Busting Brackets
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Butler Basketball: Keys to success in vital road matchup with DePaul

By Lukas Harkins

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 19: Kamar Baldwin #3 of the Butler Bulldogs has the ball knocked away by Eli Cain #11 of the DePaul Blue Demons at Hinkle Fieldhouse on February 19, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 19: Kamar Baldwin #3 of the Butler Bulldogs has the ball knocked away by Eli Cain #11 of the DePaul Blue Demons at Hinkle Fieldhouse on February 19, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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DETROIT, MI – MARCH 18: Head coach Jordan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI – MARCH 18: Head coach Jordan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Butler basketball has lost four of its last five games and is starting to drop in bracketology fields. What do the Dawgs need to do to defeat DePaul?

Butler basketball is in a tough spot. After four losses in five games, the Bulldogs have tumbled in bracketology projected fields and they stand on the wrong side of the cutline at this point in time. However, despite the pessimism of the Butler fanbase at the moment, the team is closer to being back in the tournament field than most think. And with this said, now seems like the time to mention that this is not the first time that Butler has started 1-3 in Big East play. This last occurred in 2015-16 and the Dawgs managed to not only finish conference play at 10-8 but also secure an NCAA Tournament bid.

From a bracketology perspective, though, Butler basketball definitely has some work to do, especially on the road, in order to land an at-large bid this season. Because of this, Butler basketball will need to come out firing on all cylinders in their next game, which comes on the road against an underrated DePaul team. It might still be early in the season but this really feels like a “must-win” contest for the Dawgs. Thankfully, though, Butler has had DePaul’s number recently, winning nine straight in the series.

From a personnel standpoint, DePaul is led by three seniors in Max Strus (18.4 pts/7.6 rebs/2.6 asts), Eli Cain (13.7 pts/3.8 rebs/4.0 asts), and Femi Olujobi (11.4 pts/4.7 rebs). As winners of back-to-back games over Seton Hall (home) and St. John’s (away), these Blue Demons should not be overlooked. Head coach Dave Leitao’s team has exceeded expectations so far this season and this will likely prove to be a tough game for Butler.

Now, without further ado, let’s dive into three facets of the game that Butler needs to prioritize in order to take the victory. (All statistics used in this piece were found via KenPom or Sports-Reference.)