The Bulldogs return to Hinkle Fieldhouse for a two-game homestand, beginning with a Tuesday night tip against DePaul.
 
Butler Bulldogs (11-7, 2-5 BIG EAST) vs. DePaul (11-7, 3-4)
Tuesday, Jan. 20 • 7:30PM
Hinkle Fieldhouse; Indianapolis, Ind.
 
Follow Along
TV/Stream: truTV • Spero Dedes, Greg Anthony & Andy Katz
Radio/Audio: 93.5 & 107.5FM The Fan, Butler Sports App, SiriusXM 390, Sirius XM App, TuneIn Radio App & ButlerSports.com • @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner
(@n_gardner)
 
Pregame Notes of Note
• Butler has won 11 straight match-ups against the Blue Demons.
• DePaul head coach Chris Holtmann (2014-17) and assistant coach LaVall Jordan (2017-22) both previously served as the head coach at Butler.
• Thad Matta was the head coach at Butler during Jordan's 2000-01 senior season.
• Butler enters the contest off a 77-66 road win at No. 25 Seton Hall Saturday.
• The 77 points scored by Butler are the second-highest total allowed by Seton Hall this season. The Pirates entered the game ranked sixth in the country, allowing an average of only 63.1 points per game.
• Butler committed only eight turnovers Saturday at Seton Hall, matching the low for a Seton Hall opponent this season.
• The Pirates entered the game forcing 15.2 turnovers per game and ranked 13th nationally, creating 9.9 steals per game.
• Butler went 33-for-41 (81 percent) from the free throw line in Saturday's win at Seton Hall. The 33 makes were a season-best for the Bulldogs.
• Over the last nine games, Butler is shooting 78.1 percent at the free throw line. The Bulldogs opened the season by shooting only 65.6 percent at the line over the first nine games, shooting 70 percent or better only twice in that stretch.
• On the season, the Bulldogs average 26.1 free throw attempts per game, a mark that is 22nd nationally.
• Over the last nine games, Finley Bizjack is 35-for-37 (95 percent) and Drayton Jones is 30-for-33 (91 percent) from the free throw line.
• Bizjack scored a game-high 25 points in Saturday's win at Seton Hall. It was his sixth 20-point game of the season. Bizjack is third in the BIG EAST in scoring at 16.6 points per game and ranks fourth in the conference with 2.4 made three-pointers per game.
• Freshman Azavier Robinson scored a career-high 14 points in the win over Seton Hall, one game after being limited to only four minutes due to illness at Xavier.
• Michael Ajayi led the Bulldogs in rebounding for the 18th time in 18 games with eight boards at Seton Hall. The eight rebounds tied a season-low for Ajayi. 
• Ajayi ranks second nationally in both rebounding (11.8 per game) and double-doubles (13); he has 32 double-doubles in 85 collegiate games.
• Butler has out-rebounded 14 of its 18 opponents this season, but has been on the wrong side of the rebounding battle in each of the last two games. The Bulldogs average 40.2 rebounds per game (35th nationally) and have a +5.6 rebounding margin (58th nationally); both marks lead the BIG EAST.
• Butler ranks 38th nationally in offensive rebounding percentage according to KenPom, collecting 36.6 percent of their misses.
• Butler has out-rebounded their opponent by at least 10 in seven games this season (after having only six games of +10 or greater rebounding margin all of last season).
• In addition to leading the league in rebounding, Ajayi ranks fourth in the BIG EAST at 16.3 points per game. He is also among the conference Top 15 in field goal percentage (third), minutes played (fifth), blocked shots (ninth), and assists (14th).
• Thad Matta enters Tuesday's game with 497 career wins as a head coach.
• Ten different Bulldogs have scored at least 13 points in at least one game this season.
 
Dishing on DePaul
• The Blue Demons have won three of their last four games.
• CJ Gunn leads DePaul at 14.5 points per game. He scored 31 points in Friday's home win over Marquette, earning him BIG EAST Player of the Week honors.
 
Battles with the Blue Demons
• The series between the Bulldogs and DePaul dates back to 1939. All but six games between the two teams have come since Butler joined the BIG EAST prior to the 2013-14 season.
• Butler has won 11 straight match-ups with DePaul, and 22 of the last 23 in the series.
 
The Series: Butler leads, 23-7
Streak: Butler, W11
At Hinkle: Butler leads, 11-3
First Meeting: 1939; Butler, 39-29 (at DePaul)
Last Meeting: Feb. 22, 2025; Butler, 84-72 (at DePaul)
 
Up Next
The Bulldogs continue a two-game homestand at Hinkle, hosting Marquette Friday. The game serves as Butler's now annual collaboration with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Butler's Checker Out Game.
 
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.