Butler Basketball: Takeaways from road loss to Villanova

VILLANOVA, PA - JANUARY 21: Bryce Nze #10 of the Butler Bulldogs looks on against the Villanova Wildcats in the second half at Finneran Pavilion on January 21, 2020 in Villanova, Pennsylvania. The Villanova Wildcats defeated the Butler Bulldogs 76-61. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – JANUARY 04: McDermott of the Bulldogs passes. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

2. McDermott’s shooting is essential.

Sean McDermott was able to get free for far more open looks than normal against Villanova. Butler’s offensive sets released him like they should a couple of times and probing the inside created some open shots for him as well. That was a good thing and definitely a step in the right direction for the team. The eye test showed that the set execution for the team wasn’t as bad as many might construe from statistics. The issue is that McDermott was never able to find the bottom of the net on any of his attempts.

Over the course of the night, McDermott shot 1-for-11 from the field including 0-for-7 from three. It was easily his worst shooting game of the season and just extenuated the fact that he is the midst of a shooting slump that has persisted since the beginning of conference play.

Considering McDermott’s well-earned reputation as an incredible sniper over the past 3.5 years, it is reasonable to assume that he will eventually get back on track. Butler, though, needs that to occur sooner rather than later because he is so important to its offensive effectiveness. Without his floor spacing, Baldwin and Thompson aren’t able to probe the paint as effectively and players such as Bryce Nze are not afforded the room needed to operate underneath.

One of the biggest offseason concerns regarding Butler was the lack of a true secondary scorer next to Baldwin. Through the first two months of the year, it seemed as though that issue had been solved with McDermott stepping up to average 11.3 points on .551/.475/.870 shooting splits. Those numbers might seem outrageously efficient but they weren’t that far from the norm of his past two seasons.

Since the start of the conference season, though, his efficiency has significantly dropped to shooting splits of just .357/.250/.867. The usually uber-efficient McDermott has struggled as of late and while he is still averaging in double-figures per game during Big East play, he hasn’t had the same impact as a result. His 9-for-36 shooting from three of late has to improve moving forward – he’s too good of a shooter for that to continue.

Butler’s turnover and defensive woes have been the biggest issues during most of this three-game losing streak, but McDermott’s importance should not be understated. Getting him back on track will likely put the Dawgs back on track as well. The senior leader is vital to success. It’s also reasonable to assume he will return to form soon. McDermott is a poised veteran that has always been among Butler’s most consistent performers for the last few seasons.