Butler Basketball: Takeaways from home win over Xavier

Butler basketball rallied behind a strong defensive effort and balanced contributions to notch a home win over Xavier. What did we learn?

Fresh off a double-digit loss at Marquette, the Butler basketball team met for an “intense heart-to-heart” as a unit. While it’s impossible to speculate exactly what went down in the conversation, the Dawgs responded well by returning to the basics of their scheming to secure a home victory over Xavier in the following contest. While Butler hasn’t played especially well over the past couple of weeks, the team has now won four of its last six games and has reached 19-6 (7-5 BE) for the season.

This rivalry matchup played out about as many expected. Xavier entered the contest on a three-game winning streak and had been performing at a high level. That continued in this one as Tyrique Jones was able to dominate the paint for large portions of the game and Naji Marshall found his stroke in the second half. Those two led the way but their supporting cast struggled to put forth strong contributions.

This can largely be attributed to the fact that Butler’s halfcourt defense regained some of the stoutness that had been missing recently. Aaron Thompson was dictating the floor very well and contained Marshall despite his size disadvantage before going out with an injury in the middle of the second half. Butler had held a 17-point lead when he went to the bench but that was quickly cut into.

That is when Butler’s big shot makers…well…made big shots. Jordan Tucker rattled off eight huge points and Kamar Baldwin nailed one of his patented step-back jumpers to keep the Dawgs out in front. By the time the final buzzer sounded, the Hinkle Fieldhouse scoreboard showed a five-point advantage (66-61) in favor of the home team.

Now, without any further ado, let’s dive into my biggest takeaways from the performance.