Don't miss out on any of our exclusive football, basketball and recruiting coverage. Get a 60-Day FREE trial to TheHoosier.com with promo code IU60

Indiana is set to close its non-conference slate on Saturday as it takes on Butler in the Crossroads Classic.

Butler has played just two games this season due to COVID outbreaks in the program. The Bulldogs played on Wednesday, a loss to Villanova, after not playing for three weeks.

LaVall Jordan is in his fourth season as the head coach of the Butler Bulldogs but comes into this game a bit shorthanded. The Bulldogs, who play eight normally, saw their star point guard Aaron Thompson go down late in their game against Villanova with a knee injury. It is unclear if he will play. Butler announced he is questionable with a knee sprain.

Thompson, however, is the leading scorer (17.5 ppg) and is a four-year player and someone who has started 94 of his 97 career games. He is a good distributor of the ball offensively and a very good defender on the other end of the floor. If he isn't able to go, it will really hurt Butler's chances.

Jair Bolden is a 6-foot-3 graduate transfer from South Carolina who averaged 8.5 points per game last season. Through two games for Butler, he is averaging 16.5 points per game. He is a career 35 percent three-point shooter and is 6-of-14 from deep this season. He will lead the offensive attack if Thompson can't go.

In the frontcourt, Bryce Nze returns from last season where he led the Big East in field goal percentage (62.9%). He also averaged 9.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. This season, he is averaging very similar numbers, although his percentage is down to just 50 percent no the season.

PG - Aaron Thompson (Sr; 6-2; 195)

Stats: 17.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 5.0 apg

G - Jair Bolden (Sr; 6-3; 210)

Stats: 16.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.5 apg

G - Chuck Harris (Fr; 6-2; 190)

Stats: 9.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg

F - JaKobe Coles (Fr; 6-7; 225)

Stats: 4.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg

F - Bryce Nze (Rs Sr; 6-7; 230)

Stats: 9.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg

Indiana heads into this matchup after a three-point barrage against North Alabama its last time out. Butler, albeit just two games, is allowing its opponents to shoot 46.3 percent from deep. It could be another good outing from the perimeter for the Hoosiers.

If Butler is without Aaron Thompson, it will put a lot of pressure on a pair of freshman guards to split the point guard duties. Indiana's good defensive backcourt should be able to get into them and force some turnovers, allowing IU to get out in transition.

Indiana has the advantage on the glass in this one and should be able to win the rebound margin by a decent amount. Butler averages just five offensive rebounds per game so IU should have no trouble controlling that, something it has struggled with so far this season.

If the game remains close throughout, Indiana will need to improve on its free throw shooting. Just 67.3 percent on the season as a team won't cut it.

Who: Butler (1-1) vs Indiana (4-2)

When: Saturday, Dec. 19 @ 11:30 am ET

Where: Indianapolis, IN

TV: FS1 (Vince Welch and Stephen Bardo)

Radio: IU Radio Network with Don Fischer and Errek Suhr

Game notes: Butler / Indiana

---

QUICK HITTERS

• Indiana leads the all-time record 35-19. The last game came in 2018 in a 71-68 Indiana win on a Rob Phinisee buzzer-beater.

• Indiana is 6-3 in the Crossroads Classic, the best record among the four teams, and 3-0 in Archie Miller's tenure.

• Butler missed nearly a month due to COVID issues within the program. It has played just two games this season.

• Bryce Nze was named to the Preseason All-Big East Second Team.

• The Butler Bulldogs were picked to finish 8th in the Big East.

----

• Talk about it inside The Hoops Forum or The Football Forum

• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes

• Follow us on Twitter: @IndianaRivals

• Like us on Facebook.