Butler returns to Hinkle Fieldhouse to host Georgetown Saturday afternoon. Georgetown is the only BIG EAST opponent that Butler has yet to play this season. The BIG EAST has partnered with the Black Fives Foundation and Saturday's game will highlight that partnership.
 
Butler Bulldogs (13-8, 4-6 BIG EAST) vs. Georgetown (11-10, 3-7)
Saturday, Jan. 31 • 12PM
Hinkle Fieldhouse; Indianapolis, Ind.
 
Follow Along
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Information That References Neither Butler Blue Nor Georgetown's Jack The Bulldog
• Thad Matta enters Saturday's game with 499 career wins as a head coach.
• Butler is 9-3 at Hinkle Fieldhouse this season, averaging 89.1 points per game. All eight games this season that the Bulldogs have shot 50 percent or better from the field have come at home. Eight of Butler's 10 games this season scoring 85 or more points have come at Hinkle.
• Butler enters the contest off a road loss at No. 25/24 St. John's Wednesday night.
• The Bulldogs committed a season-low six turnovers at St. John's, the fewest by a Butler team since March 8, 2025 at Creighton (one). Butler had a season-worst 21 turnovers in the first match-up with St. John's, a Jan. 6 loss.
• Butler got to the free throw line 30 times Wednesday, but was only able to convert 15 free throws on the night. The Bulldogs average 26.7 free throw attempts per game, which ranks 11th nationally.
• Butler's ability to get to the line coupled with fouling only 15.2 times per game (28th nationally) has allowed the Bulldogs to make more free throws (394) than their opponents have attempted (326) so far this season.
• Michael Ajayi led the Bulldogs with 19 points and 11 rebounds against St. John's, his 14th double-double of the season; he ranks third nationally in both double-doubles and rebounding (11.5 per game).
• Ajayi has led the Bulldogs in rebounding in all 21 games this season; he has 33 double-doubles in 88 collegiate games.
• In addition to leading the league in rebounding, Ajayi ranks fourth in the BIG EAST at 16.5 points per game. He is also among the conference Top 15 in field goal percentage (fourth), minutes played (third), blocked shots (12th), and assists (15th).
• Evan Haywood matched his career-high with four three-pointers at St. John's; it marked his ninth game this season with at least three made three-pointers.
• Finley Bizjack is the current BIG EAST Player of the Week after averaging 26.0 points per game in Butler's wins over DePaul and Marquette last week.
• Bizjack has scored 20 or more points in four of the last six games (and a total of nine times this season). Bizjack is second in the BIG EAST in scoring at 17.2 points per game and ranks fourth in the conference with 2.4 made three-pointers per game.
• In BIG EAST games, Bizjack is 53-for-58 (91.4 percent) at the free throw line. That mark leads the BIG EAST.
• Jamie Kaiser Jr. has scored in double figures in back-to-back games; it's the second time this season that he has produced consecutive games with 10 or more points. 
• Butler has out-rebounded 16 of its 21 opponents this season. The Bulldogs have a +4.4 rebounding margin, which ranks second in the BIG EAST.
• Butler ranks 39th nationally in offensive rebounding percentage according to KenPom, collecting 36.2 percent of their misses.
• Azavier Robinson tied his career-high with four steals against Marquette Jan. 23; he has five games this season with three or more steals.
• Ten different Bulldogs have scored at least 13 points in at least one game this season.
 
Capital Thoughts on Georgetown
• Georgetown has won two straight games, including overcoming a 20-point second-half deficit on the road at Providence.
• KJ Lewis (14.8 points per game) and Malik Mack (13.9) lead the Hoyas in scoring.
• Georgetown commits only 9.8 turnovers per game, a mark that leads the BIG EAST and is 26th nationally.
 
History with the Hoyas
• Twenty-four (24) of the 26 match-ups between the two teams have come as BIG EAST opponents once the Bulldogs joined the conference prior to the 2013-14 season.
• The teams first met in the 2009 Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden and also played at the 2014 Battle 4 Atlantis, as both teams had agreed to be part of the event before Butler joined the BIG EAST.
• Each team has found success on the road as Butler is 8-4 in the nation's capital, while Georgetown is 7-5 at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
 
The Series: Butler leads, 14-12
Streak: Butler, W1
At Hinkle: Georgetown leads, 7-5
First Meeting: Dec. 8, 2009; Georgetown, 72-65 (Jimmy V; MSG)
Last Meeting: Feb. 15, 2025; Butler, 97-86 (at BU)
 
The BIG EAST Honors The Black Fives
• For the fifth consecutive season, the BIG EAST Conference will celebrate Black History month by renewing its partnership with the Black Fives Foundation, a nonprofit public charity whose mission is to inspire excellence by preserving, teaching and honoring the pre-NBA history of African Americans in basketball.
• Black basketball teams, known as Black Fives, were prevalent from 1904 through 1950 when the game, like society, was racially segregated. The men and women of the Black Fives Era opened doors for generations of African American basketball players, coaches, and contributors while staging culturally rich, socially meaningful events that strengthened and inspired Black communities, many of which are situated within the footprint of BIG EAST schools.
 
Up Next
Butler embarks on a week on the road with tips at Providence Wednesday and at Marquette Saturday.