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

Pregame Hark’s Bark

1. Do not overlook this game and lose momentum.

Butler is carrying a ton of positive momentum into this game. The Dawgs sit at 4-0, are fresh off back-to-back top-150 wins, are receiving top-25 votes, and will once again be in front of their home crowd. With Morehead State ranked as a sub-250 team in the country, this is a recipe for a blowout. At the same rate, though, Butler cannot get complacent and disappoint in a potential trap game.

Following this matchup, the Dawgs will play back-to-back top-100 opponents at the Hall of Fame Classic before facing Ole Miss, Florida, Baylor and Purdue in four of their following five games. Butler has been exceptionally disciplined with pregame preparation and in-game execution so far. That will need to be the case once again as overlooking the Eagles could lead to a disastrous upset if the Dawgs aren’t careful.

College basketball is full of upsets and when it comes to early-season “easy” games, it is always better to avoid making bad headlines. For Butler, building an NCAA Tournament caliber resume started two weeks ago and each game matters. No victories should ever be taken for granted and no opponent should ever be overlooked.

2. This could be Khalif Battle’s last “tune-up” game.

Top-100 freshman Khalif Battle has progressed with seemingly every single minute that he has taken the court so far this season. That was the case again in Butler’s last contest as he saw the court for 11 minutes and finished with nine points (3-for-3 FG) and two rebounds. The game is definitely slowing down the youngster as he is quickly coming into form as a potential major rotation piece moving forward.

Coach Jordan has stressed on multiple occasions how engaged Battle is in practice with regard to learning from the likes of Thompson/Baldwin on both ends of the floor. With his size at 6-foot-5, Battle can easily play the “3” alongside those two guards for stretches and the coaching staff appears to like that trio on the court together. Battle might not be an elite defender at this point but is definitely engaged on that end and working hard to improve.

Morehead State should not prove to be a major test for Butler and that could allow Battle to see extended minutes once again. If that is the case, I believe that this will be Battle’s last true “tune-up” game before being able to play substantial minutes against high-level competition. If he shows continued improvement on both ends of the floor against the Eagles, it wouldn’t be a major shock to see him emerge as one of the top reserves (possibly the eighth man) for Butler at the Hall of Fame Classic.

3. Watch for dominance from Aaron Thompson.

I know that I already discussed Butler running its offense through its frontcourt in this game. With that said, though, everybody knows that Aaron Thompson will be the one dictating every possession and making sure the bigs get the ball in positions where they can do damage. So far this season, the junior point guard has been absolutely phenomenal. AT seemingly has the ball on a string and is showcasing incredible decision-making. That much is evident as he is averaging 7.3 assists per game while exhibiting a 4.8 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Missouri’s two starting guards were able to do a solid job of picking apart Morehead State’s defense with their fair share of assists earlier this week and neither is in the same league as Thompson with regards to playmaking. AT takes care of the ball very well and excels in the pick-and-roll. Watch for another high assist total out of the Dawgs’ leader in this one.

In the end, Butler is a far more talented team than Morehead State and holds the home-court advantage. Crazier upsets have certainly happened but this is an experienced roster that should understand the value of preparing for each opponent with the same vigor. That should be on display from the opening tip.

Final Prediction: Butler Bulldogs – 78, Morehead State – 54