Senior guard Caroline Strande recorded 18 points and nine rebounds in Butler’s win over St. John’s on Feb. 9. Photo courtesy of Butler Athletics.
SAWYER GOLDWEIN | STAFF REPORTER | sgoldwein@butler.edu
The Bulldogs are fresh off of their second Big East win of the season heading into a road matchup with Providence on Feb. 14. Butler took down St. John’s in a 64-59 upset win at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Feb. 9.
Providence is 5-7 in the Big East, landing them in eighth place, while the Dawgs remain in 10th. The Friars paid a visit to Hinkle on Jan. 21 and picked up a 63-53 win over Butler.
For the Bulldogs, the trip to Providence is the beginning of a stretch of four road games in their next five contests.
Here’s what you need to know before the Bulldogs take on the Friars.
Who: Butler at Providence
When: Feb. 14, 7 p.m.
Where: Alumni Hall
How to watch: BEDN
Fast breaks
In Butler’s two Big East wins this season, they’ve gained a significant advantage in fast break points. The Dawgs outscored Xavier and St. John’s by a combined total of 34-11 on fast breaks.
This is a testament to the Bulldogs’ ability to have at least four players on the floor at once who can handle the ball and help push the pace, particularly against teams that prefer to play slower or feature forwards as their best players.
In addition, the fact that Butler’s guards are capable rebounders allows them to get out in transition much quicker than teams who need their forwards to pull down the rebound and wait for help from their guards before advancing the ball up the floor.
In their previous matchup, Butler did score more fast break points than Providence, but by a narrow 8-6 margin.
Scouting the Friars
Providence features three double-digit scorers: junior forward Olivia Olsen, senior guard Grace Efosa and senior guard Brynn Farrell. The trio has combined to score over 38 points per game.
Look for the Friars to play inside-out, primarily through Olsen. First-year forward Cristen Carter and junior forward Sydney Jaynes will have their work cut out for them trying to handle the 6’3” Olsen.
Providence does not shoot the ball particularly well as a team — just 32% from beyond the arc — but they do have two starters shooting over 40% from deep, so Butler will have to stay disciplined and fight their way over screens when necessary.
One area that the Dawgs can try to exploit is turnovers. The Friars turn the ball over a whopping 20.2 times per game, giving up 19.4 points per game off of those turnovers.
Butler is fairly pedestrian in forcing and taking advantage of turnovers, but Providence will surely present the Bulldogs with opportunities to score off takeaways. Capitalizing on those chances could spell victory for Butler.
