Butler Basketball: Keys to success vs. Marquette in 2019-20

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - FEBRUARY 20: Kamar Baldwin #3 of the Butler Bulldogs dribbles the ball while being guarded by Brendan Bailey #1 of the Marquette Golden Eagles in the first half at the Fiserv Forum on February 20, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

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MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – FEBRUARY 20: Thompson of the Bulldogs dribbles. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

1. AT needs to play smart and aggressive.

Aaron Thompson is easily one of Butler’s most important players. Although his impact might not always be quantified in box scores, it is very obvious that he impacts each game in a variety of ways. On the offensive end of the floor, he is a true point guard in that he dictates the pace of contests, communicates mismatches and sets, and consistently looks to enter the paint and create for others.

Even though Thompson lacks any semblance of a perimeter jumper, he takes advantage of any lapses by his defender with constant off-ball cutting. It is no secret that Butler’s offense is way more effective when AT is on his game. He does an excellent job finding open shooters, dumping off to bigs, and also allows Baldwin to play away from the ball.

Thompson’s impact, though, is mostly felt on the defensive end of the floor. To put it simply, he is a midseason contender for the National Defensive Player of the Year award for a reason. AT is arguably the best perimeter defender in the entire Big East as he absolutely hounds elite scoring guards. He is super quick and a great leader on that end as seemingly a coach on the floor.

Considering Marquette’s Markus Howard enters this game as arguably the best pure scorer in all of college basketball, Aaron Thompson will have his hands full. There is simply no way to stop Howard from scoring – you can only hope to contain him. Howard is going to get his 25-40 points in this contest and Butler will need to make him work hard to get those buckets.

Thompson is easily the best candidate to make that happen and he needs to stay on the court. The junior point guard fouled out against Seton Hall’s Myles Powell earlier in the year and that cannot happen again in this one. Thompson needs to find a way to stay aggressive on both ends of the floor while avoiding foul trouble.

Limiting Marquette’s effectiveness from 3-point range is a very obvious key that everyone will be talking about. Singling out the Thompson vs. Howard matchup is just a microcosm of how important that facet of the game will be for Butler.