Butler basketball put together another strong performance at the Crossroads Classic with a controlling win over Purdue. What did we learn?
Butler basketball just continues to impress with every single game. Ever since the opening tip of the 2019-20 season, the Dawgs have looked like one of the best teams in the entire country and they are starting to earn the national attention that they deserve as a result. With a balanced unit featuring several leaders and the ability to win games on both ends of the floor, Butler just continues to win games against high-level competition while proving that it warrants a standing among possibly the top 10 teams in the nation.
At the annual Crossroads Classic event on Dec. 21st, the Dawgs came out with a purpose once again and took down a highly-regarded Purdue Boilermakers squad. Even though Butler fell down six points in the early minutes of the game, the team fought back and basically controlled the entire contest. The Dawgs held a double-digit advantage for a long stretch of the second half and were able to withstand a Boilermakers’ run in the final minutes to walk out of Bankers Life Fieldhouse with a victory and an 11-1 record.
For the most part, it was Butler’s ability to succeed on both ends of the floor that led to this victory. Even though the Boilermakers shot 9-for-20 (45.0%) from three, they were just 10-for-37 (27.0%) inside the arc. Butler, on the other hand, posted relatively efficient shooting numbers of 46.7% from the field and 36.8% from three against one of the better defensive units in the country.
By the time the final buzzer sounded, Butler held a 70-61 advantage on the scoreboard. Diving a bit deeper, though, what did we learn about the Dawgs from this win?