Who’s Playing
Butler Bulldogs @ Houston Cougars
Current Records: Butler 7-1, Houston 4-3
How To Watch
- When: Saturday, December 7, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Fertitta Center — Houston, Texas
- TV: ESPN2
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
What to Know
After three games on the road, Houston is heading back home. They will welcome the Butler Bulldogs at 5:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Fertitta Center. The Cougars are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 78.9 points per game this season.
Houston fought the good fight in their overtime matchup against San Diego State on Saturday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Aztecs by a score of 73-70.
Houston’s loss shouldn’t obscure the performances of Emanuel Sharp, who scored 23 points, and L.J. Cryer, who scored 21 points.
Meanwhile, Butler entered their tilt with Eastern Illinois on Tuesday with five consecutive wins but they’ll enter their next game with six. They took down the Panthers 73-58.
Butler relied on the efforts of Jahmyl Telfort, who went 5 for 6 en route to 20 points plus six rebounds, and Patrick McCaffery, who scored 20 points along with seven rebounds. Telfort’s evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least 22.4 points.
Houston’s defeat dropped their record down to 4-3. As for Butler, they pushed their record up to 7-1 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home.
Saturday’s game is shaping up to be a scrappy contest: Houston hasn’t given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 8.9 turnovers per game. It’s a different story for Butler, though, as they’ve been averaging 14.2. Given Houston’s sizable advantage in that area, Butler will need to find a way to close that gap.
Houston strolled past Butler when the teams last played back in November of 2021 by a score of 70-52. Does Houston have another victory up their sleeve, or will Butler turn the tables on them? We’ll have the answer soon enough.
Series History
Houston won the only game these two teams have played in the last 3 years.
- Nov 22, 2021 – Houston 70 vs. Butler 52
