Moore leads Xavier against Butler after 23-point game

By Canadian Press on January 13, 2026.

Butler Bulldogs (10-6, 1-4 Big East) at Xavier Musketeers (10-7, 2-4 Big East)

Cincinnati; Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Xavier hosts Butler after Malik Moore scored 23 points in Xavier’s 97-84 win against the Providence Friars.

The Musketeers are 8-3 on their home court. Xavier scores 76.8 points and has outscored opponents by 1.1 points per game.

The Bulldogs are 1-4 against Big East opponents. Butler ranks third in the Big East with 24.9 defensive rebounds per game led by Michael Ajayi averaging 8.3.

Xavier scores 76.8 points per game, 1.4 more points than the 75.4 Butler allows. Butler averages 8.4 more points per game (84.1) than Xavier allows to opponents (75.7).

The matchup Wednesday is the first meeting of the season between the two teams in conference play.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jovan Milicevic averages 2.1 made 3-pointers per game for the Musketeers, scoring 10.9 points while shooting 42.9% from beyond the arc. Tre Carroll is shooting 48.9% and averaging 16.0 points over the past 10 games.

Finley Bizjack is averaging 16.3 points for the Bulldogs. Evan Haywood is averaging 2.2 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Musketeers: 6-4, averaging 78.1 points, 34.5 rebounds, 19.6 assists, 6.7 steals and 4.9 blocks per game while shooting 44.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 77.3 points per game.

Bulldogs: 5-5, averaging 80.3 points, 34.1 rebounds, 16.1 assists, 6.5 steals and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 45.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 77.1 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The Associated Press

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