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Butler Basketball: 3 takeaways from season-opening win over Miami (OH)

By Lukas Harkins

DETROIT, MI - MARCH 16: Butler's Baldwin (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - MARCH 16: Butler's Baldwin (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – FEBRUARY 10: Head coach Jordan of the Butler Bulldogs looks on. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – FEBRUARY 10: Head coach Jordan of the Butler Bulldogs looks on. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

Butler basketball easily handled Miami (OH) at home to kickstart the new season. What were some of the biggest takeaways from the win?

Butler basketball is back. After months of waiting, the Dawgs finally took the court on Nov. 10 to begin the new campaign against Miami (OH). And while playing in front of a sold-out Hinkle Fieldhouse crowd, the Bulldogs excelled on both ends of the floor. Butler showed tremendous effort on both ends of the floor from the opening tip and it resulted in a blowout victory.

Even though Miami (OH) might not be the most challenging opponent in the nation, they are also no pushover. The RedHawks are expected to finish in the middle of the MAC, a reasonably talented mid-major league, and therefore could have posed a threat on opening night. Yet, the Dawgs got off to an 8-0 start in the first three minutes and never looked back.

In summary, Kamar Baldwin and Joey Brunk were nearly unstoppable in this matchup. Regardless of the RedHawks’ defense, the Baldwin-Brunk pick-and-roll resulted in consistent buckets throughout the night as the duo combined for 38 points on 16-for-21 total shooting. Hard to argue with that kind of production.

Additionally, Butler received plenty of contributions from other players as well. Most specifically, guards Paul Jorgensen (17 points and 7 rebounds) and Aaron Thompson (11 points and 4 assists) also scored in double-figures to help Butler reach 90 total points on the night. Quite simply, the offense was in a groove all night long and that is evident by Butler’s 60.3% shooting from the floor and staggering 1.429 points per possession. Oh, and the defense was stout as well, holding the RedHawks to 1.046 points per possession and 39.7% shooting.

With all of this said, let’s dive deeper into the Butler win and analyze some of the biggest takeaways for the team moving forward.