Butler at Creighton Preview

 

    Butler and Creighton finish off their regular season's on Saturday in Omaha at the CHI Health Center Arena. 

    The Dawgs and Blue Jays meet for the second time this season. Back on January 16th, Butler defeated the then 8th ranked Blue Jays 70-66 in overtime at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Butler had an astonishing comeback that afternoon, coming back from a 13 point deficit with less than seven minutes to play to force overtime. The Bulldogs the went on to defeat Creighton in the extra session. Butler was led by Senior Aaron Thompson who had 17 points and 6 assists. Three other Bulldogs scored in double figures including Senior Bryce Nze who had 15 points, Freshman Myles Tate had 15 as well and Freshman Chuck Harris finished with 10 points. Creighton was led by Denzel Mahoney who finished as the game's leading scorer with 29 points. Creighton also had scorers in double figures with Christian Bishop scoring 10 and Damien Jefferson who finished with 12 points. 

    After winning on their senior day last Sunday at Hinkle Fieldhouse, Butler looks to spoil the senior day festivities in Omaha for Creighton. The Dawgs have more momentum now than they have had at any other point during this season. Butler is coming off back to back wins at home and is starting to get more confident as the season draws to a close and looks to be a team that is trying to create some havoc in the upcoming Big East Tournament next week. Butler will try to get it's first three game win streak of the season and in the process attempt to win in a building that they have struggled at mightily since joining the Big East. Creighton has had Butler's number when playing in Omaha. The Blue Jays have won 8 out of 10 overall matchups vs the Bulldogs in their home city. Butler last won in Omaha in 2015. Butler will want to get off that schneid and come away victorious on Saturday. Butler can put themselves in a good spot in the Big East Tournament with a win vs Creighton. Should the Bulldogs leave Omaha with a win, they could be as high as the 7th seed in the tournament next week. A loss could put the Bulldogs as low as the 10th seed. Creighton is already locked into the 2nd seed for the Big East Tournament no matter the outcome vs Butler. The Bulldogs certainly have more stakes at hand than the Blue Jays on Saturday.   

    For Butler to come out victorious at Creighton, they need another fast start as they did last Sunday vs Villanova. Butler relied on great three point shooting from freshman Chuck Harris and senior Jair Bolden to the tune of 10 three pointers made as a team. Butler will need to be ready to dial it up from three again on Saturday vs Creighton. If Butler is moving the ball around the perimeter and finding openings on the wing for Bolden and Harris again, it could have some great implications for the Bulldogs in their bid to upset the Blue Jays once more this season. Butler will need to rely on Freshman Myles Tate to direct the Butler offense as senior Aaron Thompson was ruled out for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury. Butler defensively will need to shut down the Blue Jays inside game. Creighton is the best team in the Big East at scoring points in the paint with an average of 55 points per game form inside the arc. Butler will need to make Creighton shoot from the outside. If Butler can imply their 2-3 zone defense to make the Blue Jays take outside jump shots and contest inside and create opportunities on the offensive side for Bolden and Harris, then Butler has a great chance at winning this game. 

    Creighton in this game will have to play up tempo and force Butler to match that style of play. Butler plays very slow and will take their time during possessions. Creighton will want to push the tempo and get Butler out of their comfort zone. What the Blue Jays will have in this game compared to the first meeting between these two is Marcus Zegarowski. In the first meeting at Hinkle Fieldhouse, Zegarowski was injured and was unable to play. He is Creighton's best player and one of the best players in the country, Averaging 14.7 points per game, Zegarowski will need to have a big game in order for Creighton to beat Butler. The Blue Jays will need to imply a man to man defense to keep the Bulldogs from getting open looks from three. Creighton will want to make Butler play faster on defense and force them into turnovers on offense by double teaming Bryce Nze and Bryce Golden in the paint. If the Blue Jays can establish an offensive rhythm early and pressure Butler on defense to cause turnovers, Creighton should come away with a victory on senior day. 

    Butler looks to extend their win streak to three games while Creighton looks to end their two game losing skid to end the regular season. Both teams want to end their regular season's on a good note to build some momentum towards the Big East Tournament next week.