The Bulldogs welcome FDU to Hinkle Fieldhouse Wednesday night, just 48 hours after officially opening the 2026-27 regular season and the Ronald Nored Era with an emphatic 96-60 win over Lafayette Monday night. The Bulldogs hit 16 three-pointers on the night as seven players connected at least once from behind the arc. Asim Djulovic led the Bulldogs with 19 points in his official Butler debut; he was one of six Bulldogs to reach double figures.
 
Butler Bulldogs (1-0, 0-0 BIG EAST) vs. FDU Knights (0-1, 0-0 NEC)
Wednesday, Nov. 4 • 7PM
Hinkle Fieldhouse • Indianapolis, Ind.
TV/Stream: ESPN+ • Anthony Mazzini & Joey Brunk
Radio/Audio: Fuego 92.7FM, Butler Sports App, SiriusXM 263, SiriusXM App 973, TuneIn Radio App & ButlerSports.com • @MarkMinner & Nick Gardner (@n_gardner)
 
Not to be 'IG-NORED'
• Djulovic, Jalen Jackson and Jordan Ellerbee were each 4-of-6 from three-point range for the Bulldogs; Monday marked only the fourth time over the last 10 seasons that three Butler players each made four or more three-pointers (joining Nov. 11, 2025 vs. Chicago State, Nov. 19, 2022 vs. The Citadel, and Feb. 16, 2016 vs. Creighton).
• The Bulldogs attempted 44 three-pointers against Lafayette (out of 67 total attempts from the field); of the teams that played Monday night, Butler ranked second nationally with 65.7 percent of their attempts coming from behind the arc.
• Butler assisted on 26 of the team's 32 makes Monday night; the Bulldogs were third in the nation after opening night by assisting on 81.3 percent of their made field goals.
• The Bulldogs made 16 of 17 attempts at the free throw line against Lafayette; the 94.1-percent accuracy is second nationally through Monday's opening-night games.
• Not only did the Bulldogs have six players register double figures Monday night, the team also had five players pull down five or more rebounds.
• The Bulldogs posted a 51-28 rebounding advantage over Lafayette, which included 17 offensive rebounds. Butler's offensive rebounding rate of collecting 50 percent of their own misses was ninth nationally through Monday's games.
• Jackson's 18 points came on 7-for-10 shooting; his four made three-pointers matched his career-high. He added five assists, five rebounds and three steals.
• Eduardo Klafke handed out a game-high eight assists against Lafayette; the output doubled his previous career-high (four) from his two seasons at Ole Miss. Klafke also pulled down seven rebounds.
• Drayton Jones had a game-high eight rebounds and four blocks to go along with his 10 points.
• Butler's defense limited Lafayette to only 4-for-24 shooting from three-point range (16.7 percent).
• FDU enters Wednesday night's contest at Hinkle Fieldhouse off a 120-45 loss at No. 3 Illinois. The three-point line was impactful as the Fighting Illini made a program-best 19 trifectas (on 51 attempts) while FDU shot only 5-for-33 from deep.
• College basketball featured a high-octane and lopsided opening night Monday as Butler's 96 points ranked only 52nd nationally and the team's +36 scoring margin was 55th.
• Butler committed 20 turnovers in Monday's win over Lafayette. The Bulldogs had one game last season with 21 turnovers and did not commit more than 17 in any other game during the 2025-26 campaign.
• The Bulldogs have now won their home opener in 28 consecutive seasons; that dates back to 1998 when Missouri State (then referred to as Southwest Missouri State) won at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
• Butler is 89-6 in their last 95 home games against non-conference teams. 
• Butler's non-conference regular season schedule includes five power conference opponents: on the road at North Carolina and Boise State, on a neutral court against Nebraska and Georgia Tech, and at home against Pittsburgh.
• Butler's regular season schedule currently includes 10 games against teams in the AP Top 25 or receiving votes in the preseason poll.
 
The Series: First Meeting
• Butler is 3-3 all-time against current members of the NEC (formerly known as the Northeast Conference) -- three games against LIU at Madison Square Garden in the 1940s and three match-ups with Chicago State, most recently a 98-66 win at Hinkle Fieldhouse Nov. 11, 2025.
• Butler's strongest tie to FDU's conference -- the NEC -- currently is new women's basketball head coach and Butler alum Maria Marchesano, who led Mount St. Mary's to the NEC title in 2021, earning conference Coach of the Year Award and leading the team to the NCAA Tournament. Marchesano took the Purdue Fort Wayne job the next season and returned to Butler prior to this season.
 
Up Next
The Bulldogs conclude a three-game opening week with their first road game of the regular season, traveling west for a Sunday tip at Boise State.