Kelan Martin drives past a defender in the Butler vs. Xavier game on Jan. 2. Butler is 12-4 overall and 2-1 in the Big East. Photo by Jimmy Lafakis.
After defeating No. 1 Villanova in an upset days earlier, Butler‘s hopes of defeating two top-ranked teams in consecutive games fell through with the 86-79 loss against No. 5 Xavier. With the win, Butler’s Big East record drops to 2-1, and 12-4 overall.
Under siege by a quick 15 points from Xavier’s J.P. Macura, Butler nonetheless managed to keep the game close, 44-36 through the first half.