Senior guard DJ Davis scored 24 points in 31 minutes against the Blue Demons. Photo courtesy of Butler Athletics.
SARAH HOHMAN | SPORTS EDITOR | shohman@butler.edu
Butler snapped a five game losing streak with an 82-63 win over DePaul. The Dawgs improve to 17-13 overall and 8-11 in Big East play.
This was a much-needed win for the Bulldogs who have severely struggled lately. Senior guard DJ Davis was on fire. The guard put up 24 points on 9-13 shooting from the field and 5-8 from three, including a shot from DePaul’s logo.
The game was pretty much in Butler’s hands throughout. The Dawgs came out of the jump and never looked back. DePaul got within 11 once in the second half, but could never get the difference to single digits. Junior guard Pierre Brooks also had the three going, shooting 4-6 from beyond the arc and scoring 16 points.
In a crucial win for Butler, let’s go beyond the box score.
Cleaner basketball
Turnovers have killed Butler in their last six games. The Dawgs have been forcing contested passes and making thoughtless errors. Improvement was noticeable, as they only gave the ball away six times.
The Dawgs also cleaned up on defense. Although DePaul’s offense is certainly not jaw dropping, it was still nice to see Butler force 14 turnovers and hold a team to under 50% shooting from the field and three. The Bulldog’s offense was also able to convert 14 points off of their takeaways.
Butler was still out rebounded against DePaul 36-30, an issue that the Dawgs have been unable to correct all season. The Bulldog’s inability to beat out teams on the boards has been a key difference in most of their losses. This is certainly a problem that Butler must fix before next season if they want to be more competitive in the Big East.
Success on offense
Butler tends to force threes when they are struggling on offense, but the Dawgs showed more patience in the win. The Bulldogs shot 50% from the field, their highest percentage since their win against Providence on Feb. 10.
Ball movement allowed the Dawgs to cut through the paint and find more opportunities at the basket. Fifth-year center Jalen Thomas was a guy who got more opportunities at the rim than normal. The center put up 15 points, grabbed three rebounds and blocked one shot.
What needs to happen
NCAA Tournament hopes are certainly slim for the Dawgs, but not impossible. It all starts with their game against rival Xavier on Wednesday, March 6.
The Dawgs desperately need to bring momentum into the Big East Tournament and a win against their rival on senior night would certainly bring them some. Xavier is in a similar position as Butler and only one spot ahead of the Dawgs in the Big East rankings. This game should be an intense battle between two teams fighting for their seasons.
