Butler will welcome Indiana State to Hinkle Fieldhouse for an exhibition contest as a prelude to the 2025-26 season. The Bulldogs and Sycamores will tip Wednesday, Oct. 29.
 
It will mark the second of Butler's two exhibitions, joining the previously-announced Oct. 17 tip against Notre Dame at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
 
Butler's Thad Matta and Indiana State's Matthew Graves are two of the four Bulldog alums currently leading NCAA Division I programs (joining Baylor's Scott Drew and Miami Ohio's Travis Steele). Graves finished his Butler playing career with 994 points. He led the Bulldogs to NCAA Tournament appearances in each of his last two seasons (1997 and 1998). His coaching career at Butler began in 2001 under Todd Lickliter, and he later served on the staff of Brad Stevens. Graves closed his coaching stint at Butler with eight straight 20-win seasons, including back-to-back NCAA national championship game appearances in 2010 and 2011.
 
The series between Butler and Indiana State dates back to 1904. The teams most recently played Dec. 7, 2016. Indiana State is Butler's most-played opponent in terms of regular season match-ups as the teams have played nearly 130 contests.

Butler's 2025-26 non-conference schedule continues to come together. The Bulldogs will play in the Greenbrier Tip-Off (Nov. 21 and 23) and the Indy Classic (Dec. 20 vs. Northwestern at Gainbridge Fieldhouse). Butler will travel to SMU for a Nov. 15 tip in Dallas that concludes a home-and-home series that began at Hinkle Fieldhouse last season.
 
The Hinkle Fieldhouse portion of the non-conference schedule also includes dates against Southern Indiana (Nov. 5), IU Indy (Nov. 8), Chicago State (Nov. 11), and Eastern Michigan (Dec. 2), in addition to the exhibitions against Notre Dame and Indiana State.
 
Additional games on Butler's non-conference schedule will be announced soon.
 
Butler enters the 2025-26 season off an appearance in the inaugural College Basketball Crown. Coach Thad Matta's Bulldogs have added five impact transfers in Michael Ajayi (Gonzaga), Yame Butler (Drexel), Jalen Jackson (Purdue Fort Wayne), Drayton Jones (South Carolina State), and Yohan Traore (SMU). That group joins returners Finley Bizjack, who averaged 10.3 points per game for the Bulldogs last season; Jamie Kaiser Jr., who missed the entire 2024-25 season with an ankle injury; and Evan Haywood, who started both College Basketball Crown games. Butler also welcomes a Top 25 recruiting class.
 
Season tickets for the upcoming 2025-26 basketball season are on sale now. The Bulldogs will once again host all 10 BIG EAST rivals at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Fans can email tickets@butler.edu or call the ticket office at 317-940-3647 for more information on securing season tickets.