The No. 8 seed Bulldogs will meet No. 9 seed Providence in Wednesday's first round of the 2026 BIG EAST Tournament. The winner of the match-up will advance to play top-seeded St. John's in the quarterfinals Thursday. Butler and Providence split two regular season match-ups this season with each going to double-overtime and the home team victorious.
 
Butler Bulldogs (16-15, No. 8 Seed) vs. Providence (14-17, No. 9 Seed)
Wednesday, March 11 • 4PM
Madison Square Garden; New York, N.Y.
BIG EAST Tournament First Round
 
Follow Along
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Late-Night Reading Material from the City that Never Sleeps
• In the two games against Providence this season, Finley Bizjack averaged 28.0 points per game and Michael Ajayi scored 24.5 points per game and pulled down 13.5 rebounds per contest.
• This is the fifth BIG EAST Tournament meeting between Butler and Providence; the Friars hold a 3-1 advantage. Butler's postseason win came last season, a 75-69 first-round victory.
• Ajayi was named to the All-BIG EAST first team; Ajayi is the fifth Bulldog to earn All-BIG EAST first team honors since Butler joined the conference prior to the 2013-14 season.
• Bizjack earned All-BIG EAST third-team honors.
• Ajayi ranks fifth nationally in rebounding (11.1 per game) and sixth in double-doubles (18). Ajayi has led Butler in rebounding in 30 of the team's 31 games this season.
• Ajayi's 345 rebounds currently rank second on Butler's single-season list; Daryl Mason holds the record at 354 (1972-73).
• In addition to leading the league in rebounding, Ajayi ranks fifth in the BIG EAST at 16.3 points per game. He is also among the conference Top 15 in minutes played (third), field goal percentage (sixth),  blocked shots (eighth), and assists (13th).
• Bizjack went over 1,000 career points with a team-high 19 points in Saturday's win at DePaul.
• Bizjack is the BIG EAST's third-leading scorer at 17.1 points per game. He is second in the BIG EAST in free throw shooting (85.7 percent) and leads the conference in minutes played.
• Bizjack has scored 20 or more points in seven of Butler's BIG EAST games this season, including tying his career-high with 30 points Feb. 4 at Providence. Bizjack has 11 20-point games this season.
• Butler went to the free throw line 30 times Saturday at DePaul, making 25. The Bulldogs average 25.4 free throw attempts per game, which ranks 18th nationally. Butler has attempted more free throws than their opponents in 26 of the 31 games this season.
• The Bulldogs held a 48-36 rebounding advantage Saturday at DePaul, the 21st time (in 31 games) that Butler out-rebounded its opponent.
• Butler has 16 games scoring 80 or more points this season; eight of those games have come in BIG EAST play and Butler is 6-2 in those games (with the only losses at Creighton Dec. 30 and at Providence Feb. 4).
• Efeosa Oliogu-Elabor registered career-highs of 15 points and four steals, while tying his career-best with seven rebounds, in Saturday's win over DePaul.
• Yohan Traore has been the top bench scorer for the Bulldogs in seven consecutive games, averaging 12.6 points per game over that stretch.
• Jamie Kaiser Jr. scored 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting Saturday at DePaul, his second-best shooting accuracy in a game this season.
• Jackson Keith has played double-digit minutes in seven of Butler's last eight games (and 11 times total this season).
• Butler's 93-89 win at Georgetown Feb. 18 was Thad Matta's 500th win as a head coach.
 
Mr. 500
• In his 21st season as a head coach, Thad Matta earned his 500th career win Feb. 18 at Georgetown.
• Matta is the 81st head coach all-time (and just the 18th active) to register 500 career men's NCAA Division I wins.
• Matta's 486 wins entering the season are tied for seventh-most among coaches in their first 20 seasons as a head coach.
• Among active head coaches, Matta entered the 2025-26 season ranked 11th in winning percentage (.701) and 23rd in wins (486).
 
BIG EAST Legend
• Each BIG EAST member schools selected a former prominent coach or player from both their women's and men's programs to be honored at the BIG EAST Tournaments.
• The late Joel Cornette, a member of the Butler Athletics Hall of Fame who graduated in 2003, is Butler's male honoree.
• His family will be present for Wednesday's first round game and recognized at MSG.
• Cornette led Butler to three NCAA Tournament appearances and one trip to the NIT during his collegiate career. He was recognized as the Co-MVP of the 2002-03 team that finished 27-6, won the Horizon League regular season championship and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Cornette scored more than 1,000 points during his BU career while also leading the team in rebounds for three consecutive seasons and in blocked shots in four straight seasons. His efforts landed him on the Horizon League All-Defensive Team in three of his four years at BU. Cornette was the Co-Recipient of Butler's Most Outstanding Male Athlete Award in 2002-03 and was also chosen to Butler's 15-player Team of the Sesquicentennial in 2005-06. Cornette passed away in 2016.
 
Findings on the Friars
• Jaylin Sellers earned All-BIG EAST second team honors while both Stefan Vaaks (15.2 points per game) and Jamier Jones (12.2 points per game) were named to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team.
• PC scores 85.5 points per game, which is 19th nationally; however, the Friars allow 84.1 points per game, which is 355th.
• Sellers leads the BIG EAST in scoring at 18.1 points per game; Oswin Erhunmwunse leads the BIG EAST in blocks (2.2 per game) and is third in rebounding (8.6 per game).
 
One for the Record Books
• Butler topped Providence, 113-110, in double-overtime at Hinkle Fieldhouse Dec. 13.
• Michael Ajayi (28) and Finley Bizjack (26) became the first Bulldog duo to each score 25 points in the same game since Jahmyl Telfort and DJ Davis against Texas Tech Nov. 30, 2023.
• The game had 30 lead changes and 20 ties.
• It's the second-highest combined point total in a BIG EAST conference game (223). On Feb. 9, 2002, Notre Dame (116) and Georgetown (111) combined for 227 in a four-overtime contest.
• It marked the eighth time overall that two league teams scored 100 in a BIG EAST game and the first since Jan. 9, 2019 (Marquette 106, Creighton 104).
• It's the first Butler game where both teams scored at least 100 points since Evansville defeated the Bulldogs, 136-128, in double-overtime Feb. 9, 1991.
• It's the fifth-most points scored by Butler in a game in program history (the Bulldogs' 112 points in the Nov. 8 win over IU Indy are sixth in program history).
 
Round 2
• For the second time this season, it took 50 minutes for a game between Butler and Providence to be decided; the Feb. 4 contest went to the host Friars by a score of 97-87.
• Butler's Finley Bizjack matched his career-high with 30 points but Jaylin Sellers scored 36 for the Friars.
• The game had 50 fouls and 73 free throws.
• The second overtime session belonged to the Friars, who scored the first 10 points to take their largest lead of the game and put the contest out of reach.
 
Previously with Providence
• All 30 match-ups between Butler and PC have come since the 2013-14 season when the Bulldogs joined the BIG EAST.
• The four BIG EAST Tournament games include a 2025 Butler win and victories by the Friars in 2016, 2019 and 2022.
 
The Series: Providence leads, 21-9
Streak: Providence, W1
Neutral Court: Providence leads, 3-1
First Meeting: Jan. 21, 2014; Providence, 65-56 (at PC)
Last Meeting: Feb. 4, 2026; Providence, 97-87/2OT (at PC)