Butler Basketball: Keys to success against Florida at home

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 06: Head coach LaVall Jordan of the Butler Bulldogs reacts in the second half of a game against the Xavier Musketeers at Hinkle Fieldhouse on February 6, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Xavier defeated Butler 98-93 in overtime. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

1 of 6

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – DECEMBER 15: Bulldogs players react. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Butler basketball defended its national ranking with a road win over Ole Miss in its last game. How can they continue that strong play against Florida?

Butler basketball’s start to this season has been impressive. There is simply no other word to describe it. The Dawgs have exceeded even the highest of expectations through the first eight games of this season while remaining undefeated. Additionally, it is not as though the team has played a cupcake schedule – they already hold four KenPom top-100 wins. Yet, despite this, it feels as though the competition level moves up a notch with each game.

After defeating Missouri, Stanford, and Ole Miss in back-to-back-to-back games all away from home…the good news is that Butler will finally return to the friendly confines of Hinkle Fieldhouse for their next game. The bad news? Well, that game will come against a preseason top-10 team in the country in Florida. While the Gators have struggled to live up to those expectations out of the gates, they are still 6-2 on the year and hovering around the AP top-25 at this point. They are very young but still exceptionally talented with a high ceiling.

To put it simply, this game should prove to be another tough challenge for the Bulldogs. Thankfully, though, Butler will be back in front of a likely sold-out Hinkle Fieldhouse for this performance. The Dawgs have not played in the historical site since taking over the longest active non-conference home winning streak in the country and the Gators represent a superb opponent to put that run of 55 straight victories to the test.

This contest will tip at 12:00 pm ET on Saturday, Dec. 7th and it should be one of the headline games of the day across the country. It will be televised on FOX.

With that said, what will it take for Butler to continue its undefeated start and move to 9-0 with a fifth win over a high-major opponent? Let’s dive into my preview for the contest with some opponent intel, potential keys to success, and a pregame edition of Hark’s Bark.