GAME NOTES: The Xavier Musketeers will try to continue their dominance over the Butler Bulldogs as the two square off at Hinkle Fieldhouse for Big East Conference action on Saturday.

Xavier is 33-17 versus the Bulldogs after winning 12 of the last 15 meetings, including five of the last six. The Musketeers swept the season series in 2013-14.

The Musketeers improved to 2-1 in conference play on Wednesday with a 69-58 victory over Seton Hall at the Cintas Center. Xavier is off to a great start with 11 wins in 15 outings, but only two of the decisions came outside of Cincinnati. Coach Chris Mack's squad is pacing the Big East in scoring offense (79.2 ppg), assists (17.3 apg), rebounding margin (+5.9 rpg), field goal percentage (.498) and 3-point field goal percentage (.382).

Xavier's terrific offensive abilities were on display versus the Pirates in the second half, as it connected on 52.2 percent of its shots from the floor and all 10 of its free-throw attempts after the break to pull away. Dee Davis did a great job of quarterbacking the Musketeers' offense en route to team- high of 14 points and six assists. Trevon Bluiett added 13 points and seven rebounds, while Matt Stainbrook contributed eight points and nine boards. Xavier's success on the offensive end is a product of a collective effort. Bluiett (13.1 ppg) and Stainbrook (11.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg) are carrying double- digit scoring averages, and five other Musketeers are netting more than six ppg. Defensively, Xavier is ranked second to last in the league with an allowance of 66.2 ppg.

The Bulldogs are leading the Big East in scoring defense, holding their opponents to just 58.2 ppg on 41 percent efficiency from the floor. Butler returned home on Tuesday to host Providence and managed to build a seven-point lead by halftime. However, the Friars dominated the second stanza to defeat the Bulldogs, 66-62. The loss was the first of the season at Hinkle Fieldhouse for coach Chris Holtmann's team, which trails the visitors in the Big East standings with a 1-2 ledger.

The Bulldogs' stingy defense was quite enough to overcome their offensive woes versus Providence. Butler hit on just 33.9 percent of its shots from the floor, including a 6-of-19 clip from beyond the arc. Kellen Dunham led the way with 18 points on 6-of-16 shooting from the field, while Alex Barlow and Roosevelt Jones chimed in with 13 points apiece. Kameron Woods registered his fourth double-double of the campaign with 11 points and the same number of boards. Dunham, who is ranked seventh in the conference in scoring at 16.4 ppg, has led the Bulldogs in points in seven of the past 11 games. Jones is one of just two players in the Big East that ranks in the top 20 in scoring (11.3 ppg), rebounding (5.9 rpg) and assists (3.9 apg). Barlow is second in the conference with 2.6 steals per game.

The gap in talent between these teams from a season ago has narrowed considerably. The Bulldogs are more than capable of taking down Xavier, especially with the homecourt advantage in their favor. The Musketeers will need to figure out a way to contain Dunham to prevail.