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Butler Basketball: Keys to success against Ole Miss on the road

By Lukas Harkins

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - NOVEMBER 16: Kamar Baldwin #3 of the Butler Bulldogs shoots the ball against Breein Tyree #4 of the Mississippi Rebels at Hinkle Fieldhouse on November 16, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - NOVEMBER 16: Kamar Baldwin #3 of the Butler Bulldogs shoots the ball against Breein Tyree #4 of the Mississippi Rebels at Hinkle Fieldhouse on November 16, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – MARCH 21: The Bulldogs mascot is shown. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – MARCH 21: The Bulldogs mascot is shown. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

Butler basketball will take its undefeated 7-0 record on the road to take on Ole Miss next. What should the Dawgs prioritize in order to take the victory?

It is no secret that Butler basketball has started this season extremely well. Despite being picked to finish eighth in the Big East in preseason, the Dawgs have launched out to a 7-0 start that includes three wins over KenPom top-100 opponents. As a result, Butler has climbed into the AP top-25 for the first time in the LaVall Jordan era with the No. 24 slot. The AP poll, though, is not the only place showing the Dawgs some love early on this year.

  • NET: Not released yet.
  • KenPom: 20th
  • Sagarin: 27th
  • Basketball Power Index: 21st
  • Haslametrics: 18th
  • Massey Composite: 20th

I also placed Butler at No. 20 in my weekly national power rankings. Butler has been incredibly impressive on the court so far this season thanks to its discipline on both ends of the floor. The Dawgs are working as a unit with regard to their team defense, ball movement and overall balanced scoring attack. Of course, Kamar Baldwin is still the headlining star of the team but he is playing within the system well while allowing others such as Bryce Nze and Aaron Thompson to thrive alongside him. Butler is clearly passing the eye test as evidenced by their inclusion in the AP poll and BB top-25 but the team’s metrics are also outstanding.

Given how successful the Dawgs have been through the first few weeks of the season, it is hard to avoid getting carried away with excitement about the future. With that said, though, the daunting stretch of Butler’s non-conference schedule that started with the Hall of Fame Classic continues on Dec. 3 when the team will play its first true road game of the year. In this contest, Butler will travel down south to take on Ole Miss.

With tip-off approaching, let’s dive a bit deeper into the matchup with the usual pregame format: opponent intel, three keys to success, and Hark’s Bark.