EL DORADO, Kan. – Fifth ranked Butler men's basketball's first taste of competition in 2025 is the 23rd ranked Coffeyville Red Ravens on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. in the Power Plant.
The game will be streamed live at ButlerGrizzlies.com/WatchLive or on the BCTV+ mobile app that can be downloaded on the App Store or Google Play Store. Live stats can be accessed on the schedule page of ButlerGrizzlies.com.
Butler is 12-1 overall this season including 7-0 in conference play under first year head coach Eric Nitsche. They began conference play on Nov. 23rd vs. Pratt after suffering their lone loss of the season just three days prior in the home opener to NOC-Tonkawa. Following that the Grizzlies have ripped off seven consecutive wins opening conference play and most recently defeated the Independence Pirates 95-91 on the road in the final game of the fall semester. They are one game behind Cowley (13-1, 8-0) in the KJCCC standings. The last time the Grizzlies were off to a 7-0 or better start in conference play was the 2014-15 squad under Mike Bargen who got out to an 8-0 start and finished the season 29-4 overall, 14-2 in Jayhawk play and advanced to the NJCAA Tournament in Hutchinson.
The Grizzlies (12-1, 7-0 KJCCC) are ranked fifth nationally, the highest since the 2014-15 season when the Grizzlies checked in at No. 4 throughout the month of January. Butler is 3-0 this season vs. other top-25 schools with wins over Indian Hills (No. 9), NEO A&M (No. 8) and Barton (No. 17).
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— Butler Grizzlies (@ButlerGrizzlies) January 4, 2025
The Grizzlies host Coffeyville tomorrow at the Power Plant with @ButlerCCWBB tipping off at 2 p.m. and @BucoMBB at 4.
Tickets can be purchased at https://t.co/Sd0BTzh3AA or at the door. Come watch some high level hoops before the snow comes down❄️ pic.twitter.com/091rRt0Zq3
Coffeyville (10-3, 6-1) sits just one game back from the Grizzlies in the league standings. The Red Ravens lost their first league game of the season, 64-63, to first place Cowley at home in the final game of the fall semester on Dec. 14th. The Red Ravens have four players averaging double figures scoring with Justin Taylor (14.6 ppg) and Brian Griffith (14.4 ppg) leading the way. Trenton Ruth ranks third in the league shooting 45.7% from three while Charles Caporaso ranks fourth in the league with a 63.2% field goal percentage.
Butler has eight players averaging 5.0 points per game or more with a balanced offensive attack. Sophomore guard Bubba Leavell leads the way averaging 15.2 points and leading the Jayhawk with 49 made three's on the year. Defensively, freshman forward Emeka Opurum leads the conference with a 73.5% field goal percentage and 2.8 blocks per game. Freshman forward Devin Kerr is pulling down a team-high 6.8 rebounds per game.
Team Comparison
|
Stats |
#5Butler |
#23 Coffeyville |
|
Points Per Game |
82.2 |
82.3 |
|
Field Goal % |
40.8% |
46.4% |
|
3 Point % |
31.8% |
34.2% |
|
3 Pointers Made Per Game |
10.5 |
8.5 |
|
Free Throw % |
69.8% |
70.4% |
|
Free Throws Made/Game |
16.0 |
13.7 |
|
Rebound Margin Per Game |
+4.1 |
+9.2 |
|
Turnovers Per Game |
14.8 |
11.4 |
|
Turnovers Forced Per Game |
15.6 |
15.5 |
|
Opponents Field Goal % |
40.8% |
42.0% |
|
Assists Per Game |
16.4 |
14.5 |
The two teams have played three common opponents in NEO A&M, Colby and Independence. Butler is 3-0 against them while Coffeyville suffered a loss to NEO at home.
Next up for the Grizzlies is Hutchinson who visits the Power Plant on Wednesday, Jan. 8th, for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.
