Indiana Women's Basketball to Face Butler in Final Non-Conference Game of Season

Non-conference season is wrapping up, and the Hoosiers are hoping for the gift of 12-0 as they face Butler at home on Wednesday. Indiana leads the all-time series 8-1, but the Bulldogs are well accustomed to facing ranked opponents like Indiana as they've seen 15 in a 5-year span.

© Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana will round out its non-conference schedule with the in-state Butler Bulldogs on Wednesday, Dec. 21 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

No. 4 Indiana is a perfect 11-0 for the first time in Hoosier head coach Teri Moren's tenure while Butler sits with a 5-6 record coming off of two losses to Illinois and Marquette.

The Bulldogs only lost to the Fighting Illini by two points compared to the Hoosiers who narrowly beat Illinois by four points earlier this season.

"The goal is to finish our non-conference schedule the right way, and to do it the right way would be to win all of them," Moren said. "We got one more before we have a nice Christmas break and return for Big Ten play."

Last time out, the Hoosiers made the short bus ride to Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for their season opener in 2021. Both teams shot over 50 percent from the field, but Indiana's solid three-point shooting would give it the 86-63 advantage over Butler.

Forward Mackenzie Holmes almost reached a double-double with 11 points and eight rebounds in the win. She'll get another shot at it this year as she leads the team averaging 19.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per game closely followed by four other Hoosiers reaching the double-figure scoring mark.

As for Butler, graduate student guard/forward Rachel McLimore leads the way with 11.5 points per game. Junior forward Anna Mortag is crashing the boards with 5.3 per game for the Bulldogs.

Butler is shooting 45.1 percent from the field and 38.6 percent from the three-point line, which ranks 15th in the NCAA. The team averages 7.1 made threes per game for fourth best in the conference.

The Hoosiers are shooting 51.5 percent from the field and also have a solid three-point percentage at 36.7 led by freshman guard Yarden Garzon who shoots 54.2 percent from downtown. 

Indiana leads the all-time series at 8-1 with Butler's sole win by three points coming from inside Hinkle in the 2012 season. However, Butler is no stranger to facing ranked opponents as it has seen 15 in the last five years coming up with three wins. 

Butler has even faced a ranked Indiana team twice before this meeting on Wednesday. To attempt knocking off a No. 4-ranked Indiana, the Bulldogs, like the Hoosiers, are defensively sound and are 5-1 when their opponents shoot under 40 percent and 5-2 when they out-rebound their opponent.

Following the Hoosiers' final non-conference game, Big Ten play will resume with Michigan State on Thursday, Dec. 29 on the road.

How to Watch Butler Vs. Indiana

Who: Butler Bulldogs (5-6) vs. No. 4 Indiana Hoosiers (11-0)(2-0)

When: Wednesday, Dec. 21 2022 — 1 p.m. ET

Where: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall — Bloomington, Ind.

Broadcast: B1G+

Radio: WHCC 105.1 FM

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