Busting Brackets
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Butler Basketball: Keys to success against Baylor on the road

By Lukas Harkins

DETROIT, MI - MARCH 18: Head coach Jordan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - MARCH 18: Head coach Jordan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – FEBRUARY 20: Baldwin of Butler attempts. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – FEBRUARY 20: Baldwin of Butler attempts. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Butler basketball has started this season extremely well with an undefeated 9-0 record. How can they maintain that start on the road against Baylor?

Butler basketball just keeps winning and the schedule just keeps getting tougher. During this past week, the Dawgs recorded back-to-back big-time wins over Ole Miss on the road and Florida at home. With those performances, the team moved to 9-0 on the year and soared to the No. 18 spot in the AP Top 25 Poll (No. 15 in our Busting Brackets power rankings). Butler has already proven its worth as one of the best teams in the entire nation this season but they have another opportunity approaching to put the rest of the nation on notice.

On Dec. 10th, the Butler Bulldogs will travel to Waco, TX to face the Baylor Bears. Considering each team’s respective national ranking, this should be one of the best matchups of the entire week. Both teams are entering this game with superb records and great efficiency numbers. Before diving deeper into this matchup, here’s an overview of where the teams stand:

AP Ranking: Butler – 18th | Baylor – 11th

KenPom Overall: Butler – 13th | Baylor – 11th

Adj Off. Efficiency: Butler – 12th | Baylor – 21st

Adj Def. Efficiency: Butler – 32nd | Baylor – 15th

Adjusted Tempo: Butler – 339th | Baylor – 202nd

This has the makings of one of the more evenly-matched top-25 games of the early season. Both teams are exceptionally disciplined on both ends of the floor. They also feature elite-level backcourts and that should be the main matchup for everyone to watch in this contest. Baylor and Butler have already shown that they are worthy of being top-25 teams, but the winner of this game will have a legitimate argument to be considered for the top-10 and trending towards joining the group of national title contenders.

Now, without any further ado, let’s tackle this Butler-centric preview in the normal fashion: opponent intel, keys to success, and a pregame edition of Hark’s Bark.