Butler Basketball: Keys to success against Baylor on the road

1. Backcourt defense will be crucial.

As already discussed, Baylor boasts some spectacular guard play this season. The most notable of their backcourt contributors are clearly Jared Butler and MaCio Teague but that goes without mentioning reserve guard Devonte Bandoo as a dangerous perimeter threat and Davion Mitchell as a defensive-stopper. While the Bears’ frontcourt earns a ton of respect for their work inside and on the glass, it is this group of guards that stirs the drink for this team. In addition to dictating the offense with their ball-handling and playmaking, Baylor’s guards are also the top scoring options for the team.

As a result, Butler’s guards will need to be ready for arguably their toughest test of the season. Thankfully, though, Aaron Thompson and Kamar Baldwin are both high-level defenders capable of locking down just about anyone in the country. It is also important to mention that Butler head coach LaVall Jordan will likely deploy senior wing Henry Baddley to spend time chasing Baylor’s guards around the perimeter. Neutralizing Butler/Teague is far easier said than done but it might be mandatory in order to win this game. Both players are dynamic three-level scorers with the ability to catch fire at any time.

Considering Baylor’s backcourt combines for such a high percentage of the team’s overall scoring, finding a way to slow them down will be critical. Perhaps the best method to go about doing this will be to bait Baylor into mid-range jump-shots. This is a strategy that the Bears have complied with at times this season as 30.7% of their shot attempts this season have been regarded as “long twos” – they are hitting on just 37.1% of those shots as well. Butler could look to exploit this by luring Baylor’s guards into these inefficient attempts.