Butler basketball will look to get back on track versus Southern after suffering its first loss of the season. What will be the keys to success?
Butler basketball suffered its first loss of the 2019-20 campaign on the road against nationally-ranked Baylor during its last game. The Dawgs fought valiantly, though, as they nearly took the victory despite falling behind by as many as 16 points in the first half. It was certainly a disappointing end considering there were opportunities to win, but it was a strong performance on the whole.
Butler still deserves to be regarded among the best teams in the entire nation and next week’s AP Top 25 should continue to reflect that.
That is, of course, if Butler is able to take care of business in its next game. Butler currently holds the longest active non-conference home winning streak in the entire country and that will be put to the test once again with the Southern Jaguars coming to town. The contest will take place on Dec. 14th at 12:00 pm ET and the Dawgs will be looking to extend their streak while also securing their 10th win of the early-season.
Considering the respective computer rankings of these two teams, it is reasonable to think that Butler will be favored by 20+ points in this game but this is not an opponent to overlook – a loss to Southern would not look good on the NCAA Tournament resume. In order to defend Hinkle Fieldhouse, Butler will need to come out of the locker room hungry to add another victory while playing their game on both ends of the floor.
That is the simple answer to how Butler can walk away victorious in this one, but let’s dive a bit deeper into the matchup with Southern. This preview will provide some opponent intel on the Jaguars followed by three potential keys to success for the Dawgs and a pregame edition of Hark’s Bark.