Butler Basketball: Takeaways from nail-biting victory over Stanford

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - FEBRUARY 20: Kamar Baldwin #3 of the Butler Bulldogs attempts a shot while being guarded by Brendan Bailey #1 of the Marquette Golden Eagles in the second half at the Fiserv Forum on February 20, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – FEBRUARY 10: McDermott/Baldwin of the Bulldogs point. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

2. Experience leads through adversity.

Butler was pushed to its limit by Stanford in this game. Both teams entered the contest with undefeated records and neither wanted to see their hot starts ended with a loss. It was the Cardinal, though, who came out of the halftime break with a nice run to take control of the game. They forced the Dawgs into several uncharacteristic turnovers as they built up a steady advantage over the first 10 minutes of the second half.

This run was perhaps largely due to the fact that Butler struggled in the absence of Sean McDermott. The senior wing left the game late in the first half with an injury and needed to be taken to the locker in a wheelchair. The Dawgs appeared to be shaken by his loss as the injury seemed severe but were rejuvenated upon his somewhat unexpected return.

At the 8:43 mark in the game, Butler trailed Stanford, 51-48, and was struggling on both ends of the floor. But it was at this moment when head coach LaVall Jordan turned to his experienced leaders by returning Kamar Baldwin, Sean McDermott (for his first minutes of the half), and Henry Baddley to the court alongside junior point guard Aaron Thompson (Bryce Nze also joined them a couple of minutes later). That senior trio went on to play the next six minutes together while pushing the Dawgs out in front.

Experience won the day in this one, and that could be a theme moving forward.

Baldwin and McDermott might receive the most credit, but Henry Baddley also earned attention for his play in this one. The senior has been an incredible leader over the past several months and brings tremendous defensive play. While he has struggled a bit with his jumper to begin this season, there is no question that he can be a dynamic defender. Baddley did not see any playing time against Missouri (due entirely to a lack of a true matchup for him), but he came out with great energy in his 21 minutes (16 in the 2H) of action against Stanford. He does so much behind the scenes to help this team win games.

Butler’s experience and leadership went a long way in securing this victory and it will not be the last time where those three (along with juniors Thompson and Nze) step up in big moments.