The Bulldogs return to Hinkle Fieldhouse for a Saturday afternoon tip with DePaul. DePaul's coaching staff includes two former Butler head coaches in Chris Holtmann and LaVall Jordan. Butler enters the game off an 80-78 overtime loss at No. 19 UConn Tuesday night.
 
Butler (8-11, 1-7 BIG EAST) vs. DePaul (10-10, 1-8)
Saturday, Jan. 25 • 4PM
Hinkle Fieldhouse • Indianapolis, Ind.
 
TV: CBS Sports Network • Chris Lewis & Chris Walker
Audio: Varsity Network App, SiriusXM 161 or 201, XM App 963 & TuneIn • @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)
 
• The most recent class for the Butler Athletics Hall of Fame will be inducted Saturday and then recognized during halftime of the men's basketball game; A.J. Graves (2004-08), who ranks seventh in program history with 1,807 career points, is a member of this year's induction class.
• Jahmyl Telfort led Butler with 25 points in Tuesday's loss at UConn. He went 11-for-23 from the field. It marked his seventh 20-point game of the season and the 29th of his career.
• For the second consecutive game, Butler attempted 28 free throws Tuesday night at UConn. The Bulldogs connected on 19 of them (67.9 percent), which is below the team's season average of 74 percent. Butler's average of 17.5 made free throws per game ranks 25th nationally. The Bulldogs attempt 23.8 free throws per game, which is 27th nationally.
• The Bulldogs committed 10 turnovers against UConn; Butler has single-digit turnover outputs in seven of the last 10 games. Butler opened the season with only one single-digit turnover game among the team's first nine outings.
• Finley Bizjack returned to the starting line-up against UConn, replacing the injured Kolby King (concussion protocol). Bizjack responded with a season-high 17 points in a career-high 37 minutes. He has reached double figures in two of the team's most recent three games after a stretch of 10 consecutive games with single-digit scoring.
• Both of Butler's losses to UConn this season have included strong comebacks from the Bulldogs. In the first game (Dec. 21), UConn led by 16 in the first half before Butler fought back to tie the game. In Tuesday's game, UConn led by 15 in the first half before Butler eventually held both a second-half and overtime lead.
• Andre Screen registered 13 points and nine rebounds Tuesday against UConn; in the two games against the Huskies this season, Screen averaged 15 points and 9.5 rebounds.
• Butler's bench accounted for 24 points in Tuesday against UConn. Over the team's most recent three games, the Butler bench is averaging 25 points per game; that includes a 24-4 advantage in the Jan. 11 game against Creighton.
• Butler is committing only 14.7 fouls per game, which is the 33rd-fewest nationally.
• Pierre Brooks II paced Butler with 19 points in the Jan. 15 win over Seton Hall; it was his seventh time this season leading the team in scoring.
• Telfort leads Butler in scoring, assists and steals; he ranks fourth on the team in rebounding.
• Despite the recent success taking care of the ball, Butler ranks 343rd nationally in turnover margin (-3.6 per game) as the team generates only 3.6 steals per game (353rd nationally) and forces opponents into only 7.7 per game (which is 352nd nationally).
• Four different Bulldogs have recorded a double-double this season (Brooks, McCaffery, Telfort twice, Andre Screen); four of the team's five double-doubles have come against BIG EAST opponents.
• Butler's first eight opponents in BIG EAST play have combined for a 42-24 (.636) conference record thus far; Butler's remaining 12 conference opponents currently have a combined BIG EAST mark of 48-54 (.471).
• The Bulldogs defeated Northwestern and No. 25 Mississippi State in taking the Arizona Tip-Off title over Thanksgiving.
 
The Series with the Blue Demons
• The series between the Bulldogs and DePaul dates back to 1939.
• Butler has won nine straight match-ups with DePaul, and 20 of the last 21 in the series.
• Butler is 10-3 all-time at Hinkle Fieldhouse against DePaul, including winning the most recent 10 match-ups in Indianapolis.
 
Series:  Butler Leads, 21-7
Streak: Butler, W9
At Hinkle: Butler Leads, 10-3
First Meeting: 1939; Butler, 39-29 (at DePaul)
Last Meeting: March 2, 2024; Butler, 82-63 (at DePaul)
 
Dishing on DePaul
• The Blue Demons are 10-10 on the season and 1-8 in BIG EAST play.
• DePaul is a fan of the three-point shot, ranking 22nd nationally in makes per game (10.3), 29th in attempts per game (28.2), while shooting 36.6 percent from behind the arc.
• Jacob Meyer leads the Blue Demons in scoring at 13.0 points per game.
 
Tough Slate
• KenPom ranks Butler's schedule as the 18th most difficult nationally (as of Jan. 23).
• The Bulldogs' 2024-25 schedule includes nine games against teams ranked in the Top 20 of this week's AP poll (Jan. 20). Butler has already played seven of the nine games against those current Top 20 teams.