Butler Basketball: What to watch for against Presbyterian

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 15: Butler Bulldogs players react from the bench against the Indiana Hoosiers in the second half of the Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 15, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Indiana won 71-68. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

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DETROIT, MI – MARCH 18: Head coach Jordan of the Butler Bulldogs reacts. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

3. Jordan Tucker’s playing time

After sitting out the first semester due to transfer rules, Jordan Tucker appeared in his first game as a member of the Butler program this past weekend. A highly-touted recruit/transfer, Tucker played eight minutes, scored three points, and snagged one rebound. And while he did show some struggles on the defensive end of the floor, it was clear that Tucker was excited to be on the court for seemingly the first meaningful collegiate minutes (he barely played at Duke last season before transferring).

During this matchup, it should be expected that Tucker sees the floor a lot more than he did against Indiana for a couple of reasons. First, he now has his feet wet as of a member of the Dawgs. He saw some minutes against IU and, while not very many, he was able to bring some energy to the court and play alongside his teammates for the first time in a real game. Even though he has been practicing with the team for almost an entire year, that is a different animal. Additionally, Butler should be able to build a sizable lead in this game, which will allow Coach Jordan to give Tucker plenty of run on the court.

Taking these two factors into account, it is reasonable to expect that Tucker plays 15-20 minutes against Presbyterian. This will allow fans/analysts to see a lot more of what he is capable of. His performance against IU was simply too small of a sample size to draw any conclusions from. If Tucker is able to emerge as a strong candidate for minutes due to his scoring or other factors this season, it could greatly raise Butler’s versatility on the court and ceiling as a team.

All eyes will be on Tucker once he touches the court in this one.

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While these three items to watch might not be my traditional keys to the game, they can still have an impact on victory. If Thompson mans the offense effectively, McDermott gets open looks, and Tucker plays well enough to stay on the court, you can expect that Butler basketball runs away with this victory. Hopefully the Dawgs use this game to add one to the victory column.

Final Prediction: Butler Bulldogs – 83, Presbyterian – 67.