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Butler Basketball: Keys to success vs. St. John’s in 2019-20

By Lukas Harkins

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 01: Kamar Baldwin #3 and Sean McDermott #22 of the Butler Bulldogs talk to head coach LaVall Jordan during a game against the Providence Friars at Hinkle Fieldhouse on February 1, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Providence defeated Butler 65-61. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 01: Kamar Baldwin #3 and Sean McDermott #22 of the Butler Bulldogs talk to head coach LaVall Jordan during a game against the Providence Friars at Hinkle Fieldhouse on February 1, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Providence defeated Butler 65-61. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – JANUARY 24: The Bulldogs celebrate. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – JANUARY 24: The Bulldogs celebrate. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /

Butler basketball’s Senior Night will take place when St. John’s comes to visit Hinkle Fieldhouse. What will it take for the Dawgs to snag the victory?

Senior Night has arrived for Butler basketball. This means that the team’s upcoming home matchup against St. John’s will also represent the last game in Hinkle Fieldhouse for the likes of Kamar Baldwin, Sean McDermott, Henry Baddley, and Derrik Smits. These four seniors have all put forth their fair share of contributions over the years (just one for Smits) and it will be sad to see them go. With that said, though, it would be wonderful for them to go out with a bang and secure one last victory in front of the Hinkle faithful.

The Dawgs will be heading into this matchup against the Red Storm as fairly heavy favorites but do not let that sway you. The Red Storm have played extremely hard in every game this season despite the fact that they only hold a 15-14 (4-12 BE) record. They are fresh off a 20-point win over highly-regarded Creighton and also have victories over Arizona and West Virginia. It is important to mention, though, that St. John’s is just 1-7 in true road games this season with the lone win coming at DePaul.

Butler has been quite inconsistent over the course of conference play but is still in decent shape to land a quality seed in the Big East Tournament. The Dawgs hold a 20-9 (8-8 BE) record for the season and would clinch at worst the No. 6 seed in the BET with a win over the Red Storm. This would mean that the team would not have to play on the opening day of the event.

Of course, winning this game would also help Butler’s NCAA Tournament resume. The team is already a lock to reach the Big Dance and is only looking to improve its seed down the stretch. Our current projections at Busting Brackets have placed Butler on the No. 5 seed line at the moment while the Bracket Matrix shows an average seed of 5.75.

Now, without any further ado, let’s dive into how the Butler Bulldogs might be able to defend their home court against the visiting St. John’s Red Storm.