Butler Basketball: Keys for the Bulldogs in their rematch against Purdue

DETROIT, MI - MARCH 16: Head coach LaVall Jordan of the Butler Bulldogs looks on against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the first half of the game in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Little Caesars Arena on March 16, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

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DETROIT, MI – MARCH 16: Wideman /

Work the ball inside

With Isaac Haas out for the game, Purdue’s frontcourt is no longer a major advantage. Matt Haarms is excellent as a substitute but the injury severely hurts their depth up front. With this said, the Boilermakers will be forced to play small for plenty of minutes in this one. This plays into Butler’s hands as they are an undersized as a team in the first place.

In the first meeting between these two teams, Purdue came away with 10 blocks against Butler. The Dawgs had a hard time attacking the basket all night long as Haas and Haarms roamed the paint all night long. Considering Haarms has never played more than 27 minutes in a game (which was against Butler), you can expect that the Boilermakers will be without their best rim-protector remaining for at least 10 minutes in this matchup.

However, foul trouble could be a concern for the big man. For the season, the freshman Haarms is averaging a foul every 6.7 minutes of action. Considering the physicality of Kelan Martin and Tyler Wideman, Butler will need to assert their dominance inside the paint. In addition, Kamar Baldwin is dangerous when attacking the basket and can get to the line himself.

On the season, though, Butler is one of the worst teams in the land at getting to the free throw line. That will need to change if the Bulldogs are going to advance to the Sweet 16.