Senior Jahmyl Telfort had 22 points in the win over Villanova on Jan. 27. Photo by Elle Rotter.
CALEB DENORME | ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR | cdenorme@butler.edu
The men’s basketball team will look to build on their winning streak as they head to Creighton on Feb. 2 to take on the Bluejays. Butler won dramatically last time out against Villanova to move to 14-7 on the year.
The Bulldogs are tied for fifth in the Big East standings with Providence, St. John’s and Xavier. Creighton is tied for second in the Big East, with a conference record of 7-4 and overall record of 16-5.
The Dawgs will now battle the Bluejays in Omaha, where Butler has only won twice in their history.
Here is what you need to know as Butler takes on Creighton.
Who: Butler vs. Creighton
When: Feb. 2, 9 p.m.
Where: CHI Health Center; Omaha, Nebraska
How to watch/listen: FS1, WXNT 1430 AM
Keeping the streak alive
Butler has rattled off three straight wins in the last two weeks. The Dawgs took down DePaul, Georgetown and Villanova to climb back up the Big East standings. In those three games, there were two common factors that gave the Bulldogs the winning edge they needed.
The first is rebounding. Securing the boards is something that plagued this Butler team in the early parts of the season. At times, the Dawgs simply looked beat on the glass. Recently though, that has changed dramatically.
In their past three games, Butler has outrebounded their opponents in every single matchup. The Bulldogs had 7 more rebounds than DePaul, 9 more than Georgetown and ten more than Villanova. This newfound dominance on the glass is a huge reason why the Dawgs are on this winning streak.
The second is limiting turnovers. Butler has won the turnover battle in their past three games as well. The Bulldogs’ ability to take possessions out of their opponents’ hands has been paramount in these tightly contested games. In the Big East you need any edge you can get, so protecting the basketball is vital.
If Butler can rebound and limit turnovers, they will be in good shape to upset Creighton on the road.
Creighton scouting report
The Bluejays are 16-5 this season and ranked No. 13 in the nation. They are tied for second in the Big East standings behind UConn, with a conference record of 7-4.
The main contributors for Creighton are senior Baylor Scheierman, junior Trey Alexander and senior Ryan Kalkbrenner. Those three players have accounted for 64.4% of the Bluejays’ total points this season.
The backcourt duo of Scheierman and Alexander will be the focal point of the Bulldogs’ defense. Both tall guards, Butler will have to play tough defense and be willing to help out if they try to get into the paint. Both players can shoot from deep as well, so this game will require excellent defense from the Dawgs if they want to come away with a win.
Kalkbrenner, a 7’1” center, will be the main factor in the paint. Kalkbrenner averages 16.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. If senior center Jalen Thomas can limit Kalkbrenner and rebound, Butler will be in good shape.
Overall, the Bulldogs will need to have a complete team game if they want to beat Creighton on the road for the first time since 2015. This is another chance for the Dawgs to pick up a quality win in their quest for postseason basketball.
