Hinkle Fieldhouse hoops are back for the 2025-26 season. Photo courtesy of Butler Athletics.
AIDEN CADDELL | STAFF REPORTER | acaddell@butler.edu
Head coach Thad Matta and the men’s basketball team are ready to tip off the 2025-26 season with an exhibition against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Oct. 17. With a rebuilt roster featuring 11 new players, here are five games to watch this year as the Dawgs chase their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2018.
- Butler vs. No. 5 St. John’s — Jan. 6 at 7 p.m.
This midseason matchup with the Johnnies at Hinkle Fieldhouse is undoubtedly the preseason pick for the biggest game of the year. The Red Storm is led into battle by national championship-winning head coach Rick Pitino, who last year took St. John’s to 31 wins en route to becoming both Big East regular season and tournament champions. This year, they are ranked fifth by the Associated Press in their preseason poll, led by the best incoming transfer class in the country. To win, the Bulldogs are going to have to shoot near perfectly from outside the arc, outscoring a St. John’s team that did show weakness last year with the worst three-point shooting percentage in the Big East. Nonetheless, the Dawgs are out for blood, seeking revenge against the team that knocked them out of the Big East tournament last season.
- Butler vs. No. 4 Connecticut — Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Despite a disappointing end to 2025 for UConn’s championship standards, falling short of a three-peat with a two-point loss to Florida in last year’s dance, the Huskies are still a force to be reckoned with in the Big East. Head coach Dan Hurley’s ninth-ranked incoming class is highlighted by Indiana native and first-year guard Braylon Mullins, who graduated last year from Greenfield Central High School, just 30 miles from Butler’s campus. The Bulldogs look to spoil the reigning Indiana Mr. Basketball’s homecoming with an upset victory that would snap an 11-game losing streak for the first win in program history against Connecticut.
- Butler vs. Xavier — Feb. 21 at 1:30 p.m.
This rivalry matchup will bring the most energy to the court. Late in the season, Butler’s biggest intra-conference rival, the Xavier Musketeers, will travel to Indianapolis. Look for junior guard Finley Bizjack to light it up for the Bulldogs on offense. In his last matchup with Xavier, Bizjack had 19 points while shooting 5-11 from the field. On the other side, Xavier returns zero players from the 2024-25 season, completely flipping their roster through the transfer portal with new head coach Richard Pitino. Under Pitino, the Musketeers may find a quicker offensive philosophy, as Pitino’s previous school in New Mexico was one of the fastest teams in the nation in terms of pace of play last year.
- Butler vs. Providence — Dec. 13 at 2 p.m.
The Dawgs seek to step into Big East play on the right foot against Providence. Last season, the series was split evenly with scores of 84-65 in favor of the Friars and a tight 82-81 matchup that saw Butler defend their home court. A key player to watch out for is graduate guard Jason Edwards, who was third-team all-SEC last year at Vanderbilt, and this year has packed his bags east to Rhode Island to lead Providence. Officially into mid-December, the team will have 11 games under its belt — enough to assess what fans can expect out of the newest edition of Butler basketball.
- Butler at SMU — Nov. 15 at 2 p.m.
In their first official game against a Power Five opponent, the Bulldogs have a date with the Mustangs in Dallas. Last year, SMU lost a November matchup against Butler 81-70 in Hinkle Fieldhouse but bounced back to win 24 games, good enough for fourth in a loaded Atlantic Coast Conference. SMU brings back another talented roster this year, as 2024’s leading scorer guard Boopie Miller — who had 17 points and four assists last year against Butler — comes back for his senior season. This game features two replenished rosters with numerous talented incoming first-years, including new Mustang Jermaine O’Neal Jr, son of the former Indiana Pacers superstar Jermaine O’Neal Sr.
