Butler beat Marquette 69-62 on Jan. 10. Photo by Andrew Buckley.
SARAH HOHMAN | SPORTS EDITOR | shohman@butler.edu
Butler looks to add another win onto a three-game home streak when they face No. 4 Marquette on Tuesday, Feb. 13 at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Dawgs are coming off of another nail biting win against Providence on Feb. 10. They have won five of their last six games.
Butler has been almost perfect at home. With their latest win, the Bulldogs improved their record at home to 11-2 and 16-8 overall.
Marquette will be looking for revenge, as they fell to Butler on Jan. 10 in Milwaukee. In this matchup, the Bulldogs overcame a seven-point halftime deficit with a 41-27 second-half advantage. Since this upset, the Golden Eagles have been on a tear, winning seven straight — their most recent victory being over St. John’s with a score of 86-75.
Here’s what you need to know as Butler takes on Marquette.
Who: Butler vs. Marquette
When: Feb. 13, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Hinkle Fieldhouse
How to watch/listen: FS1, WXNT 1430 AM
Clean basketball
Butler had an uncharacteristic 16 turnover game against Providence. This allowed the Friars to come back and almost win, despite being down nine at halftime. This will not fly against a healthy, ranked Marquette team.
The guards need to be the leaders on this task. Against Providence, senior guard Posh Alexander had five turnovers. Senior guard DJ Davis and junior guard Pierre Brooks each had four. Marquette is going to bring the pressure on defense, as they lead Big East teams in steals per game. Cleaning up the offense will provide more opportunities for a Davis three or a Jahmyl Telfort jump shot.
Scouting report
Last year’s Big East Champions are playing some good basketball, collecting a win over Seton Hall and two wins over both Villanova and St. John’s since last seeing the Bulldogs.
Preseason Big East Player of the Year and 2023 Big East Player of the Year senior guard Tyler Kolek is building his case for a repeat. The guard is averaging 15.6 points per game and is leading the Big East with 7.5 assists per game. In their seven-game winning streak, Kolek is averaging 19.7 points per game.
In Butler’s upset, they held Kolek to only two points. He went 1-13 from the field and 0-7 from three — an extremely uncharacteristic statline. Although this could have been a fluke, the Butler defense had to play some role in stopping the guard.
With Kolek’s generosity in passing the ball, other players are capitalizing on their opportunities. Chase Ross missed five games with a dislocated shoulder, but returned on Jan. 30 against Villanova. Another player who has returned from injury is junior guard Stevie Mitchell. His 14 points against St. John’s was his seventh game in double-figures this season.
The margin of error is low for Butler in this matchup, but they have done it once already this season, and Hinkle magic surely seems alive recently. Look out for a good game, because these Dawgs do not stop fighting.
