Butler’s stars showed up when needed
The story of this game for Butler was obviously their improbable second-half comeback. That wouldn’t have happened, though, without the sensational play from their stars. In the preseason, Kelan Martin and Kamar Baldwin were expected to be the leaders of this team and they showed why in the Big East opener.
For the game, Baldwin finished with a career-high of 31 points and Martin was just behind him with 27. Both of these players were phenomenal in this game and especially in the last 30 minutes. Every time the Bulldogs needed a big bucket, head coach LaVall Jordan let Martin and Baldwin go to work and they answered the call every single time.
For the future of the Bulldogs, this game is hopefully a sign of things to come for their two stars. In the Big East, every game is a major challenge and if Martin and Baldwin are the go-to players that they were in this game, then Butler has the ability to finish in the top-half of the conference.
Despite Baldwin getting off to a somewhat slow start this season, he exploded in this one and this could be the turning point of the season for the young sophomore.