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Butler Basketball: Keys to success on the road versus Creighton

By Lukas Harkins

PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 10: Aaron Thompson #2 of the Butler Bulldogs passes the ball against the Villanova Wildcats at the Wells Fargo Center on February 10, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 10: Aaron Thompson #2 of the Butler Bulldogs passes the ball against the Villanova Wildcats at the Wells Fargo Center on February 10, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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DETROIT, MI – MARCH 16: Butler’s Baddley fights for the ball. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI – MARCH 16: Butler’s Baddley fights for the ball. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

3. Win the possession battle.

Winning the possession battle is one of the most important keys to success in any basketball game but this is especially true when playing on the road. To put it simply, very few things excite a crowd quite like a second-chance dunk or 3-pointer in transition. This is why Butler needs to dominate the possession game and limit any opportunities for Creighton to feed off of its electric crowd. By taking care of the ball offensively and securing defensive rebounds, it might be difficult for Creighton to gather momentum.

Thankfully, these are also two areas that Butler could excel in based on team statistics. With regards to taking care of the ball, the Dawgs rank 25th in the nation in offensive turnover rate (just 16.1%) while also forcing a fair amount on the defensive end (19.7%, 135th). As for Creighton, they also do not give up many possessions (18.1% off. TO rate, 116th) but almost never turn their opponents over (251st in def. TO rate, 17.6%).

Additionally, there is a reasonably high chance that Butler wins the rebounding battle in this game as well. Both of these teams are sub-par rebounding units with identical defensive rebounding rates (28.2%, 168th) but Butler is a better team on the offensive glass (27.2% to 25.1% in off. reb. rate). With this said, one could assume that the Dawgs will own a slight edge on the boards.

Earlier this month, Butler dominated the possession battle against Creighton while shooting 10 more shots from the field. This advantage was derived from turning Creighton over at a high rate (15 turnovers forced to just 8 committed). The Dawgs have to hope that they can keep that trend going in this matchup.

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In the end, I think that both teams will come out with plenty of energy and desire to pull out this victory. And while both teams could light up the scoreboard with their 3-point shooting, I lean towards Butler taking the victory based on the numbers in the possession battle. With how efficient both of these offenses can be, the team who is able to attempt the most shots will likely be victorious.

Final Prediction: Butler Bulldogs – 82, Creighton Bluejays – 78.