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Butler Basketball: Keys to success against Florida in 2018-19

By Lukas Harkins

NEW ORLEANS, LA - MARCH 26: Shelvin Mack #1 of the Butler Bulldogs celebrates defeating the Florida Gators 74 to 71 in overtime by cuttin down part of the ner during the Southeast regional final of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at New Orleans Arena on March 26, 2011 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - MARCH 26: Shelvin Mack #1 of the Butler Bulldogs celebrates defeating the Florida Gators 74 to 71 in overtime by cuttin down part of the ner during the Southeast regional final of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at New Orleans Arena on March 26, 2011 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – NOVEMBER 16: Baldwin #3 of the Butler Bulldogs shoots the ball. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – NOVEMBER 16: Baldwin #3 of the Butler Bulldogs shoots the ball. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Will Butler basketball notch its second win of the year over the Florida Gators? Here are some keys to potentially accomplish that feat.

Rematches do not occur all that often in non-conference play of college basketball. Yet, that is exactly what will go down this weekend when the Butler Bulldogs travel to Gainesville to take on the Florida Gators. These teams met in the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament last month and Butler basketball hopes to make it a season sweep over the Gators during this upcoming matchup. Both of these teams currently rank in the KenPom top-30 and project as future NCAA Tournament teams at the end of this season.

As already alluded to, Butler took home the 61-54 victory in the prior meeting between these two teams in a hard-fought defensive effort. The Dawgs’ two top scorers, Kamar Baldwin and Paul Jorgensen, led the way by combining for 35 points in the low-scoring affair. For Florida, underclassmen Andrew Nembhard and Deaundrae Ballard were the only players who scored in double-figures.

Looking ahead to this upcoming meeting, you can expect that these same players will take center stage. Both defensively-oriented teams, these scorers and playmakers will need to be at their best in order to lead their respective teams to victory. Without any further ado, let’s dive into three keys to victory for Butler basketball against Florida with a special guest to give more background on the Gators. (All statistics used in this article were found via Sports-Reference and KenPom and are updated through games played on Dec. 26.)