VNO. 4 UCONN AT BUTLER MEN’S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY

When: Friday, 6:30 p.m.

Where: Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis

Records: UConn 12-2 (2-1 Big East), Butler 10-4 (1-2 Big East)

TV: FS1

Radio: UConn Sports Network, WAVZ-New Haven (1300 AM), WGCH- Greenwich (1490 AM), WATR-Waterbury (1320 AM), WICH-Norwich (1310 AM, 94.5 FM), WILI-Willimantic (1400 AM, 95.3 FM), Fox Sports 97.9 FM Hartford, SiriusXM-983, SXM App 973

KEEP AN EYE ON

Transformers: There’s looking to improve a few positions via the transfer portal, like what the

UConn men’s basketball team does.

Then there’s transforming just about your entire roster, which is what Butler had done. And so far, to surprising success.

In his second season at the Bulldogs’ helm, Thad Matta overhauled the roster of a team that had gone 14-18 overall and 614 in the Big East last season. The results so far have been promising: Butler is 10-4 overall and had won seven straight games, including triumphs over Texas Tech, Penn State and a double-overtime win over California, before dropping its last two Big East games.

The Bulldogs are the highestscoring team in the Big East at 83.15 points per game, just a hair above UConn (83).

Making Butler’s start even more impressive is the fact that Matta didn’t exactly bring in the most vaunted players out of the portal. Rather, the Bulldogs’ new roster is dotted with pickups from Northeastern, Bucknell and UC Irvine, all of whom are key contributors. Not exactly a Murderers’ Row of Power Five programs.

Of course, Butler’s biggest get was Pierre Brooks II, a junior from Michigan State who is the Bulldogs’ leading scorer. The lone key holdover from last season is 6-10 grad center Jalen Thomas.

But there is another newcomer to the Bulldogs’ roster with whom UConn is quite familiar. Posh Alexander, a senior guard, made an in-conference transfer from St. John’s and is providing Butler with his usual pesky defense. Alexander was the Big East’ Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in 2021, and he led the Big East in steals per game in each of his three seasons with the Red Storm.

Cooking at home: Butler is coming off consecutive losses at Providence and St. John’s, the latter from which Matta was hit with a rare ejection. But the Bulldogs return to historic Hinkle Fieldhouse, where they’re 8-0 this season, and a re-energized fan base that will no doubt be worked up to face the defending national champions on Friday night.