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Butler Basketball: 3 keys for the Bulldogs against Creighton

By Lukas Harkins

PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 10: Sean McDermott #22 and Kamar Baldwin #3 of the Butler Bulldogs point against the Villanova Wildcats at the Wells Fargo Center on February 10, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 10: Sean McDermott #22 and Kamar Baldwin #3 of the Butler Bulldogs point against the Villanova Wildcats at the Wells Fargo Center on February 10, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – FEBRUARY 10: Martin
PHILADELPHIA, PA – FEBRUARY 10: Martin /

1. Senior Leadership: Kelan Martin and Tyler Wideman

This game will be played on Senior Night for Butler. Tyler Wideman and Kelan Martin have both exemplified “The Butler Way” in their time on campus and will want to go out with a win. More specifically, both of these players have something to prove against this particular opponent. Over their four years, the duo is 4-3 against the Bluejays. However, they have lost three consecutive games in the series and are looking to get back on track. Greg McDermott’s team has consistently been a thorn in the Butler’s side over the past couple of years.

In order for Butler’s seniors to even up the score with Creighton, they will need to play better than they have in the past three meetings. Starting with Martin, he is given the unenviable task of trying to score on Khyri Thomas. Thomas is one of the best defenders in the conference and has made Martin’s life difficult in every matchup with one another.

In Martin’s last three games against Creighton, he has averaged 9.3 points per game on 13-for-38 (34.2%) shooting from the field. In his final game at Hinkle Fieldhouse against his toughest matchup, watch for Martin to explode. He has been more aggressive in attacking the basket lately and it would not be a surprise if he tried to force Thomas into foul trouble.

Tyler Wideman has also struggled a bit against the Bluejays. The senior big man has been one of the most consistent players in the country in recent years. In fact, even though he is in the midst of his best season (9.6 points, 5.2 rebounds), these numbers are not far off from his averages since he took over as a full-time starter as a sophomore (8.1 points, 5.3 rebounds). In his games against Creighton, these numbers have dipped significantly to just 6.7 points and 3.3 rebounds.

Even if Wideman does not score a ton of points in this game, it is important that he gets on the glass effectively. Because Creighton will be without Krampelj, Wideman might be the best big man on the floor in this game.

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