Busting Brackets
Fansided

Butler Basketball: Resume breakdown for the bubblicious Bulldogs

By Lukas Harkins

PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 10: Head coach Jordan of the Butler Bulldogs looks on 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: Head coach Jordan of the Butler Bulldogs looks on 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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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – NOVEMBER 16: Jorgensen of Butler reacts. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – NOVEMBER 16: Jorgensen of Butler reacts. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Does Butler pass the eye test?

Some fans might disagree with me on this but I think the answer is yes. Butler has struggled with consistency issues throughout this season but it seems as though the team has turned a corner as of late. Since getting blown out at home by Marquette a few weeks ago, the Dawgs have won three of their last four games with their only loss coming on the road to St. John’s in overtime. It seems clear that Butler is playing its best basketball at the right time right now.

Additionally, the Dawgs are currently coming off of arguably their best offensive performance of the entire season. En route to scoring 91 points in a vital home win over DePaul, the team dished out 18 total assists and attempted all but three shots on the night from either at the rim or beyond the 3-point arc. When asked about whether this ball movement and shot selection was an emphasis in practice during the week, here is what head coach LaVall Jordan to say:

"“Yeah, it was. I think our assistants did a great job this week. We did put a big focus on skill development…just passing, catching, being able to engage defenders and guys worked on it…seeing guys constantly developing and then our spacing and sharing the ball. The guys took the film to heart from the last game and really addressed it together in practice and it was good to see them apply it.”"

Butler’s defense clearly still has some development to do but they are starting to hit their stride offensively and that is a dangerous sight. Perhaps most notably, seniors Paul Jorgensen and Nate Fowler are playing with a different level of ferocity right now. It is clear that these two do not want to miss the NCAA Tournament in their final season. Fowler, in particular, has been excellent as the team has been +25 when he has been on the floor (80 total minutes) over the past four games.

Butler’s resume might not scream “at-large team” at this point in time but they are still firmly in the hunt and it is good to see that the team is not shying away from the opportunity. The Dawgs have played quite well over the past few games and really “played to win” while they had the lead against DePaul in their last game instead of looking to run out the clock.