Seton Hall Looks for Payback in Another Critical Matchup at Butler

Published: Saturday, February 14, 2026

by Caitlin Barrar

INDIANAPOLIS, I.N. – The Seton Hall Pirates (17-8, 7-7) are traveling to Indy to face the Butler Bulldogs (13-12, 4-10) Sunday evening in another game that could determine their postseason fate.

The Pirates are looking for payback after their game against Butler just about a month ago where they surprisingly fell 77-66. Junior Finley Bizjack made life hard for Seton Hall on the defensive end, scoring 25 points on 7-11 shooting. The Bulldogs also had three other starters in double-figures.

AJ Staton-McCray led the scoring for the Pirates with 17 points. The team shot just 18% from three and were outscored 15-8 to begin the second half.

In their previous game, Seton Hall snapped a two-game skid with a victory over Providence, 87-80. It was the Budd Clark show as he led the Pirates with a season-high 31 points, eight assists, and five steals.

The first half started very typical of this recent Pirates team as they found themselves down early. Led by Clark, Seton Hall slowly chipped away at the deficit but were met by answers from Providence every time down the floor, especially from beyond the arc where the Friars shot 41%.

They were down only four going into the break and were able to come out with an energy that was reminiscent of the team from early on in the season. Following tough buckets by Tajuan Simpkins and Clark, the Pirates finally took the lead and did not look back.

Clark took over in the final ten minutes and helped the Pirates complete another comeback victory in BIG EAST play.

Seton Hall is coming into Indianapolis facing a Butler team that is on a five-game losing streak. They fell by just ten to No. 6 UConn last Wednesday. They allowed UConn to shoot 50% from the floor and 42% from three-point range. Butler did not shoot too badly themselves, making 42% of their shots and 38% from downtown.

In that contest, the Bulldogs’ efforts were headed by junior Drayton Jones who finished with fifteen points. Normally, their team is led by Bizjack who averages 17.4 points per game, good for third in the BIG EAST. Senior Michael Ajayi leads the BIG EAST in rebounds per game with 11.3.

Butler, which owns the third-best offense in the BIG EAST, has multiple players capable of taking over a game on any given night. The Pirates need to be able to do what they have been the best at this season, defend.

Seton Hall has to force this team to turn the ball over and be able to go down the floor to convert them into points. Driving into the paint and limiting Butler's rebounds will be key to defeating this sneakily difficult Bulldog team. The Pirates need another big game from Clark, and paint dominance from Stephon Payne and Najai Hines.

A win keeps the Pirates tournament hopes alive, while a loss almost surely means the end. They will look to ride the momentum from the Rock into Hinkle Fieldhouse in the biggest road test of the season Sunday night. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. with Jack Pine and Chris Heite on the call.

Caitlin Barrar can be reached at caitlin.barrar@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: sports,