Butler Basketball: Takeaways from win over Louisiana Monroe

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 09: Aaron Thompson #2 and Kamar Baldwin #3 of the Butler Bulldogs fight for the ball with Collin Gillespie #2 of the Villanova Wildcats in the second half during semifinals of the Big East Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 9, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

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INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – DECEMBER 21: Nze of the Bulldogs shoots. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Butler basketball moved to 12-1 on the season with a home victory over Louisiana Monroe. What did we learn from the Dawgs’ performance?

Not many people in the preseason would have predicted that Butler basketball would emerge as the favorite to win the Big East by the end of non-conference play this year. Yet, that is the case right now as the Dawgs have torn through their relatively difficult schedule to a 12-1 record while knocking on the door of a potential Top-10 ranking in the AP poll. Head coach LaVall Jordan’s team has impressed at every single opportunity and includes its non-conference-concluding win over Louisiana Monroe.

Seemingly from the opening tip of the game, Butler asserted itself as the better team. The Dawgs wasted no time jumping out to an early lead and then never relinquished that hold by once again putting forth a superb defensive effort. They held the Warhawks to just 36 total points (14 in the first half) on 23.3% shooting from the floor as they constantly disrupted their opponent’s flow and limited open driving lanes and perimeter looks. Even though the Dawgs shot just 7-for-25 from deep themselves, they dominated the game with their defense and control of the paint.

Butler was expected to walk out of Hinkle Fieldhouse with an easy victory in this game and that is exactly what the team did. As the Dawgs have done time and time again this season, they came out of the locker room with a gameplan and executed beautifully. This might not have been the team’s most efficient shooting night, but the offense ran smoothly and consistently created open looks. Even on an “off” night scoring the ball, Butler recorded assists on 17 of 27 made field goals while limiting its turnovers.

Now that the final buzzer has sounded and Butler has left the gym with a 67-36 victory, let’s dive a bit deeper to analyze what we learned from the win.