Rising Butler aims for third straight win when Marquette visits

Field Level Media|published: Thu 22nd January, 19:01 2026

Jan 20, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Butler Bulldogs forward Michael Ajayi (5) reacts after a play against the DePaul Blue Demons during the first half at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Butler hopes to extend its winning ways when it hosts Marquette on Friday night in Indianapolis.

The Bulldogs (12-7, 3-5 Big East) have won two in a row after their 1-5 start in conference play, including a signature win on the road at then-No. 25 Seton Hall followed by an 87-80 win at home over DePaul on Tuesday.

Finley Bizjack led Butler on Tuesday with 24 points while Michael Ajayi had 17 with eight rebounds and five assists. Evan Haywood added 15 off the bench.

"We were getting good shots whenever we didn't turn it over, so once we started taking care of the ball and taking our time, we got what we wanted," Bizjack said.

Bizjack leads Butler this season with 16.9 points per game while Ajayi is right behind him at 16.3 and averages 11.6 rebounds. His 13 double-doubles are second-most in Division I.

Marquette (7-13, 2-7 Big East) comes in off arguably its best win of the season, holding on to beat visiting Providence 105-104 in overtime on Monday. The victory ended the Golden Eagles' three-game losing skid.

It was a career night for freshman point guard Nigel James Jr. as he dropped 38 points (13-for-20 shooting from the floor, 4-for-6 from deep) to lead all scorers, along with eight assists. Four other Golden Eagles scored in double figures as well.

"We've been in that situation a lot of times where we come out of halftime and we're a little dead," James said. "We've been harping on coming out with energy, not getting complacent. We've seen teams make runs and we know we can beat any team and make runs too."

It was his second 30-point outburst in four games, as he dropped 31 on Villanova on Jan. 10. James tallied the most points by a true freshman at Marquette since Markus Howard in 2017.

He is now second on the team in scoring at 15.2 ppg, just behind Chase Ross (15.7).

The all-time series between these midwestern Big East rivals sits 28-25 in favor of Marquette. The Golden Eagles have won six of the last seven matchups, including a season series sweep a year ago. Marquette has won the last three times they've played in Indianapolis.

--Field Level Media

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