Busting Brackets
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Butler Basketball: 2020-21 season preview for the Bulldogs

By Drew Schmelzer

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JANUARY 30: A general view of a Butler Bulldogs flag seen during the game against the Marquette Golden Eagles at Hinkle Fieldhouse on January 30, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JANUARY 30: A general view of a Butler Bulldogs flag seen during the game against the Marquette Golden Eagles at Hinkle Fieldhouse on January 30, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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Feb 23, 2020; Omaha, Nebraska, USA; Butler Bulldogs forward Jordan Tucker (1) and forward Sean McDermott (22) lead Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 23, 2020; Omaha, Nebraska, USA; Butler Bulldogs forward Jordan Tucker (1) and forward Sean McDermott (22) lead Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /

Schedule Outlook

The non-conference schedule has been turned upside down. We’ve got MTEs (multi team events) all over the place and at this point there is no way to tell what Butler’s schedule actually looks like, but if things work out they will have some intriguing games on the docket. Here are the top 2 with what we know now:

1.      The Crossroads Classic – Originally, Butler was scheduled to play Wisconsin in Fort Myers in late November, but they pulled out of that event this week, so now the Crossroads Classic looks like Butler’s best non-con opportunity. This event is expected to be played and the Bulldogs would play Indiana, led by Big Ten POY hopeful Tracye Jackson Davis. The Hoosiers also add 5-star freshman Khristian Lander and will be as loaded as they’ve been in a few years. It will be tough for the Bulldogs to matchup with IU’s athleticism in this one, but it will be great benchmark to see how competitive this team can be.

2.       Big 12/Big East Challenge – Butler drew Kansas State at home, and while the Bulldogs should win this game, K-State has an underrated roster. A name to watch out for in this matchup is Nijel Pack, the Wildcats point guard. The former Butler recruit out of Indianapolis will be in contention for all-Big 12 freshmen honors this season.

Frankly, neither of these matchups do a lot for me, so it would be really nice to find a way to schedule another power conference opponent.

Big East Slate

Butler will also obviously have quite the gauntlet in the Big East and while the Bulldogs have to hold serve at home as much as possible they are more importantly going to need to find a few wins on the road as they did in 2019-20.

Must-wins on the road are @DePaul and @Georgetown. There was room for error in 19-20, but Butler won’t be able to make up for bad road losses in 20-21. They have to win road games against conference bottom feeders if LaVall Jordan’s squad wants to be seen as a serious NCAA Tournament contender with its current roster makeup. They split with both teams a season ago.