The Bulldogs host Xavier Wednesday night in the team's final home game of the season. Butler has four players who will be honored as part of a pregame Senior Night ceremony: Jahmyl Telfort, Pierre Brooks II, Andre Screen and Patrick McCaffery. Xavier won the first match-up between the teams Feb. 18 at the Cintas Center by a score of 76-63.
 
Butler (13-16, 6-12 BIG EAST) vs. Xavier (19-10, 11-7)
Wednesday, March 5 • 7PM
Hinkle Fieldhouse • Indianapolis, Ind.
 
TV: CBS Sports Network • Andrew Catalon & Steve Lappas
Butler Basketball Live (Audio) with @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner): Varsity Network App, SiriusXM 390, XM App 980 & TuneIn
 
• Butler enters the game off an 80-70 loss at Villanova Saturday afternoon.
• The Bulldogs committed only five turnovers in Saturday's game against Villanova; it marked Butler's 11th single-digit turnover performance of the season and was just off of the team's season-best four turnovers (done twice).
• The Bulldogs went 10-for-28 from three-point range (36 percent) at Villanova; it was the eighth time this season that Butler made 10 or more three-pointers in a game and the first loss when that occurs.
• On the season, Butler is shooting 36.7 percent from three-point range, which is 49th nationally.
• Butler is committing only 14.0 fouls per game, which is the 18th-fewest nationally.
• The Bulldogs shot an impressive 89 percent from the free throw line at Villanova Saturday, but it came on season-lows of eight makes and nine attempts. Butler's season average of 16.0 made free throws is 50th nationally.
• Villanova shot 12-for-28 from behind the arc Saturday against Butler; it was only the fifth time this season that the Bulldogs allowed an opponent to make 10 or more three-pointers.
• On the season, Butler is allowing opponents to shoot only 30.8 percent from three-point range, a defensive effort that is 43rd nationally. 
• Villanova out-rebounded Butler, 36-33, Saturday. The Bulldogs have only been out-rebounded twice in the team's last 12 games (Butler has eight games in that stretch with a rebounding advantage and there are two games where the teams have tied on the glass).
• Butler has led at the half in 11 of the team's 18 BIG EAST games (and was tied in one of the other seven games).
• Butler is 9-0 this season when scoring 80 or more points, including all six of their BIG EAST wins.
• Butler has shot at least 50 percent from the field in each of its six BIG EAST wins.
• Jahmyl Telfort went over 2,000 career points in Wednesday's game against St. John's. Telfort currently ranks 17th in career scoring among active players who have spent their entire collegiate careers at Division I schools. 
• Telfort and Finley Bizjack led the Bulldogs with 16 points apiece in Saturday's game at Villanova.
• For Telfort, it was his 14th game this season leading the Bulldogs in scoring. He has ten 20-point games this season.
• Bizjack is shooting 30-for-61 (49 percent) from three-point range over the last 11 games; he is averaging 14.1 points per game during that stretch, scoring in double figures in nine of the 11 games.
• Pierre Brooks II has eight 20-point games on the season, most recently leading Butler with 24 points in the Feb. 22 win at DePaul.
• Patrick McCaffery has hit multiple three-pointers in 18 games this season.
• Andre Screen is seventh in the BIG EAST in blocks and eighth in rebounding.
• Boden Kapke scored 12 points against St. John's Wednesday night, one shy of his career-high. 
• The Bulldogs defeated Northwestern and No. 25 Mississippi State in taking the Arizona Tip-Off title over Thanksgiving.
 
BIG in the BIG EAST
• In BIG EAST games only, Butler offensively ranks second in points scored (74.8 points per game) and third in field goal percentage (making 46.5 percent of attempts from the field).
• On the defensive end, Butler's three-point percentage defense in BIG EAST games only ranks second in the conference as Bulldog opponents are hitting only 31.3 percent of their attempts from behind the arc.
 
Connection Points
• Thad Matta served as the head coach at Xavier for three seasons (2001-04) following his initial season as the head coach at Butler. Sean Miller was on his Xavier staff and took over the program when Matta left for Ohio State in 2004.
• Matta and Miller were both assistants on the coaching staff at Miami (Ohio) for the 1996-97 season.
• Both Matta and Miller are in their second head coaching stint at their respective school.
• Butler assistant coach Mike Pegues was on Chris Mack's Xavier staff for six seasons (2012-18).
 
First Time Around
• A decisive first-half Xavier run and 20 turnovers by Butler led the host Musketeers to a 76-63 win Feb. 18 at the Cintas Center.
• A 22-2 run turned a 19-19 tie with 12:23 remaining in the first half into a 41-21 Xavier advantage at the 6:25 mark.
• Ryan Conwell and Zach Freemantle led a balanced Musketeer scoring effort with 14 points apiece.
• Jahmyl Telfort led Butler with a game-high 20 points; he made eight of his 11 attempts from the field.
 
Musing on the Musketeers
• Xavier ranks in the Top 10 nationally in a trio of categories: fast break points (15.6 per game; ninth), free throw percentage (79.0; eighth), and three-point percentage (38.7; ninth).
 
The Series with Xavier
• The first meeting between Butler and Xavier came in 1937; of current BIG EAST teams, only Butler's series with Creighton dates back earlier (1933)
• The two programs have been rivals in three different conferences: the Midwestern Collegiate Conference, the Atlantic 10 for a single season in 2012-13, and in the BIG EAST since the 2013-14 campaign when both programs, along with Creighton, joined the league.
 
Series: Xavier Leads, 49-27
Streak: Xavier, W2
At Hinkle: Butler Leads, 19-16
First Meeting: Jan. 16, 1937; Xavier, 28-26 (at XU)
Last Meeting: Feb. 18, 2025; Xavier, 76-63 (at XU)