Under new head coach LaVall Jordan, Butler basketball got off to a solid start by handling Kennesaw State for 40 minutes, but it was not without issues.
On opening night in college basketball, the Butler Bulldogs played host to Kennesaw State. This was the first game under new head coach LaVall Jordan and if this early-season game was any indication, the team looks to be in good hands. In the first few games of a season, it is easy to start off slow and Butler did just the opposite, starting the game on a 9-0 run.
From there, the team never relinquished the lead and spent most of the game hovering between a 10-20 point lead. Leading the way for the Dawgs was star forward Kelan Martin. He might not have lit up the scoreboard with efficiency, but he was able to consistently get buckets throughout the game. The senior ended with game-highs of 20 points and 9 rebounds.
Despite the victory, though, Butler did not look flawless. In fact, there were immense struggles from the free throw line that will hopefully be remedied quickly. Over the course of the game, the Bulldogs shot just 12-for-23 from the line (52%). Every player that attempted more than one free throw in this game missed at least one of their attempts, proving that the foul shooting was a team-wide problem.
There is reason to believe this will turn around, though. As a team last season, the Butler Bulldogs shot 74.1% from the line, which was good enough for 55th in the nation. The team may have lost a lot of talent from last season, but returning players Kamar Baldwin (75.6%), Kelan Martin (78.4%), and Nate Fowler (78.7%) all had solid marks from the line last season.
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The biggest culprit in this game’s poor shooting from the line was freshman Aaron Thompson. Although he had an all-around solid game with 7 points and 5 assists, he shot just 1-for-5 from the line. Everybody can have off nights from the line and this one could be attributed to this being Thompson’s first career college basketball game.
It was not just the free throw shooting that was potentially worrisome, though. While attempting 25 3-pointers, the team only made six to shoot 24% from deep. While these poor shooting numbers from the line and deep are fine in games like this against lower level schools, they will not be acceptable against their next two opponents in Princeton and Maryland.
Once again, though, Butler can expect a step forward in this regard. Baldwin, Martin, Paul Jorgensen, and Sean McDermott seem to be the most capable shooters on the roster and this game just happened to be an off night for all of them. In total, these four players combined to shoot a horrific 5-for-20 from deep. As each of these players gets more comfortable with their shot in real-game situations, the team will improve their shooting overall.
These negatives are not meant to detract from what was a very solid game for the Bulldogs. They were able to come out of the gates with a hot start and maintained that start throughout the entire first half. There was a brief period in the second half where the Owls made a run to cut their deficit to just 10 points, but the Dawgs were able to squash that and lengthen their lead rather quickly.
Butler showed that, although they are a young team, they have enough experience to fight back when an opponent makes a run on them. With two important games approaching early in the non-conference schedule, the veteran leadership of seniors Martin and Tyler Wideman will be very valuable. Both of these players had solid nights in the opener and will be expected to be consistent contributors in their roles throughout the season.
Showing resilience was definitely a positive, but so was the pace of the Bulldogs. This was the first game under Coach Jordan and it was evident that this team is going to get out in transition this season. They have the athletes to run the floor and they can score from anywhere on the court when the team is on its game. The Bulldogs are very balanced in their ability to play in the post, drive to the basket, and knock down 3-pointers (despite the poor mark tonight).
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After dispatching Kennesaw State to open the season, Butler’s next game will come against the Princeton Tigers on Sunday. Princeton is coming off of a season in which they went undefeated in Ivy League play and they could pose a threat to the Bulldogs early in the season. As for Kennesaw State, they will be getting Hofstra on Monday in their next game.