Butler Basketball: Keys to success against Morehead State in 2019-20

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 02: Aaron Thompson #2 of the Butler Bulldogs shoots the ball against Jermaine Samuels #23 of the Villanova Wildcats in the first half at the Wells Fargo Center on March 2, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

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MILWAUKEE, WI – MARCH 16: The Bulldogs mascot performs. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

2. Play through the frontcourt.

I know I talked about this as a key before the Wofford game but it applies once again against Morehead State. Butler’s bigs have been incredibly impressive with their poise as passers and finishers to begin this season. With their high degree of versatility as offensive weapons, head coach LaVall Jordan can deploy them in a variety of ways.

Due to Morehead State’s lack of size, players like Bryce Nze and Bryce Golden should have size advantages throughout the majority of this game. Additionally, the Eagles are far from experienced in the frontcourt – their four players standing at 6-foot-7 or taller are all freshmen. Nze, in particular, is a very polished forward and he should excel in his individual matchup throughout this game.

Butler should look to get Nze a touch on just about every offensive possession until the Eagles find a way to stop his impact. The great thing about Nze is even if he draws a consistent double-team, he is decisive with his moves and is a talented passer. He might not be a dominant scorer against a tougher level of opposition, but he should be able to finish his fair share of plays in this one.

Additionally, I am including Christian David in this “bigs” section. Although he stands at just 6-foot-6, David will mostly be used as a high-motor undersized forward this season. He hasn’t been particularly impressive in the regular-season yet this year but showed big-time flashes of brilliance as a passer and hustle player during Butler’s two exhibitions before coming down with an illness. He is still progressing back to 100% (lost weight due to the illness) and he should get back to making a major impact soon. No reason that can’t start against Morehead State.

Butler should not only look to dominate on the glass but also use their bigs in creative offensive sets. Coach Jordan has stressed using his frontcourt as playmakers in the early going this season and this is yet another matchup where they can all be very effective offensively in ways other than scoring. Letting the bigs make decisions as playmakers allows for outstanding cutters like Baldwin and Sean McDermott to get loose for easy finishes at the rim. Dribble hand-offs at the top of the key between bigs and point guard Aaron Thompson can also be very effective as a different form of a pick-and-roll.