Hinkle magic once again: Butler upsets Villanova on senior day

 

    Hinkle magic strikes again. Once again the Dawgs take down Villanova. 

    Butler upset the eighth ranked Wildcats on Sunday afternoon at Hinkle Fieldhouse 73-61. Butler has had a down season to say the least but they played their best game of the season in their final home game. This game was another episode of Hinkle magic for the Dawgs. Butler led by as 15 points and never trailed in the second half as they defeated Villanova for the fourth time in the last five seasons at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Butler was led by freshman Chuck Harris who scored a game high 20 points, including 15 in the first half alone. Villanova was led by sophomore Jeremiah Robinson-Earl who had a double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds. Butler's record goes to 9-13 overall and 8-11 in the Big East while Villanova sees it's record go to 15-4 overall and 10-3 in conference play. 

    If you were to ask anybody that the Butler and Villanova game would be decided by 12 points and you had to guess who would win, most everybody would have picked Villanova based on how this season has gone. Villanova came into Hinkle Fieldhouse as an 11 point favorite and had won 15 of their first 18 games. They also defeated Butler back in December by 19 points. However, nothing is ever guaranteed against Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Butler may not have the best team as they have had in years past but never accuse the Bulldogs of quitting. This team will fight and scrap their way through any game. Sunday was another showing of that grit and determination. Villanova has struggled at Hinkle in recent years. Four of the past five games at Hinkle vs Butler have been won by the Bulldogs. Perhaps Villanova will want to play anywhere else but Hinkle Fieldhouse when the NCAA Tournament rolls around in a few weeks. 

    The key reason why Butler was able to pull off the upset over Villanova was simply how you wouldn't expect it to be honest. Three point shooting. Butler has struggled all season with the three point shot. Villanova on the other hand has been one of the best three point shooting teams in the entire country this season.  The Bulldogs knocked down 10 three pointers out of 24 attempts. The Wildcats shot an uncharacteristic 2 out of 27 attempts from beyond the arc. Butler built a ten point halftime lead and never let up in the second half. Freshman Chuck Harris made four three pointers and senior Jair Bolden added three of his own. Butler shot 50 percent from the floor for the game while Villanova shot just 36 percent. Good thing Butler was making their three pointers because Nova was getting inside the paint at will at times. Villanova was much more efficient from the free throw line than Butler. Nova made 11 out of 12 while Butler struggled making only 9 out of 20 free throw attempts.  

    Butler was able to send out their seniors in style on senior day on Sunday at Hinkle. This win could be a momentum builder for next season for the Bulldogs. They have shown flashes this season of potential for the future. Winning against Villanova is a step in the right direction for this team moving forward. There are pieces in place and the young freshman like Harris and Tate have shown promise. The team just needs to get some more time together and have a full offseason and hopefully some more normal circumstances heading into next year. Winning against ranked teams like Nova at home will give confidence to this team for the future in showing that they can compete with the top teams in the Big East. Butler has shown the consistency to win at Hinkle Fieldhouse over the years. Butler finishes this season with an 8-4 record at home and has beaten two ranked teams in the top ten, coincidently they were both the eighth ranked teams in the country at the time. Butler also defeated Creighton when the Blue Jays were ranked 8th in the AP Poll back in January.    

    Butler will end the regular season next Saturday at Creighton, while Villanova still has a pair of games, one against Creighton next Wednesday and then they conclude their regular season with a game at Providence next Saturday. 

   

Villanova at Butler Preview

       Butler and Villanova matchup for the second time this season on Sunday afternoon at Hinkle Fieldhouse. 

   

       The Bulldogs and Wildcats first squared off back on December 16th at The Pavilion on the campus of Villanova in Philadelphia. The game was won by the Wildcats 85-66 in what was Jay Wright's 800th career victory as a head coach. Villanova was led in that game by senior guard Colin Gillespie and sophomore forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl who each scored 18 points. Butler was led by senior guard Jair Bolden who scored 18 points for the Bulldogs. Butler also had double figure scorers in senior Aaron Thompson and freshman Chuck Harris who scored 14 and 12 points respectively. Butler led the game early but a flurry of Villanova runs late in the first half and the second half propelled the Wildcats to victory. Butler put up a very valiant effort despite the circumstances. Butler was coming off a 21 day layoff due to covid protocols within the program and had multiple players out with injuries. 

    Butler comes into Sunday's game with some momentum. After defeating Seton Hall last Wednesday evening, Butler looks to add some more Hinkle magic and finish the home schedule with another possible upset victory to try to salvage something out of a disappointing season overall. Butler will have some extra motivation with this Sunday being senior day at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Butler will need seniors Jair Bolden and Bryce Nze to have big games on Sunday in a chance for an upset over Villanova. Bolden had a big game against Villanova back in December and had an outstanding game last Wednesday vs Seton Hall. Nze is coming off a double-double performance against Seton Hall. Both players will most likely have to score in double figures again on Sunday for Butler to keep pace with the Wildcats. Butler will need to push the tempo offensively and look to take advantage on the inside with Nze and Bryce Golden to create contact to attempt to draw fouls and get to the free throw line. and defensively will need to be aware of Villanova's three point shooting. The Wildcats are the best three point shooting team in the Big East at 37 percent overall and they make the most three pointers in the conference at nearly 10 made per game. Butler has done well at defending the three point shot the last two games vs Xavier and Seton Hall but Villanova is a much more difficult task with shooters like Colin Gillespie and Jeremiah Moore and James Robinson-Earl. Nova has plenty of shooters who can spot up and knock them down from anywhere on the court. Butler will have their hands full on Sunday if they aren't able to contain the Wildcats three point shooting. 

    For Villanova to come out with a victory on Sunday, it will have to be defensively to shut down Butler's guards Jair Bolden and Chuck Harris. Bolden leads the Bulldogs in three point percentage and Harris leads the team in scoring at 12 points per game. Villanova created mismatches the first game back in December by switching off on both Bolden and Harris which created more advantages for Villanova. They will need to limit Butler's possessions offensively as best as possible. Look for double teams on Bolden or Harris to try to force Butler's hand in making somebody else shoot the ball. This Butler team isn't the best at scoring so if Villanova can cut off the Bulldogs penetration into the lane and make Butler move the ball around more frequently, then the Wildcats have a great chance at winning this game. On the offensive side of the ball, look for Villanova to take advantage of their main weapon, the three point shot. Colin Gillespie and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl made Butler pay for the first game in December and both made several three pointers. Look for Nova to run sets to get these two open on the wings to have opportunities at three pointers. If Villanova can get their three pointers to fall early in this game, this could be a long day for Butler and an easy coast for Villanova. 

    Butler is looking for some more Hinkle magic in their recent history against Villanova. Butler has beaten the Wildcats in three of their past four meetings at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Wildcats come into Sunday's contest as the eighth ranked team in the country. Last time the eighth ranked team played at Hinkle Fieldhouse was when Creighton was ranked eighth back in January and the Bulldogs came away with the upset. Butler looks to send off their seniors with another upset win at Hinkle and end the home portion of the season with a bang. Villanova looks to add to their NCAA Tournament resume and carry more momentum as March approaches where everybody knows the Wildcats will be a dangerous opponent for anybody in the tournament. Second meeting of Butler and Villanova happens Sunday afternoon at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse. 

Seton Hall at Butler Preview

 

    Butler and Seton Hall matchup for the second time this season on Wednesday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse. 

    The Bulldogs and Pirates faced off back on January 2nd in Newark, New Jersey. Seton Hall came out victorious in that contest, winning 68-60. Seton Hall was led in that game by Sandro Mamukelashvili who scored 24 points and nine rebounds and added six assists. Butler was led by freshman Myles Tate who finished with a career high 22 points, including five three pointers. Seton Hall led for the majority of the game and built a 15 point lead early in the second half. The Bulldogs continued to fight back and closed the gap several times to a single point deficit but it wasn't enough to overcome the Pirates in the end who scored the game's final points at the free throw line to win by eight. Butler stayed in the contest with a great display of shooting from beyond the three point line but Seton Hall won the game by getting to the free throw line 20 times compared to Butler's only nine attempts. Seton Hall is 13-9 on the season with a record of 10-6 in the Big East while Butler is 7-13 on the season with a conference record of 6-11. This game was originally scheduled for January 22nd but was postponed due to covid issues. 

    Butler is looking to bounce back from a rough stretch the last two weeks. The Bulldogs have lost three straight and it hasn't been pretty. They have only averaged 57 points their last three games and have lost by an average of 18 points. Butler managed little fight against Georgetown and then at home against Marquette. Last Sunday the Bulldogs showed some life against rival Xavier in Cincinnati but poor shooting doomed the Dawgs in another defeat as they only shot 18-62 from the floor for the game. Butler will need to put up more of a fight and a much better shooting performance against Seton Hall on Wednesday evening to pull off the upset. The main key for Butler on Wednesday evening will just be to hope that some of their key starters will be available to play. Last weekend against Xavier, three senior starters were out. Aaron Thompson, Bo Hodges and Bryce Nze were all suffering from injuries. Without them Butler struggled immensely. If they are good to go on Wednesday evening, Butler has a fighters chance to keep pace with Seton Hall. If they aren't able to play, then Butler could be in for another long evening. Those three seniors alone account for most of Butler's scoring, rebounding and assists this season with averages of 30.9 points per game, 17.4 rebounds per game and 9.4 assists per game. 

    Seton Hall will want to take advantage of the low post game once again on Wednesday night to come out of Hinkle Fieldhouse with a victory. In the first meeting Sandro Mamukelashvili dominated the Bulldogs on the inside. Butler struggled last week without their main interior defender Bryce Nze and if he is unable to go, look for Seton Hall to look inside early and often to take advantage of the smaller Butler defense. If Butler switches off on Mamukelashvili with different defenders, then Seton Hall will take full advantage of the opportunity. Butler has struggled all season against bigger post players and Mamukelashvili is perhaps the best center in the Big East. If Seton Hall is able to control the paint, then they will most likely be able to control the whole game. Butler could come double team in the paint  most of the night which in turn could leave players like Myles Cale and Jared Rhoden open on the wing for good looks from three and Butler struggles against the three pointer more than most teams in collage basketball. 

    Butler is looking to end their current three game losing streak this season and also looking to end their three game losing streak to Seton Hall. The Pirates are looking to bounce back from a loss last weekend to Georgetown and boost their NCAA Tournament resume as the end of the season draws near. 

Marquette at Butler Preview

 

        Butler and Marquette round two is set for Wednesday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse at 6:30 pm. 

        In the first meeting that took place two weeks ago in Milwaukee, the Golden Eagles defeated the visiting Bulldogs 70-67. The Golden Eagles led by as many as 18 points in the second half before a late Butler rally fell short in the final seconds. The Bulldogs were led by Freshman Chuck Harris who scored 16 points off the bench for the Bulldogs. Senior Bo Hodges added 15 points during his first start in his Butler career. The Golden Eagles were led by sophomore DJ Carton who had a game high 18 points and 9 rebounds. Marquette shot a blistering 61.5 percent from the floor while Butler struggled on their end of the court, shooting 40.7 percent. The Golden Eagles outrebounded Butler 33-24. Marquette never trailed during the duration of the game. 

       Butler and Marquette square up next at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Wednesday evening. The Bulldogs are looking to get back in the win column after a disappointing loss to Georgetown last Saturday in Washington DC. The Golden Eagles are coming off a 57-51 loss at Seton Hall last Sunday and have lost three in a row, they have not won in two weeks when their last win came against Butler on February 2nd.  Butler won last season's meeting vs Marquette at Hinkle Fieldhouse 89-85 in overtime. Butler has won six out of seven overall games at home against Marquette since joining the Big East. This game is a feature of two teams who are in the bottom half of the Big East and have been struggling mightily this season. Butler comes into the contest with a record of 7-11 and 6-9 in conference play and has lost four of its past six games and currently sits in eighth place in the Big East. Marquette has lost six of their last seven games and are in tenth place in the conference with a record of 9-12 overall and a record of 5-10 in the Big East. 

    The key for Butler in this game will be the remedy that has plagued them all season and has been a reoccurring theme game after game. Get out to a fast start and don't fall behind early. Butler has struggled with this concept all season. Butler has gotten out to slow starts and has been behind from the get go almost every game. The Dawgs have fallen behind by double digits in 15 of their 18 games played this year. Last Saturday was probably the worst Butler has played all season against Georgetown. They fell behind at one point by 23 points, the largest deficit they have faced this year. Butler will really need Senior Jair Bolden to step up and have a good game. Bolden has struggled at Hinkle the last two games, scoring six points total and only going 2-12 from three point range. If Butler can get off to a fast start and get Bolden in rhythm then the Dawgs have a good chance at winning this game. Butler also needs to capitalize on opponents mistakes. Butler has struggled to convert turnovers into points. Against Georgetown last Saturday, Butler caused 23 turnovers and still lost by 15 points. Butler will need to change that narrative if they want to come out victorious on Wednesday.  

    For Marquette, the key will be to take Butler out of their game. Push the tempo early, set up a half court press to get the Bulldogs into an area where they are uncomfortable and force them into mistakes. Butler struggles once they have to play an up tempo game. In the first meeting, Marquette dominated inside the paint with Theo John, Kobe McEwen and DJ Carton doing the majority of the damage. Marquette shot 20-24 inside the paint against Butler two weeks ago. Marquette needs to look inside once to try to exploit the Bulldogs. Butler struggles against rebounding. Marquette controlled the glass the first time, outrebounding Butler 33-24. If Marquette can control the paint, it could open up three point shots on the outside for shooters like McEwen and Carton, who are both shooting better than 35 percent from beyond the arc. Marquette needs to play a faster pace than the Bulldogs to get them out of rhythm early. If they can do that they will take control of the game and can come away with a win. 

    Both teams are looking to get back in the win column and get out of stretches of losing streaks that have done significant damage to their seasons up to this point. Butler looks to get their home game win streak to three games while Marquette looks to get their first win in two weeks. 

Boilermakers defeat Spartans

 

        For the second time in the last five seasons, Purdue has swept the season series against Michigan State. 

        The Boilermakers defeated the Spartans 75-65 on Wednesday night at Mackey Arena. Purdue was led by 28 points from Trevion Williams. Also scoring in double figures for Purdue were Eric Hunter Jr with 15 points and freshman Jayden Ivey with 11 and Zach Edey with 10 points.  Michigan State was led by Indianapolis native Aaron Henry who scored 15 points. The Spartans also had double figure scorers from Julius Marble who added 10 points and Joey Hauser who scored 11 points. Purdue has won five straight against Michigan State at Mackey Arena. The loss drops the Spartans record to 10-9 overall and 4-9 in the Big Ten while Purdue sees its record go to 14-8 overall and 9-6 in the conference. 

    The game started out on a slow note with both teams struggling from the field. Neither team scored their 20th point until 3:55 to go in the first half. Purdue headed into the locker room with a 30-27 advantage. Purdue took advantage in the 2nd half by going on a late run to take a seven point lead with eight minutes to go and never trailed again.  Michigan State got close several times in the second half to make it a one possession game but the Boilers were too much to handle down the stretch. 

    Both teams struggled from three point range, going a combined 10 of 28. Purdue was able to take advantage of the inside game with Williams who continued his domination of the Spartans this year. Purdue finished with 48 points in the paint while Michigan State struggled with just 24 points. Purdue went inside early and often and it paid off with solid performances by Williams and Zach Edey. Michigan State had no answer all game for the Boilers big men. Jayden Ivey continued to show his potential by showing his ability to bounce back from a slow start to have a great second half on both sides of the ball. 

    Purdue completed the season sweep of the Spartans after defeating Michigan State earlier this season in East Lansing when they won on a last second shot by Trevion Williams as Purdue won in the Breslin Center 55-54 back in January. Purdue is now in fifth place in the Big Ten standings after getting its ninth victory while Michigan State has another crucial loss that sends them to their ninth loss in conference play. The Spartans are now tied with Penn State for 11th place in the Big Ten. Purdue looks to be in a solid position to make the NCAA Tournament while Michigan State is in danger of missing out on March Madness for the first time in 24 years. 

St. John's at Butler Preview

 

    Butler and St. John's meet for the second time this season on Tuesday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

    It's a battle of one of the best offenses in the Big East vs one of the better defensive teams in the Big East. St. John's leads the Big East in scoring with an average of 79.7 points per game while the Bulldogs rank second in the Big East in defensive scoring, only allowing 66.8 points per game. St. John's comes into the game as one of the hottest teams in the country, having won six conference games in a row. Butler is currently 6-10 overall and 5-8 in Big East play while St. John's record sits at 13-7 overall and 7-6 in conference this season. This game was originally scheduled for December 14th but was postponed due to Covid protocols. 

    This is the second meeting this season between Butler and St. John's. The Red Storm were victorious in the first meeting on January 12 at Carnesecca Arena in Queens, New York when they defeated the Bulldogs 69-57. The Red Storm used a 10-1 run late in the second half to pull away from the Bulldogs to claim the victory. In that first matchup, St. John's forced Butler into 16 turnovers which lead to 15 points for the Red Storm. The 16 turnovers were the second most turnovers in a game this season for the Bulldogs. St. John's sophomore forward Julian Champagnie led the way as he scored a game high 18 points. Butler was led by senior guard Jair Bolden who scored 17 points, including five three pointers in the game. 

    Butler will have their hands full on Tuesday night with several key players for the Red Storm. Sophomore forward Julian Champagnie leads the Big East in scoring with 19.7 points per game. On the defensive side of the ball, freshman guard Posh Alexander leads the conference in steals with 2.7 per game. St. John's likes to get out and push the tempo on offense and defensively the Red Storm like to create havoc with plenty of half court press and 2-3 zone. Look for St. John's to force Butler to move the ball around the key often and take away the lane for drives by seniors Aaron Thompson and Jair Bolden. If St. John's can force Butler into mistakes early, look for the Red Storm to take advantage and turn their defense into offense. If the Red Storm can force Butler into double digit turnovers again, they have a good chance of getting the win at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

    Butler will need their guards to step up in this game to come out with a win. Freshman Chuck Harris didn't play in the first meeting against St. John's in Queens but coming off a career high 22 points on Saturday vs DePaul, Butler will need him to have another strong performance off the bench on Tuesday. Jair Bolden will have to have a big game as he did in the first meeting when he hit five three pointers. Butler will need to get Bolden open on the perimeter to knock down some more of those on Tuesday for a victory. As they have done all season, Butler will slow the pace to their style of play and make the Red Storm play at the Bulldogs level which is very methodical and time consuming. If Butler can slow down St. John's offense and hold the Red Storm to below 70 points, the Bulldogs have a great chance at winning this game. 

    Butler has won six in a row over St. John's at Hinkle Fieldhouse and all time they have won seven out of 8 meetings vs the Red Storm in Indianapolis. St. John's has won six in a row overall coming into this game. Only one team's specific win streak will reach the number seven in a row on Tuesday night.