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Indiana Basketball: Keys to success against Butler in 2018-19

By Lukas Harkins

DURHAM, NC - NOVEMBER 27: Romeo Langford #0 of the Indiana Hoosiers walks to the bench against the Duke Blue Devils during their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 27, 2018 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NC - NOVEMBER 27: Romeo Langford #0 of the Indiana Hoosiers walks to the bench against the Duke Blue Devils during their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 27, 2018 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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BLOOMINGTON, IN – DECEMBER 08: McRoberts #15 of the Indiana Hoosiers celebrates. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN – DECEMBER 08: McRoberts #15 of the Indiana Hoosiers celebrates. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Now nationally-ranked, Indiana basketball has another strong opportunity for a big win against the Butler Bulldogs. What will be some keys to success?

With the top four schools in the Hoosier State all coming together, the Crossroads Classic is one of the best annual events in college basketball. Indiana, Purdue, Notre Dame, and Butler all represent schools with rich basketball traditions and their fans absolutely flock to Bankers Life Fieldhouse for this opportunity for an amazing doubleheader of college hoops action. During this year’s edition of the event, Indiana basketball, now nationally ranked in the AP top-25, will take on Butler in the second game.

Through the opening month of this season, the Dawgs (7-2) and Hoosiers (8-2) have both posted relatively solid seasons. As per usual, these programs have NCAA Tournament aspirations this season and this matchup looms as a major opportunity for either school to land a resume-building win. Additionally, both head coaches (LaVall Jordan at Butler, Archie Miller at Indiana) are in their second years with their respective schools and are hoping to build up some momentum heading into the heart of conference play.

In terms of leaders on the court, both teams have a couple of high-level scorers. For Butler, guards Kamar Baldwin (16.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists) and Paul Jorgensen (17.2 points on 43.1% from three) have the abilities to light up the scoreboard in a hurry. Indiana, on the other hand, is led by the dynamic duo of Romeo Langford (18.2 points) and Juwan Morgan (15.5 points, 8.0 rebounds). These four players are all worthy of national praise and they will push their teams to compete at a high level in this matchup.

So, without any further ado, let’s break down some of the keys to this matchup for Indiana basketball. (All stats used in this article were found via KenPom and Sports-Reference.)

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