UConn secured a win in its Big East home opener on Wednesday and needed another five minutes to knock off Xavier despite a red-hot shooting night from the Musketeers. The Huskies now head to historic Hinkle Fieldhouse to face a Bulldogs team that has lost four straight. Butler dropped its Big East opener to No. 9 Marquette and hasn’t won in nearly three weeks, having lost games to No. 15 Houston, North Dakota State and Wisconsin before Wednesday’s loss to the Golden Eagles.

TV: peacock

Radio: UConn Sports Network

Opportunities: UConn -6.5. over/under 144.5

Location: Hinkle Fieldhouse – Indianapolis, Indiana

Predicted result by KenPom: UConn 77, Butler 73 (KenPom 66% win probability.)

Series story

The Huskies are 9-0 against Butler, including a 53-41 victory over the Bulldogs in the two teams’ first meeting – the 2011 NCAA National Championship.

What you should pay attention to

Contain the Bulldogs’ aggression

Butler loves making contact and getting to the free throw line. Thad Matta’s Bulldogs rank sixth nationally in free throw percentage, and shots from the charity stripe have accounted for over a quarter of the team’s points so far this season (25.6 percent). Butler has size from head to toe, with Finley Bizjack being the team’s shortest starter at 6-foot-3 and 7-foot-1 Andre Screen holding all the punches. These two, along with Jahmyl Telfort and Pierre Brooks (1.80 meters), are excellent at reaching the finish line. As a team, the Bulldogs score more than 76 points from the line, so UConn must be wary of fouls to not only keep its best players on the court as long as possible, but also to slow the Butler offense.

Foul issues weren’t much of a problem against Xavier, with the exception of Liam McNeeley, who picked up four fouls relatively quickly and forced Dan Hurley to play offense/defense with McNeeley and Jayden Ross for a good portion of the second half and overtime. Given the way McNeeley has played since Maui (16 points per game), the freshman will need to stay out of foul trouble and continue to serve as a central cog in the UConn offense.

Stop Jahmyl Telfort

Telfort is the heart and soul of the Bulldogs’ offense and a matchup nightmare for most teams in college basketball, including UConn. Telfort’s mix of strength, speed and size makes him a perennial favorite, and the 1.90 meter tall Canadian can easily score from deep against smaller defenders or eliminate big dribbles.

The fifth-year senior and Second Team Preseason All-Big East candidate is averaging 16.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game this season and has scored 20 or more points in five different games this year. He has also improved his ability to shoot from distance, now shooting 42.3 percent from distance after shooting around 30 percent last season.

Alex Karaban will likely spend most of his time in Telfort, but Jaylin Stewart, Tarris Reed Jr and Samson Johnson could all see time in Telfort. Jayden Ross emerged as a defensive stopper for the Huskies with his work against Gonzaga’s Khalif Battle and his versatility against Xavier – it’s possible he’ll also make a name for himself at Telfort, adding his speed and athleticism to create a unique look care for.

Samson Johnson clarifies the protocol

According to Hurley, senior big man Samson Johnson cleared concussion protocol after suffering a bad fall in the Gonzaga game. Johnson is a game-time decision against Butler, which will be the Huskies’ last game in over 10 days before facing DePaul on the road on New Year’s Day. If Johnson is available, he should be able to help against Screen, a solid center who is proficient in the low post and loves crashing the glass. Before his injury, Johnson looked dominant early against Gonzaga, with four points and two rebounds in the first six minutes after an impressive 12-point game against Texas.

If he’s unavailable, Reed and Youssouf Singare will need to continue playing quality minutes to help the Huskies win the battle for the boards against a sizeable Bulldogs team. Reed made the most of his first start as a Husky in Johnson’s absence, scoring 20 points and adding 13 rebounds and four blocks with just three fouls in 35 minutes. It was Reed’s fifth double-double of the season.