Butler Bulldogs (8-3) vs. Northwestern (7-4)
Saturday, Dec. 20 • 4PM
Indy Classic
Gainbridge Fieldhouse; Indianapolis
 
Follow Along
TV/Stream: Peacock & NBC Sports Network • Noah Eagle, Robbie Hummel & Cayleigh Griffin
Radio/Audio: Fuego 92.7FM, SiriusXM 386, Sirius XM App, Butler Sports App & ButlerSports.com • @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)
 
Banter for your Short Drive downtown to Gainbridge Fieldhouse
• The Bulldogs are 12-8 all-time in games played at Gainbridge (formerly known as both Conseco and Bankers Life Fieldhouse).
• The Bulldogs defeated Northwestern last season in the semifinals of the 2024 Arizona Tip-Off in Tempe. Butler won, 71-69.
• Of Butler's current roster, only Finley Bizjack played in last season's contest against Northwestern. Four Wildcats on this season's roster saw minutes in that game.
• Butler has won seven straight match-ups against Northwestern. Prior to the 2024 tip, the teams last played in 2016.
• Michael Ajayi enters Saturday's tip with 971 career points in just under 2.5 seasons of Division I basketball.
• Butler dropped a 79-60 decision on the road at No. 5 UConn Tuesday night in the team's most recent outing.
• The 60 points were a season-low for Butler, which also shot a season-worst 29.5 percent from the field.
• Drayton Jones led the Bulldogs in scoring (13) for the first time in his Butler career.
• The Bulldogs went 19-for-24 from the free throw line at UConn Tuesday. The 79.2 percentage marked a season-best.
• On the season, Butler is averaging 28.4 free throw attempts per game, which is 11th nationally.
• UConn became only the second opponent to out-rebound Butler this season. The Bulldogs rank 21st nationally at 42.1 rebounds per game and the team's +7.0 rebounding margin is 52nd in the NCAA.
• The Bulldogs only had six games last season with a rebounding margin of +10 or better but have accomplished the feat six times already this season.
• Butler ranks 17th nationally in offensive rebounding percentage according to KenPom, collecting 39.1 percent of their misses.  
• Butler has committed 10 or fewer turnovers in each of the last four games.
• Butler opened the BIG EAST season Saturday (Dec. 13) with a 113-110 double-overtime win over Providence.
• Michael Ajayi led the Bulldogs with season-highs of 28 points and 15 rebounds in the win over Providence.
• His performance against Providence earned Ajayi BIG EAST Player of the Week honors for the second time this season (also Nov. 24 following the Greenbrier Tip-Off). He is the first Bulldog to win the BIG EAST weekly honor twice in one season since Kamar Baldwin (2019-20).
• Ajayi has eight double-doubles in Butler's 11 games this season. Ajayi began the season with six consecutive double-doubles. The last Bulldog to have five or more consecutive double-doubles was Gordon Hayward (with five between Feb. 11-March 6, 2010).
• Ajayi is fourth nationally, averaging 11.5 rebounds per game.
• Evan Haywood scored a career-high 18 points in the win over Providence. His fourth three-pointer of the game (which tied his career-high) was the game-winner with 35 seconds remaining in the second overtime period. The 18 points were the most by a Bulldog off the bench this season.
• Bizjack is second in the BIG EAST in both scoring (17.7 points per game) and three-point makes (2.64 per game). His 37.7-percent accuracy from three-point range is third in the conference.
• Ajayi ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in scoring at 16.5 points per game.
• Eight different Bulldogs have at least three double-figure scoring games for Butler.
 
Return Performance
• Jalen Jackson will have season-ending left ankle surgery later this month.
• Jackson has announced that he will return to Butler next season.
• In six games for the Bulldogs, he averaged 9.5 points, 3.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game on 51-percent shooting. He last played Nov. 23 in the Greenbrier Tip-Off.
 
Notable About Northwestern
• Northwestern is 7-4 on the season and has lost both of its Big Ten games (at Wisconsin, vs. Ohio State).
• The Wildcats were also at the Greenbrier Tip-Off with Butler. Northwestern lost to Virginia, 83-78, and defeated South Carolina, 79-77.
• Nick Martinelli leads the Wildcats, averaging 21.9 points per game. He, Arrinten Page and Jayden Reid combine for 48.9 points per game.
• The Wildcats are fifth nationally with an assist/turnover ratio of 1.93 and are shooting 50.5 percent from the field (27th in NCAA).
 
The Series: Northwestern leads, 16-12
Streak: Butler, W7
On Neutral Court: Tied, 1-1
First Meeting: 1934-35 Season; NU, 41-36
Last Meeting: Nov. 28, 2024; Butler, 71-69 (at Arizona Tip-Off)
 
Up Next
The Bulldogs close out the non-conference portion of their schedule Monday, hosting NJIT at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
 
Remembering Daryl Mason
• The Bulldogs have added "Rebound 22" to their shooting shirts as a tribute to Butler Hall of Famer Daryl Mason, who passed away in November after a battle with cancer.
• He was a three-time all-conference selection (1971-72, 1972-73 and 1973-74).
• Mason is Butler's leader in rebounds for a career (961 in three seasons), single season (354) and an individual game (26).
 
IMS Checker Out Game Set for Jan. 23
• Butler Athletics and Indianapolis Motor Speedway will collaborate on the third annual IMS Checker Out Game Friday, Jan. 23 when the Bulldog men's basketball team hosts Marquette at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
• Fans are asked to "checker out" Hinkle Fieldhouse by wearing a white or dark shirt based on the section of their tickets.
• A significant INDYCAR and IMS presence will be at Hinkle.
 
Hinkle to Host Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships as part of Final Four Weekend in Indianapolis
• Hinkle Fieldhouse will serve as the host venue for the 37th annual State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships, set for Friday, April 3 at 7 p.m. ET.
• The contest will be broadcast nationally at Noon on Sunday, April 5 on ESPN.
• This marks the fourth time the competition will be staged inside the storied home of the Butler Bulldogs.
 
One for the Record Books
• Butler topped Providence, 113-110, in double-overtime at Hinkle Fieldhouse Dec. 13.
• The game had 30 lead changes and 20 ties.
• It's the second-highest combined point total in a BIG EAST conference game (223). On Feb. 9, 2002, Notre Dame (116) and Georgetown (111) combined for 227 in a four-overtime contest.
• It marked the eighth time overall that two league teams scored 100 in a BIG EAST game and the first since Jan. 9, 2019 (Marquette 106, Creighton 104).
• It's the first Butler game where both teams scored at least 100 points since Evansville defeated the Bulldogs, 136-128, in double-overtime Feb. 9, 1991.
• It's the fifth-most points scored by Butler in a game in program history (the Bulldogs' 112 points in the Nov. 8 win over IU Indy are sixth in program history).