Butler Basketball: 3 takeaways from win over Detroit Mercy

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 08: Kamar Baldwin #3 of the Butler Bulldogs celebrates his shot in the second half against the Seton Hall Pirates during quarterfinals of the Big East Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 8, 2018 in New York City.The Butler Bulldogs defeated the Seton Hall Pirates 75-74. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

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DETROIT, MI – MARCH 18: Baldwin (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

1. Kamar Baldwin will get it done

Kamar Baldwin did not have the greatest game of his career against Detroit Mercy. For much of the game, he struggled to take care of the basketball and turned the ball over six times. And while this was not ideal, he continued to attack the basket and probe the zone. By the end of the night, the superstar guard ended with game-highs in points (26), rebounds (8), and assists (6) while shooting 9-for-17 from the floor. Quite simply, he was all over the court in the victory.

What makes this game so important for the junior is that he was capable of putting up outstanding numbers even though he was not 100% on his game. Baldwin has turned the ball over more than usual in both of Butler’s games so far but he has still dominated offensively. What this says to me is that Baldwin is not afraid of his new role as the “star” of the team and that he is embracing the fact that he needs to be the go-to scorer even when he is not playing perfect basketball.

Moving forward, Butler basketball will need Baldwin to perform well in just about every single game and he has shown that one bad pass or missed shot is not going dissuade him from attacking the rack or pulling up for a jumper on the very next possession. He might be forcing the issue a bit too much right now but he is more than capable of being the “Alpha Dawg”.