Butler Basketball: Takeaways from statement win over Florida

NEW ORLEANS, LA - MARCH 26: Shelvin Mack #1 of the Butler Bulldogs holds a stuffed animal bulldog eating a gator as he celebrates after they defeated the Florida Gators 74 to 71 during the Southeast regional final of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at New Orleans Arena on March 26, 2011 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

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DETROIT, MI – MARCH 18: Coach Jordan of the Bulldogs reacts. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

2. Roster-wide physicality was on display.

One of Butler’s biggest weaknesses last season was a lack of physicality. With Bryce Nze and Bryce Golden holding down the frontcourt this time around, though, many expected a slight improvement in that area. And if the first eight games weren’t an indication, this performance against Florida showed that the Dawgs’ biggest development this season is their roster-wide physicality.

The Gators entered this game highly-touted for their size and length across their entire lineup. Butler, though, matched up with them incredibly well inside. From a statistical standpoint, the Dawgs limited the Gators to just four offensive rebounds and six second-chance points.

Bryce Golden especially did a tremendous job counteracting Kerry Blackshear Jr.‘s strength in the post. Florida’s graduate transfer big man still managed to post 17 points for the contest, but he only attempted four 2-point shots. While he made all of those shots, Golden did exceptional work limiting his number of post touches.

On the offensive end, Butler either created open looks from 3-point range or looked to drive to the hoop. As a result, the Dawgs shot 22 total free throws in the game. They hit on 77.3% on those attempts as a team even with Thompson only shooting 4-for-8. Butler’s aggression was important for the team as they consistently forced Florida’s defense into mistakes.

Improved physicality has been a major reason for Butler’s successes so far this season and head coach LaVall Jordan spoke on that in postgame:

"“I think our guys put in a lot of work with [strength coach] Matthew Johnson over the summer to get themselves prepared. From 1-to-14, everyone was dialed in on the program. Knowing that we needed to be a more physical team, be in better shape, and we came back prepared for the preseason with a mentality. We talk about mindset and skillset, and if I had to choose, give me the guys with the right mindset. Our guys have a mindset to be in front of guys and build walls and force guys to miss tough shots and hit people when shots go up.”"