Bulldogs (2-0) vs. Chicago State (0-2)
Tuesday, Nov. 11 • 7PM
Hinkle Fieldhouse • Indianapolis, Ind.
 
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The Series: Tied, 1-1
Streak: Chicago State, W1
At Hinkle: Butler leads, 1-0
First Meeting: Jan. 25, 1986; Butler won, 78-74
Last Meeting: Feb. 22, 1986; Chicago State won, 70-68
 
Impress Your Friends with these Fun Facts
• Butler ranks sixth nationally in rebounding margin (+24.0). The Bulldogs held a 59-32 rebounding advantage over IU Indy Saturday after opening the season with a 56-35 rebounding edge over Southern Indiana. The Bulldogs only had six games last season with a rebounding margin of +10 or better.
• At 27.5 fast-break points per game, the Bulldogs rank 12th in the nation.
• Butler is averaging 36.0 free throw attempts per game, a number that is tenth in the NCAA.
• The Bulldogs are averaging 100.0 points per game on the young season. Through the first week of NCAA games, that ranks 27th nationally.
• Butler's scoring margin of +31.0 points per game is 37th nationally. The Bulldogs have posted back-to-back 30-point wins. Butler opened the 2023-24 season with three consecutive wins of 30+ points.
• Michael Ajayi is the first Bulldog to have back-to-back double-doubles since Manny Bates in November of 2022. Like Bates, the two double-doubles also came in Ajayi's first two games in a Butler uniform. Ajayi had nine rebounds in the first half of the season opener against USI and had nine rebounds in the first half of Saturday's game against IU Indy.
• Ajayi is sixth nationally, averaging 13.0 rebounds per game.
• Butler had 64 points in the paint and had a 30-8 advantage in second-chance points in Saturday's win over IU Indy.
• Butler's 112 points Saturday against IU Indy are the most by the Bulldogs since scoring 144 in a win over The Citadel Nov. 14, 2015.
• Five Bulldogs reached double figures in Saturday's win over IU Indy; ten Bulldogs scored seven or more points in the contest.
• Butler's 61 points in the second half of Saturday's win against IU Indy is the first 60-point half for the Bulldogs since Nov. 6, 2023 against Eastern Michigan.
• Butler had 11 blocks in the win over IU Indy, the most by the Bulldogs since they also had 11 in a Nov. 19, 2022 win over The Citadel. The Bulldogs are averaging 7.5 blocks per game through the opening week of the season, which is 16th nationally.
• Three Bulldogs have scored double figures in each of the team's first two games -- Ajayi, Jalen Jackson and Yohan Traore. Traore has come off the bench to score a total of 26 points in 30 minutes through two games.
• Jamie Kaiser Jr. registered the first double-double of his career with 12 points and a career-best 10 rebounds vs. USI.
• Ajayi and Kaiser are the first Butler duo to post double-doubles in the same game since Aaron Thompson and Bryce Nze accomplished the feat Feb. 9, 2021 against St. John's.
• Ajayi ranks 21st nationally with 21 free throw attempts. His total has come in only two games while a majority of the nation's leaders have played in three contests.
• Three Butler freshmen -- Azavier "Stink" Robinson, Jack McCaffery and Jackson Keith -- combined for 29 points and 15 rebounds Saturday vs. IU Indy. Robinson reached double figures for the first time in his career with 13 points.
• Jackson handed out six assists against USI, one shy of his career-high.
• Butler limited USI to 29-percent shooting Wednesday night; the Bulldogs last held an opponent to less than 30-percent shooting Nov. 22, 2024 (against Merrimack).
• Butler opened Wednesday's win over USI by scoring the first 17 points of the contest.
• Butler is 84-5 in their last 89 home games against non-conference teams.
• Thad Matta is 26-4 at Hinkle Fieldhouse against non-conference opponents as Butler's head coach (which includes the 2000-01 season and since his return in 2022).
 
Comments on the Cougars
• Chicago State has opened the season with road losses at DePaul and Saint Louis.
• Stephen Byard and Marcus Tankersley led the Cougars, averaging 15.5 points per game apiece.
• Landon Bussie is in his first season as head coach at Chicago State; prior to arriving in the Windy City, Bussie was the head coach at Alcorn State from 2020-25.
 
Up Next
After opening the season with five games (including two exhibitions) at Hinkle Fieldhouse, the Bulldogs take to the road for the next three games. The Bulldogs travel to Dallas for a true road game at SMU Saturday, which concludes the home-and-home series that began in Indianapolis last season. The Bulldogs will play South Carolina and Virginia in the Greenbrier Tip-Off Nov. 21 and 23, respectively before returning to Hinkle for a Nov. 28 tip against Wright State.