Butler Basketball: Keys to success in bubble battle with St. John's

Butler Basketball: Keys to success in bubble battle with St. John’s

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 06: Head coach LaVall Jordan of the Butler Bulldogs reacts in the second half of a game against the Xavier Musketeers at Hinkle Fieldhouse on February 6, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Xavier defeated Butler 98-93 in overtime. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – FEBRUARY 06: McDermott/Jorgensen of Butler celebrate. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

2. Let it fly from deep.

It is fair to say that Butler is a team that lives and dies with the 3-point shot. And with the number of high-quality shooters on the roster, it is a sound strategy to deploy because seemingly one shooter is always poised for a big-time game if given the opportunities. To this point in the year, the Dawgs are a 14-5 when they shoot better than 25% from beyond the arc (0-5 in all other contests) and it is clear that their entire offense flows better when shots are falling.

With regards to building a scouting report for Butler, three snipers stand out above all the rest: Sean McDermott, Paul Jorgensen, and Jordan Tucker. McDermott, a 6-foot-6 junior, is easily the most deadly and consistent of the bunch as he is knocking down 42.8% of his 5.8 3PA per game. He has also hit at least one 3-pointer in all but one of Butler’s contests this year.

Jorgensen and Tucker, on the other hand, are far more streaky shooters but can be very dangerous when they get it going. On the year, the senior Jorgensen is shooting 40.6% from beyond the arc on 5.3 attempts per game. And while he may have started conference play slow (33.3% through the first eight games), “Prince Harry of Harlem” has really turned it on as late, going 8-for-16 from distance over his last three games.

To round out this group of shooters, sophomore Jordan Tucker has the ability to really catch fire. He has hit a trifecta in all but one of his 15 games with the team and has hit 5+ twice. If he starts to get hot, this man will keep chucking up heat checks until you stop him. He is the best off-the-bounce 3-point shooter on the Butler roster and therefore adds a slightly different dimension than McDermott and Jorgensen.

In the first matchup between Butler and St. John’s, these three snipers combined for 40 points on 9-for-16 shooting for three. And considering the Red Storm rank just eighth in the conference in 3PAr allowed, it is reasonable to think Butler will let it fly from deep again in this meeting. The question is…will those shots drop?