Butler Basketball: Grades and reactions from 2018-19 exhibition games

Key Takeaways

Even though the Bulldogs ended up winning both of their exhibition games by more than 20 points, they did so in different ways. Against Tiffin, Butler absolutely dominated on the offensive end of the floor en route to shooting 54.8% from the field and scoring 100 total points. Then, the Dawgs turned around and held USI to just 58 points. Quite simply, the team showed that they can win either with their offense or their defense. With this said, there were several key takeaways.

1. There are plenty of perimeter scoring options.

Heading into this season, many wondered who would step up as a reliable scorer on the perimeter. And even though Sean McDermott was the popular pick to emerge as a breakout scorer, Paul Jorgensen and Henry Baddley were the ones who showed out most in the exhibition matchups. These two led the Bulldogs in total scoring and, in my opinion, this is a huge development for the team.

Quite simply, McDermott is going to get his buckets this season. His (and Kamar Baldwin’s) struggles are nothing to be concerned about and fans should only be ecstatic about the scoring potential of Jorgs/Baddley. If Jorgensen is going to take the next step as a scorer and Baddley can be a legitimate 7-10 ppg threat, then the team is going to have tremendous balance.

2. Brunk and Fowler will be a dangerous interior duo.

Without Tyler Wideman, there are bound to be some defensive struggles inside for the Bulldogs this year. He was simply a consistent presence inside and a superb team defender that will not be easy to replace. Offensively, though, Joey Brunk and Nate Fowler showed that they can be dangerous scoring and rebounding threats at the center position.

For reference, Wideman and Fowler combined to average 15.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game last season. In two exhibition contests, Fowler and Brunk combined for 20.5 points and 12.0 rebounds per game. And while the level of competition may have played a role in this, it is easy to see how the Dawgs could be more versatile and more offensively-oriented at the 5 spot this year. As long as this duo continues to score, rebound, and pass well out of the paint, Butler will have a very well-rounded offense.

3. Butler will live in transition.

As many have pointed out this offseason, Butler will likely rely more on its defense than its offense this season. And while the team showed that it could win with either in their exhibitions, possibly the most important part of the game for the Bulldogs this season will be transition opportunities. This comes both from running out after rebounds and through creating turnovers defensively. And with Brunk/Fowler’s size inside, as well as highly-effective rebounders in McDermott and Baldwin on the court, the Dawgs should be just fine on the glass.

In total, the Bulldogs forced a ridiculous 39 turnovers out of Tiffin/USI in 80 minutes of action. Additionally, simply creating turnovers is not enough. Capitalizing on these opportunities with quick buckets in transition is what makes Butler so dangerous. In their two exhibitions, the Dawgs scored 51 total points off of turnovers and recorded 29 fast-break points.