Those big, bad Butler Bulldogs have already taken a bite out of two in-state teams, and they'll try to make it three-for-three in the state of Indiana Saturday when they come to Evansville's Roberts Stadium. Game time is 7:05 CST between the 2-0 Bulldogs and 0-1 University of Evansville Purple Aces.
#25 BUTLER
Butler is ranked number 25 nationally in the Associated Press poll. The Bulldogs are two-for-two under new coach Brad Stevens after winning 61-45 at Ball State last weekend and 76-48 over Indiana State at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Wednesday. Butler is led by senior guards A.J. Graves, an All-America candidate, and Mike Green. They combined for 30 points per game last season in leading the Bulldogs to a 29-7 record and Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
EVANSVILLE’S SECOND OLDEST RIVAL
Saturday’s game at Roberts Stadium will be the 113th in the Evansville-Butler series, which Evansville leads 60-52. However, the Bulldogs have won four in a row and eight of the last nine. Butler’s four-game winning streak over Evansville includes a 101-65 romp at Hinkle Fieldhouse in 2001-02, a 77-64 win at Roberts Stadium in 2002-03, a 65-64 win at Hinkle Fieldhouse in 2003-04, and a 76-65 win at Hinkle Fieldhouse last season when the series resumed. Indiana State is the only opponent that Evansville has played more often--145 times.
MARTY SIMMONS VS. THE BULLDOGS
New Evansville head coach Marty Simmons put together a 13-7 record against Butler back in his playing and assistant coaching days at UE. As a player, he was 3-1 against the Bulldogs, splitting the two games in 1986-87 and sweeping the Bulldogs in 1987-88. In his 11 years as assistant coach, from 1990-91 through 1995-96 and 1997-98 through 2001-02, Evansville was 10-6 against Butler.
MORE ABOUT MARTY
Evansville’s head coach led the Aces to two rounds of the NIT as a senior in 1987-88, when he was the nation’s sixth leading scorer with a 25.9 average. He was a UE assistant coach under Jim Crews for 11 seasons, three of which were NCAA Tournament years (1992, 1993, 1999) and one was an NIT year (1994). He spent the past five seasons as head coach at Southern?Illinois-Edwardsville, and led the Cougars to the NCAA Division II Tournament in 2005 and 2006. He was the Great Lakes Valley Conference Coach of the Year in 2005.
NO SENIORS ON THE COURT
Evansville’s lone senior is forward Victor Gomez. He led the team in points (14) and rebounds (10) in the Nov. 3 exhibition game victory over Oakland City, but suffered a fractured bone in his right foot three days later. He’ll be out until around January 1.
THE CENTRAL INDIANA TRIO
Evansville has three players who grew up in or near Butler University’s location of Indianapolis. That includes both co-captains, junior guard Jason Holsinger of Lapel and junior guard/forward Shy Ely of Indianapolis, along with sophomore guard Darin Granger of Indianapolis. Holsinger is a graduate of Lapel High School, Ely went to school at Speedway, and Granger went to Lawrence Central.
19 FOR HOLSINGER
Jason Holsinger scored a game-high 19 points in Sunday’s 50-49 season opening loss to Samford. Although he’s only a junior, Holsinger is already more than halfway toward breaking the Aces’ career three-point field goal record of 250, set by Marcus Wilson in 1999. Holsinger now has 158. He has 742 points in his career going into the Butler game.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE DEBUT
Newcomer Nate Garner produced a double-double in his Evansville debut. The 6-5 junior forward scored 10 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in Sunday’s one-point loss to Samford.
ROOKIE REBOUNDS
Redshirt freshman center Pieter van Tongeren grabbed 13 rebounds in Sunday’s regular season debut. Those were the most rebounds by an Evansville player since Ian Hanavan grabbed 14 against Bradley in 2002-03.
