Butler Basketball: Keys to success on the road at DePaul in 2019-20
3. Protect the paint.
Butler has done an exceptional job on the defensive end of the floor throughout this season. The Dawgs cut off driving lanes, contest every jump-shot, and do a nice job exhibiting verticality in the paint. As already mentioned, the team also ranks 10th nationally in defensive rebounding rate as it ends possessions effectively. To put it simply, not many teams have been able to find consistent success scoring against Butler so far this season. That is evidenced by the fact that Butler ranks ninth nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency.
Considering DePaul enters this contest ranked outside of the Top 100 in adjusted offensive efficiency, Butler should not surrender a ton of points. In order to make sure that prediction comes to fruition, though, the Dawgs will need to stay vigilant with regard to protecting the paint. The Blue Demons do not attempt (or make) a ton of 3-pointers as the vast majority of their offense revolves around attacking the basket. Charlie Moore and Jalen Coleman-Lands each attempt 5+ trifectas per game but they are the only consistent threats.
As a team, DePaul is scoring 57.4% of their total points for the season on 2-point attempts. This is due to the fact that it prioritizes attempting shots inside the arc and does not get to the charity stripe with much regularity. Jaylen Butz and Paul Reed are the players to watch inside for the Blue Demons.
In order to counteract this interior attack, Butler’s bigs will need to prepared to wall-up underneath. Bryce Nze and Bryce Golden will need to stay diligent in preventing deep position and also need to read Moore on his drives to the hoop. Limiting open looks inside, though, starts on the perimeter by forcing guards into tough feeds or cutting off their driving lanes.
Derrik Smits will also likely play a role for Butler, but his impact could be felt mostly on the offensive end rather than in this facet. He will be the tallest player to take the court for either team.