Butler Basketball: Keys to success on the road against Seton Hall

1. Shut down Myles Powell.

Myles Powell is a collegiate superstar. An incredibly gifted scorer with size and confidence, Powell is the type of player that no opponent wants to see stepping onto the court. To this point in the year, the junior guard has been unreal as the offensive leader of this Seton Hall team. Despite clearly being at the top of the scouting report, Powell is averaging 22.2 points (.464/.371/.868), 3.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. He is, though, the only Pirate averaging in double-figures per game.

With this said, the No. 1 priority for Butler in this game will be slowing down Powell. Sure, Seton Hall has a few other guys who can do damage, such as Sandro Mamukelashvili, but Powell is practically their first, second, and third option on the offensive end. Additionally, the team has really struggled when he has been thrown off his game. Through 15 games this season, Seton Hall is an undefeated 9-0 when Powell shoots 40% or better from the field and just 2-4 when he is below that mark.

In order for Butler to notch this big-time road victory, they will need to stick to Powell at all times. Thankfully, though, the Dawgs have the luxury of boasting three elite defensive guards in Kamar Baldwin, Aaron Thompson, and Henry Baddley. This trio will work interchangeably to slow down Powell, something that they have done a very good job at over the past two years.

In fact, in five games against the Dawgs in his career, Powell has been limited to just 9.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists (to 2.0 assists) per game on just 13-for-41 (31.7%) shooting from the field (9-for-31, 29.0%, from three). He did not shoot over 40% in any of those games.