Butler Basketball: Keys to success in road battle with Villanova

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 09: Paul Jorgensen #5 of the Butler Bulldogs tries to drive past Jermaine Samuels #23 of the Villanova Wildcats in the first half during semifinals of the Big East Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 9, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – FEBRUARY 10: Coach Jordan of the Butler Bulldogs looks. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

2. Control the glass.

This might come as a surprise but Butler is a better rebounding team on paper than Villanova. In conference play, the Dawgs have been the second-best defensive rebounding team in the Big East and it is likely that they will be able to consistently snag Villanova’s missed shots in this game. For reference, the ‘Cats are just sixth in the league in offensive rebounding. Perhaps the most notable Butler players in this facet of the game will be Jordan Tucker and Kamar Baldwin, who are both very strong defensive rebounders for their positions.

On the other end of the floor, Butler *could* find a way to snag their fair share of offensive rebounds as well. The Dawgs rank just seventh in the Big East in offensive rebounding rate but ‘Nova only snags missed shots at the sixth-highest rate. It is also important to mention, though, that Butler has one of the most underrated offensive rebounders in the nation in Nate Fowler. The senior big man ranks second in the league in that category and he has been seeing significantly more playing time as his career has winded down in recent weeks.