Butler Basketball: Keys to success against Seton Hall at home

2. Win the rebounding battle.

Despite the fact that Seton Hall deploys a 7-footer for most of each game it plays (Gill/Obiagu as a tandem), it is surprising to note that the team does not rank especially well in terms of rebounding. The Pirates aren’t bad in this facet of the game by any stretch but rank just 148th nationally in offensive rebounding rate (28.4%) and 175th in def. reb. rate (71.7%). Those aren’t especially great numbers and that could open the door for Butler to create more possessions by controlling the glass. With teams as closely matched as these two, any potential advantage is worth looking into.

For the season, Butler sits at 167th in offensive rebounding rate (28.3%), which is a solid mark but nothing spectacular. It is reasonable to think the Dawgs could snag a few second-chance buckets but not all that many. The big difference on the glass, though, is that the Dawgs should eliminate the vast majority of second-chance buckets for the Pirates. Butler sits at eighth nationally in defensive rebounding rate (77.9%) as the team does exceptional job boxing out on each miss and using its guards/wings to soar in for boards.

The key players to watch in this particular area are Bryce Nze and Aaron Thompson. Nze is the team’s leading rebounder and the starting “4” in the rotation. He ranks 121st personally in offensive rebounding rate and is a second-chance scoring threat at 6-foot-7. He is quite physical underneath and intelligent with regard to reading misses. Thompson, on the other hand, starts at point guard for the Dawgs but is an exceptional defensive rebounder. He leaps high for missed shots and can come down with boards in traffic when necessary.

It is also important to mention starting center Bryce Golden. Although his rebounding numbers (3.9 per game) do not indicate it, Golden is an incredibly important piece on the glass. He does an excellent job using his physicality and 6-foot-9 frame to consistently take opposing bigs out of the rebounding picture and that makes him very valuable. Reserve big man Derrik Smits could also see significant playing time in this game to bring more size to the floor for Butler at 7-foot-1.

These two squads are incredibly evenly matched and relatively similar in playing style. If Butler is able to create a rebounding edge, that could go a long way as there is very little separation between the teams on paper.