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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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MILWAUKEE, WI – MARCH 18: Butler fans cheer. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI – MARCH 18: Butler fans cheer. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

1. Work the ball inside and kick-out.

Butler might only be scoring 28.1% of its total points from 3-point range so far this season but the team boasts plenty of constant threats from beyond the arc. Most notably, Sean McDermott is one of the most efficient shooters in the entire country. The senior wing is connecting on 48.3% of his 3-point attempts so far this season and that is not that far out of the norm – he is career 41.4% shooter. Alongside him, junior Jordan Tucker can also be a reliable shooter from three as a self-creating scoring wing.

In addition to Butler’s two major perimeter threats, the team also boasts the likes of Bryce Golden, Khalif Battle, and many others as players that can step out and hit 3-pointers. Even though the Dawgs have only played in seven games so far, every single member of the rotation (nine players) has already made at least one trifecta this season. It is no secret that Butler can really space the floor at all five positions and that opens up their entire offense.

With regard to this particular matchup with Ole Miss, Butler should look to set the tone early by creating open looks for their shooting stars early and often. At the Hall of Fame Classic, head coach LaVall Jordan emphasized running Sean McDermott around screens to free him up on the perimeter while also utilizing Bryce Golden in the pick-and-pop. That resulted in the Dawgs jumping out to early leads and the team will look to apply the same approach to this game.

Ole Miss currently ranks 9th in the entire nation in 3-point defense as they are holding opponents to just 24.7% shooting on those attempts. As a result, it is unreasonable to think that Butler will light it up from beyond the arc in Oxford. Yet, if they are able to create some open looks and knock them down, that will force the Rebels to extend their defense a bit more, opening up the lane for players such as Thompson, Baldwin, and Nze to go to work.

Butler should boast an obvious advantage in the paint in this game, but Ole Miss’ defense will likely be ready for that by collapsing on bigs in the paint. This could open up some looks from beyond the arc as the Rebels will not let the “Bryce Bros” dominate the game with their rebounding and finishing (and possibly even their ability to draw fouls).

Ole Miss is a relatively strong defensive team and taking them out of their scheming could pay major dividends. This doesn’t mean that Butler should force shots from the perimeter, but the team needs to stay diligent in moving the ball side-to-side on each possession to potentially find an open look. Simply hitting a few threes in the first few minutes could greatly change the Rebels’ defensive gameplan.