Butler and Xavier will go head-to-head on Wednesday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The 7 p.m. tip is the last home midweek game of the regular season for the Bulldogs.
 
GameDay
Date: Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Location: Indianapolis, Ind. - Hinkle Fieldhouse
Live Stats: ButlerSports.com (Statbroadcast)
Watch: FloHoops.com
 
Bulldog Bits
- The first-ever meeting between Butler and Xavier was played inside Hinkle Fieldhouse on Feb. 12, 1983.
- The Bulldogs won that game 71-64.
- Wednesday night's game will be the 56th meeting between the two programs.
- The only other BIG EAST program to play BU more than 30 times is Marquette (33 meetings).
- Lily Carmody was inactive at St. John's. There is no timetable for her return.
- Karsyn Norman started in Carmody's absence.
- Norman started the first 25 games of the year, but was a reserve vs. Marquette and Georgetown.
- Kilyn McGuff led Butler in the St. John's game with 12 points, six rebounds, and three steals.
- Sydney Jaynes joined her in double figures with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting.
- Lily Zeinstra was the top rebounder on the team at Madison Square Garden, grabbing seven.
- A different Bulldog has led the team in rebounding over the last three games.
- McGuff has made 19 3-pointers over her last five games, shooting 54 percent during that stretch.
- Three more 3-pointers vs. Xavier will push Butler's season total to 200.
- No Bulldog scored in double figures against Xavier in the first meeting.
- Xavier outscored Butler 18-9 in the first quarter during their January matchup.
- Butler only scored 18 points in the paint at the Cintas Center.
- Lily Carmody set career-high totals at Xavier with five steals and seven rebounds.
- Lily Zeinstra came up with a career-high three steals against the Musketeers.
 
BIG EAST Standings
UConn 14-0, 24-3
Creighton 13-1, 21-4
Seton Hall 10-4, 18-7
Marquette 9-5, 17-8
Villanova 9-5, 15-11
DePaul 7-8, 12-16
St. John's 4-10, 14-11
Georgetown 4-10, 11-14
Butler 4-11, 14-14
Providence 4-11, 11-17
Xavier 1-14, 6-20
 
Scouting Xavier                                                                                                  
The Musketeers have lost eight-straight and are now 6-20 on the year. Their only conference win this season came at home against Butler. They held the Bulldogs to 49 points on a Saturday in January to notch a one-point win. Xavier most recently took a 57-42 loss to Villanova at the Cintas Center. Meri Kanerva and Tae'lor Purvis each scored 15 points to supply Xavier with 30 of their 42 total. That duo shot 4-for-4 from 3-point range while the rest of the team was just 1-for-11. Purvis is also known for her defense. She ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in steals per game (2.1). On the inside, Christie Loren ranks third in the league in blocked shots per game (1.4).
 
All-Time Series                                                                                                   
Butler leads the all-time series against Xavier 33-22. The Bulldogs had won four-straight before taking a tough one-point loss at the Cintas Center earlier this season. They swept the Musketeers last year with a 90-57 win in Cincinnati followed by an 84-46 victory at Hinkle Fieldhouse. BU also swept Xavier in 2022-23, winning by 14 on the road and by 17 at home.
 
Last Game vs. The Musketeers                                                                     
Butler held a 49-48 lead in the final 59 seconds of the game until a layup from Loren Christie gave Xavier a one-point advantage with six seconds left. Butler had two scoring opportunities in the final seconds, but the Musketeers held on for the 50-49 win. The victory snapped Xavier's 47-game losing streak in BIG EAST regular-season play. Meri Kanerva scored a game-high 16 points, 12 of which came in the first quarter. Kanerva added four assists, three rebounds and two steals. Christie finished with 10 points, four rebounds, one block and one steal. Butler's Kilyn McGuff had seven points and a team-best nine rebounds while Lily Carmody scored six points and pulled down seven boards.
 
Race to 60                                                                                                            
Points will be at a premium on Wednesday night when Butler hosts Xavier. The Bulldogs average 63.5 points per game, but that number drops to just 56 points in conference action. The Musketeers are similar scoring 50 per game over the season, but just 45 against conference foes. BU is 8-2 this year when holding their opponent to 60 points or less. They are 3-11 when they are held under 60.
 
Total Team Effort                                                                                               
Butler and Xavier rank second and third in the conference in bench points per game. Butler's bench averages 22 points per game and the Musketeers get 19.2 from their reserves.
 
BIG EAST Leaders                                                                                              
Butler leads the BIG EAST in free throw attempts per game (17.0). Kilyn McGuff attacks the rim more than any other Bulldogs. She is the ninth-best free throw shooter in the conference, making 76.8 percent of her attempts. McGuff has attempted 99 free throws this year, that's 25 more than Lily Carmody who ranks second on the team in attempts with 74.
 
Tournament Talk                                                                                                
The upcoming BIG EAST Women's Basketball Tournament will be played at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Tournament coverage begins with a first-round tripleheader on Friday, March 7. The title game will be played on Monday, March 10. If the season ended today, Butler would play as the No. 9 seed against No. 8 seed Georgetown, a team that they swept during the regular season.
 
McGuff Makes an Impact                                                                               
Kilyn McGuff leads the BIG EAST and ranks 36th in the NCAA in double-doubles with 10. Half of those have been recorded against conference foes with the most recent coming Feb. 5 vs. Villanova. McGuff is averaging 17 points per game during the month of February, reaching double figures in five-straight games. She also ranks third in the league in rebounds per game (8.1), fifth in made 3-pointers (51), and fifth in minutes played (33.5).
 
Kilyn Reaches 1,000 Career Points                                              
Kilyn McGuff reached 1,000 career points in the second half of Butler's game at #6 UConn. She scored a team-high 17 against the Huskies to move her career total to 1,006. She has scored 351 points as a Bulldog and had 723 over her previous three years at Belmont. McGuff is now 26 points shy of 1,100.
 
600 Club                                                                                                               
Kilyn McGuff grabbed 10 rebounds on Jan. 26 to push her career total over 600. McGuff leads the team with 227 rebounds this season and will need 39 more this season to break into the single-season top ten list in the Butler record book.
 
What's Missing?                                                                                                
Caroline Strande and Jordan Meulemans are both out for the season. Meulemans was sidelined just days before Butler's first game and Strande suffered a season-ending injury on Dec. 29 vs. Seton Hall. Strande was a Second Team All-BIG EAST selection last year and became the first Bulldog in program history to lead the team in points, rebounds and assists during the same season. Meulemans made 61 3-pointers last year, shooting 42 percent from behind the arc.
 
18 3-Pointers                                                                                        
Butler set a single-game program record against Saint Francis by hitting 18 3-pointers. Eight different players made at least one 3-pointer and no Bulldog made more than four. As a team, BU shot 56.3 percent from behind the arc, making 18 of their 32 attempts.
 
10 Wins                                                                                                                 
BU recorded 10 non-conference wins for just the second time since joining the BIG EAST. Butler went 6-2 in November, highlighting the month with a 56-46 home win over Indiana. The victory came in front of a record-setting crowd of 4,135 fans.
 
Up Next                                                                                                                 
Butler's final home game of the 2024-25 regular season will be played on Saturday, Feb. 22 against #5 UConn. The Bulldogs will honor Sydney Jaynes, Caroline Strande, Kilyn McGuff and Ari Wiggins on Senior Day in front of a sold-out crowd!