On the last night of January, Butler basketball went on the road and eviscerated Marquette. What does this win mean for the team moving forward?
Butler’s victory over Marquette on Jan. 31 was not just a normal win. Not only did Butler go on the road and secure a Group 1 win for their resume but they did it with ease. From the very start of the game, the Bulldogs were aggressive inside on both ends of the floor. It was clear that senior Tyler Wideman was a man on a mission in the game, finishing with a career-high 23 points.
He was able to get these buckets by being tenacious on the offensive glass and positioning himself in the right position when he did not have the ball in his hands. He quite simply overpowered every Marquette big man and it was a beautiful thing to watch. Wideman’s performance truly epitomized the play of Butler for this entire game.
It is never easy to go on the road and beat a bubble team like Marquette who was desperate for a win. Yet, somehow, Butler made it look…well…easy.
How were the Bulldogs able to dominate?
For Butler, this game started on the defensive end. All season long, head coach LaVall Jordan has preached defense despite poor team numbers on that end of the floor. Butler’s offense has been tremendous all season long but their defense is finally starting to catch up. Over the last four games, the Bulldogs are giving up just 63.5 points per game. The team is 3-1 during this stretch. Butler’s defensive effort has significantly increased and the numbers are backing that up.
In this specific win over Marquette, everybody showed up to play defense. I already touched on the physical interior presence of Wideman but the play of Aaron Thompson has to be noted. The freshman was given the unenviable task of having to guard Marquette’s Andrew Rowsey in this game and he made it look simple.
Entering the game, Rowsey was averaging 20.5 points per game. In addition, he had scored in double figures in 17 of Marquette’s first 19 games. Against Thompson, though, he was held scoreless on 0-for-6 shooting. Thompson also forced Rowsey into three turnovers to culminate a tremendous defensive outing.
Related Story: Big East Power Rankings (Week 13)
The young freshman was also a leader on the offensive end. If somebody told you before this game that Thompson would make more 3-pointers than Andrew Rowsey, you would have laughed in their face. Yet that is exactly what happened. Thompson scored 11 points (5-for-8 FG) on the night and knocked in a 3-pointer, just his second of the season.
The other scoring leaders for the Bulldogs were Wideman (23), Kelan Martin (16), Kamar Baldwin (15), and Sean McDermott (13). In the total, the team shot 60.0% from the floor, 57.1% from three, and 81.8% from the free throw line while outrebounding Marquette by 10.
How does this affect Butler’s postseason hopes?
Let’s just say that Butler passed the eye test in this one. For anyone who watched this game, it was obvious that the Bulldogs were the better team and the scoreboard at the end showed it. They flashed elite play on both ends of the floor and looked every part of being a potential top-25 team in the nation. However, the AP rankings have nothing to do with NCAA Tournament seeding.
Complete coverage on: Butler Bulldogs
In regards to the numbers that actually matter, Butler’s KenPom (22), RPI (25), and BPI (25) all rose dramatically after the win. All of these numbers now rank in the top-25 nationally and put the Bulldogs in great shape not only to reach the Big Dance field but to receive a favorable seed. Considering this was a road win over an RPI top-75 team, this will also go on Butler’s team sheet as a Group 1 win.
This moves Butler’s record in Group 1 games to 3-7. The seven losses are far from ideal but the Bulldogs have not lost a game outside of Group 1 play. With three high-quality wins coupled with no bad losses, Butler is in a great position to go dancing. On Jan. 29th’s edition of our Bracketology, the Bulldogs were awarded a No. 8 seed. With the way they are currently trending, finding the No. 5 or 6 lines in the near future is not out of the realm of possibility.
Next: Most recent Bracketology field (Jan. 29)
Butler is a team that is clearly heading in the right direction. They have won three of their last four games and have a friendly schedule up ahead. While the Big East schedule is never easy, the Bulldogs do get the luxury of playing five of their next six games at Home Sweet Hinkle.