight-game home winning streak in the series. Butler owns a 9-4 mark in games played at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
 
Series:  Creighton Leads, 17-12
Streak: Butler, W1
At Hinkle: Butler Leads, 9-4
First Meeting: CU, 27-22; 1/30/1933 (at CU)
Last Meeting: BU, 99-98; 2/2/24 (at CU)
 
Of Note
• Butler is 11-3 this season at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
• The Bulldogs are coming off a narrow 78-72 loss to No. 4 Marquette Tuesday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
• Freshman Finley Bizjack led four Bulldogs in double figures with a career-high 19 points; 16 of his total came after halftime. He set new or matched his career-highs in field goals (five), three-pointers (three) and free throws (six).
• Butler shot only 40 percent from the field against Marquette.
• Butler held a 39-34 rebounding advantage over Marquette, making it the first game this season that the Bulldogs lost when winning the glass (now 13-1).
• Butler made 15 of 19 free throw attempts against Marquette. On the season, Butler ranks sixth nationally in free throw shooting at 79.0 percent. Butler has shot 70 percent or better from the line in all but one game.
• Pierre Brooks II scored 15 points against Marquette; he has scored in double figures in all but one game this season.
• Butler was unable to overcome an uncharacteristic 14 turnovers against Marquette. It matched the third-most committed by the Bulldogs this season. Butler has 13 games this season with 10 or fewer turnovers, and the Bulldogs are 11-4 this season when committing fewer turnovers than their opponent.
• DJ Davis made both of his free throw attempts Tuesday against Marquette, raising his season mark to 96.5 percent, which is No. 1 nationally.
• In one of the nation's most entertaining games so far this season, Butler defeated Creighton, 99-98, Feb. 2 in Omaha.
• Showcasing the season-long prowess of the Bulldog offense, Butler has allowed 90 points in four games this season...and has won three of those games.
• Butler has 12 games this season scoring 80 points or more (including seven games of 90 or more).
• The Bulldogs shot 59 percent (13-for-22) from three-point range in the win over Creighton.
• Butler shot 55 percent from the field against Creighton; the Bulldogs are 8-1 when shooting 50 percent or better from the field and a perfect 14-0 when shooting a better percentage than their opponent.
• Davis has pulled down a total of 15 rebounds over the last two games. The eight rebounds against Providence Feb. 10 set a career-high.
• Jahmyl Telfort has dished out a total of 14 assists over his last two games; his eight assists against Providence Feb. 10 matched his career-best.
• Andre Screen matched his season-high with three blocks against Marquette Tuesday night.
• Butler played without Posh Alexander (foot) in the Feb. 2 win at Creighton; Landon Moore got the first start of his Butler career in Alexander's place.
• The Bulldogs commit just 13.8 fouls per game, which ranks tenth nationally. Saturday's opponent Creighton has been whistled for the fewest fouls nationally this season.
 
Where the Dawgs Stack Up
• Posh Alexander leads the BIG EAST and is 16th nationally at 2.29 steals per game.
• Alexander is fifth in the conference and 47th nationally with 5.2 assists per game.
• Alexander's 55 steals are already ninth on Butler's single-season list.
• Pierre Brooks II is third in the BIG EAST in three-point percentage (41.4) and fourth in three-pointers made per game (2.52). His three-point percentage ranks 18th nationally.
• Brooks is 12th in the BIG EAST in scoring at 15.8 points per game.
• Jalen Thomas ranks ninth in the BIG EAST in blocks (1.2 per game) and 13th in rebounding (6.4 per game).
 
The Month of Opportunity
• Butler's February schedule includes eight games, all against teams ranked No. 68 or better in the NCAA NET metric (as of Friday, Feb. 16). Four of those games, including the win at Creighton Feb. 2, are on the road. Life in the BIG EAST...
 
Home, Sweet Hinkle
• Butler is 11-3 at Hinkle Fieldhouse so far this season.
• Thad Matta is 34-10 at Hinkle Fieldhouse as the head coach at Butler (2000-01 and his current stint that began prior to the 2022-23 season).
• Butler has scored at least 80 points in eight of its home games this season (going over the 90-point mark five times).
• Butler is 77-2 over its last 79 non-conference home games, winning 15 straight.
 
Balancing Act
• Four different Bulldogs (Brooks, Alexander, Davis, Telfort) have multiple 20-point scoring performances this season.
• Butler has had multiple players post 20 or more in the same game four times this season.
• Ten different Bulldogs have scored in double figures in at least one game so far this season.
• Butler's balanced attack has seen at least five players score in double figures in the same game seven times this season, including most recently in the Jan. 23 win at Georgetown.
 
Working Overtime
• Butler is 3-1 in overtime games this season, which includes a single-overtime win over Texas Tech Nov. 30 and double-overtime wins over Cal Dec. 9 and Villanova Jan. 27.
• Butler scored on every possession during the overtime period in the Bulldogs' 103-95 win over Texas Tech Nov. 30. Butler went 4-of-6 from the field, but collected offensive rebounds on both misses and scored. The team went 10-for-10 from the free throw line and did not commit a turnover.