2. Allow Nate Fowler and Joey Brunk to feast
Butler basketball has a huge size advantage at the center position in this matchup. Quite simply, Butler trots out two big men that stand at over 6-foot-10 to play all 40 minutes combined each night while Brown features only one rotation player over 6-foot-6. Matt DeWolf, the lone true big on Brown’s roster, stands at 6-foot-9 and he will need to play a massive role in this game to slow down Butler’s offensive attack inside. To this point in the year, though, the sophomore is only averaging 15.9 minutes per game.
This means that Butler’s bigs will likely have at least four inches of height on their defender for most of the game. With Nate Fowler (6-foot-10) and Joey Brunk (6-foot-11) taking up all of the minutes at center for Butler this season, they should be able to dominate against the undersized Bears. This duo plays about a 55/45 split at the center position and they bring different playing styles that can dominate on the offensive end given the right matchups.
Fowler, a stretch big, has the ability to lure bigs out to the perimeter. He is currently averaging just 4.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while struggling to find his shot from distance. He is 0-for-6 from three this season but shot 20-for-48 (41.7%) over his first three seasons. Brunk, on the other hand, is one of the better finishers in the Big East with his wide array of moves and physicality. While coming off of the bench, Brunk is averaging 8.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game on ridiculous 86.4% shooting from the field.
To this point in the year, these two are combining to put up excellent numbers at center. And with Brown’s lack of height, the duo should be able to dominate not only on the glass but on the offensive end as well. Butler should be in great shape as long as they continue to feed the paint n this game and capitalize on second-chance opportunities. To account for both of the first two keys in this article, expect to see a heavy reliance on the pick-and-roll including Baldwin and these bigs.