Butler Hosts Chicago State in Tuesday Night Matchup
Butler continues its non-conference schedule Tuesday night as the Bulldogs welcome Chicago State to Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The Bulldogs (2-0) are off to a strong start after defeating IU Indianapolis 112-80 on Saturday, marking their second consecutive win to open the season. The 112 points were Butler’s highest single-game total since 2015, when the team scored 144 against The Citadel.
Jalen Jackson led Butler with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting. All 12 Bulldogs who entered the game scored at least once. Finley Bizjack and Azavier Robinson each added 13 points, while Michael Ajayi contributed 11 points and 14 rebounds.
“We have preached defense from day one this summer … I thought for the most part we did a pretty decent job defensively in the half court,” head coach Thad Matta said after Saturday’s game. “We didn’t guard the ball once they got past half court. We never got squared back up. We gave him some layups on that, but we got to keep building [on that].”
Butler was picked to finish 10th in the Big East Preseason Coaches Poll. Matta retooled his roster with five transfers, highlighted by Ajayi, who arrived from Gonzaga and drew NBA draft attention. Ajayi earned a spot on the Big East weekly honor roll after averaging 24 points and 12 rebounds in the opener against Southern Indiana.
Chicago State (0-2) continues a challenging Midwest stretch to begin its season, following losses to DePaul (92-62) and Saint Louis (108-86). In the loss to Saint Louis, four Cougars scored in double figures, led by Dailliss Cox’s 19 points and eight rebounds. Marcus Tankersley and Stephen Byard each added 15, while Braelon Bush finished with 12.
The Cougars were selected to finish sixth in the NEC preseason coaches poll after a 4-28 campaign last year, which included just one win on the road. “Our peers recognize the strides we’ve made. We’re hungry to prove ourselves and climb even higher,” head coach Landon Bussie said.
This marks the first meeting between Butler and Chicago State since the 1985-86 season, when the programs split two tightly contested games, each decided by four points or fewer.
