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Butler Basketball: Keys to success at home against St. John’s

By Lukas Harkins

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JANUARY 16: St. John's Red Storm players stretch before the game against the Butler Bulldogs wearing tee shirts honoring Butler player Andrew Smith at Hinkle Fieldhouse on January 16, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Butler defeated St John's 78-58. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JANUARY 16: St. John's Red Storm players stretch before the game against the Butler Bulldogs wearing tee shirts honoring Butler player Andrew Smith at Hinkle Fieldhouse on January 16, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Butler defeated St John's 78-58. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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DETROIT, MI – MARCH 16: Head coach Jordan of the Butler Bulldogs shouts. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI – MARCH 16: Head coach Jordan of the Butler Bulldogs shouts. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Butler basketball just finished up a three-game road trip. How will the Dawgs perform against St. John’s now that they will be back in Hinkle Fieldhouse?

Has Butler basketball turned a corner? After dropping three of their first four conference games, the Dawgs recorded a big-time road win in their last contest over DePaul. They shot the absolute lights out in the second half of that game and saw a breakout performance from sophomore forward Jordan Tucker. As long as he continues to play at a high level as the second fiddle to star player Kamar Baldwin, Butler basketball will be a very tough team to beat.

With that said, though, a very difficult matchup approaches with St. John’s coming to town. The Red Storm, who sit at 15-3, have been quite impressive to this point in the year but have shown signs of weakness on the road at times (1-2 in true road games). Additionally, Butler owns one of the best home-court advantages in the Big East with the hallowed ground that is Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Dawgs have played their last three games on the road and they have to be happy to be returning home for this matchup.

Even with the home-court advantage, though, this should prove to be a very tough game. St. John’s features five players that average in double-figures per game as scorers, including star guards Shamorie Ponds and Mustapha Heron. Butler will certainly have their hands full in this one so let’s take a look at three potential keys to success.