The Dawgs won their first regular season game on Nov. 6 against Eastern Michigan. Photo by Andrew Buckley.

CALEB DENORME | ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR | cdenorme@butler.edu

The men’s basketball team returns to Hinkle Fieldhouse on Nov. 10 for a matchup against Southeast Missouri State. The Dawgs are looking to improve to 2-0 after winning their first regular season matchup against Eastern Michigan (EMU) 94-55. Butler started out slow against EMU, allowing the Eagles to hang around until they pulled away in the second half to win by 39 points. After getting their first taste of Division I competition in the 2023-24 season, the Bulldogs have shifted their focus to the Redhawks of Southeast Missouri State. 

Who: Butler vs. Southeast Missouri State 

When: Nov. 10, 8:30 p.m. 

Where: Hinkle Fieldhouse 

How to watch/listen: FS2/WXNT 1430 AM 

One game under the belt 

Butler’s game against Eastern Michigan (EMU) was a tale of two halves. In the first half, EMU was able to hang around due to lackluster shooting by the Bulldogs. Going into halftime, the Dawgs only led by eight points but eventually hit their stride later in the half. 

The second half was when it all came together for Butler. The Bulldogs outscored the Eagles 60-29, led by Jahmyl Telfort’s 18 points and Pierre Brooks who added 16 more. The Dawgs had 10 players contribute to the score — six of them scored double figures. One offensive category they will have to improve is shooting from deep. Butler shot a dismal 27.3% from three in the game, hitting six out of their 22 shots. Those numbers will likely improve as the team plays together more, but a bad shooting night can make an easy game become tight. 

Butler had one major problem throughout the night: rebounds. The Eagles pulled down 12 offensive rebounds which posed a problem for the Bulldogs early on when the score was tight. Luckily for the Dawgs, Eastern Michigan cooled down and only shot 32.2% from the field after their hot start, which allowed Butler to build up a lead. 

This is still a very new team with lots of new faces. Until they have more playing time under their belt against Division I opponents, the Dawgs will continue to be up and down at times. 

Southeast Missouri State scouting report 

The Redhawks are a part of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), a Division I conference that consists of teams from Illinois, Tennessee, Indiana, Kentucky, Arkansas and Missouri. The men’s basketball team went 19-17 last season and went on to win the OVC Tournament to gain a spot in the NCAA Tournament. They crashed out of the tournament in the First Four to Texas A&M Corpus Christi, ending their season. 

The Redhawks lost their three top scorers from last season in Phillip Russell, Chris Harris and Israel Barnes. The key returner is Josh Earley, who averaged 7.7 points and 5.1 rebounds last season in the magical run to the NCAA Tournament. Another player to watch out for will be TJ Biel, a 6’7” guard who averaged 9.3 points last season at Triton College. 

The focus for the Bulldogs defense will be chasing the Redhawks off the three point line. Southeast Missouri State shot from beyond the arc on 39.9% of their shots last season. If they come out hot and Butler can not defend the perimeter, it could be a closer game than many might think. 

This will be another early-season test for Butler as they continue to build chemistry before the bigger matchups they have coming up. The Redhawks made it to the big dance last year, so they should not be overlooked.