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Butler will try to pick up the pace against defensively stout UC Irvine

Butler goes for 50th staight nonleague home win David Woods, david.woods@indystar.com

INDIANAPOLIS – As measured by possessions per game, Butler and UC Irvine are two of the slowest-playing teams in college basketball.

In tempo rankings by kenpom.com, Irvine is 314th and Butler 317th out of 353 NCAA Division I teams. That can be attributed more to how both teams defend than to how they play offense.

So the Bulldogs (8-3) won’t be getting any pre-holiday gift when they face the Anteaters (11-2) on Friday (6:30 p.m., FS1). Butler is 45th in the NCAA rankings system and Irvine 83rd.