Fans Invited to Butler Basketball Open Practice Saturday, Oct. 11

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Fans of Butler Basketball will get their first opportunity to see the teams in action with an open practice at Hinkle Fieldhouse Saturday, Oct. 11.
 
As part of Butler University’s Family Weekend, the open practice will begin at 10:30 a.m. with a scheduled conclusion at approximately 12:15 p.m. Both teams will be on display, featuring blue-white scrimmages as a portion of each practice. Fans will also have the opportunity to interact with student-athletes from both teams after the open practice for autographs and photos.
 
The event is free and open to the public but fans are encouraged to download a ticket to the open practice through the Butler Sports App. Those fans will be eligible for drawings throughout the event for Butler prizes such as tickets and apparel. Parking that morning is available in the Sunset Avenue Parking Garage ($15) or on the Hinkle Fieldhouse lot ($20 due to the football game that afternoon).
 
The busy day on the Butler campus also includes a football game against Presbyterian at 1 p.m., the men’s soccer team hosting Marquette at 2 p.m. at Varsity Field, and a volleyball game against UConn at 5 p.m.
 
The event will also offer the opportunity for fans to see the most recent renovations to Hinkle Fieldhouse with the installation of more than 2,700 square feet of LED video display technology, including a center hung display system, baseline LED ribbons, multiple courtside tables, and other digital signage. The project is scheduled to be completed prior to the Butler volleyball home match Friday, Oct. 10.
 
2025-26 TICKET INFORMATION: Both men’s and women’s season tickets remain on sale, providing the best seating locations still available for the upcoming season. Contact the Butler Ticket Office at tickets@butler.edu or 317-940-DOGS (3647) to place your order. Men’s basketball five-game and/or three-game mini-plans as well as single-tickets are currently available at ButlerSports.com/BuyTickets. Information on women’s basketball single-game tickets will be announced in the coming days.
 
BUTLER MEN’S BASKETBALL: Butler enters the 2025-26 season off an appearance in the inaugural College Basketball Crown. Coach Thad Matta’s Bulldogs have added five impact transfers in Michael Ajayi (Gonzaga), Yame Butler (Drexel), Jalen Jackson (Purdue Fort Wayne), Drayton Jones (South Carolina State), and Yohan Traore (SMU). That group joins returners Finley Bizjack, who averaged 10.3 points per game for the Bulldogs last season; Jamie Kaiser Jr., who missed the entire 2024-25 season with an ankle injury; and Evan Haywood, who started both College Basketball Crown games. Butler also welcomes a Top 25 recruiting class.
 
BUTLER WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: The Bulldogs have earned back-to-back WNIT berths under head coach Austin Parkinson. The 2025-26 roster features three returners, seven transfers and two freshmen. Lily Zeinstra is the top returning scorer for the Bulldogs after averaging 7.6 points and 2.9 rebounds per game as a freshman. Butler’s incoming transfers include 2023-24 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year Kennedy Langham (Samford), ESPN’s No. 60 recruit in the Class of 2024 McKenna Johnson (Minnesota), 2024-25 America East Conference Sixth Player of the Year Caroline Dotsey (Maine), twins Nevaeh Jackson and Saniya Jackson from Valparaiso, Mallory Miller (Arizona State), and Gabby Wilke (South Dakota).