Butler takes the 2024 Arizon Tip-Off crown after beating Mississippi. Photo courtesy of Butler Athletics.  

CALEB DENORME | SPORTS EDITOR | cdenorme@butler.edu

The Butler Bulldogs grabbed a massive top-25 victory over Mississippi State to win the 2024 Arizona Tip-Off Challenge. After besting Northwestern on Thanksgiving, the Dawgs rolled into the championship game and captured a ranked win to move to 6-1 on the season.

Fifth-year forward Jahmyl Telfort and senior forward Pierre Brooks led the offensive charge for Butler, tallying 46 points between them. Junior guard Landon Moore also contributed off the bench, adding 13 points and two assists.

Despite Mississippi State’s late surges, the Dawgs were able to keep their noses out in front to get over the finish line. An early-season marquee win for coach Thad Matta and the Bulldogs will go a long way down the stretch.

Let’s go beyond the box score for Butler’s championship performance against Mississippi State.

The dynamic duo

The combo of Brooks and Telfort was an enigma that Mississippi State could not solve. The two forwards poured in 52.9% of the Dawgs’ total points on the night and were two out of three Bulldogs along with Moore in double-digits.

This is the expectation Butler fans had for the wing pair coming into the season. If both Telfort and Brooks could score in double digits on the offensive end, the Bulldogs would be in good shape to win those games.

Both Brooks and Telfort were 8/15 from the field while playing upwards of 35 minutes each. Their efficiency from beyond the arc was also a stat to marvel at — Telfort shot 57% from deep, and Brooks hit 50% of the time. 

Despite the explosion from his forwards, everyone on the floor for Matta got onto the scoresheet. Butler had nine players contribute to the scoring effort, a complete team effort to seal the championship.

The Bulldogs will want to carry this momentum and playstyle into their coming games, especially as the Big East schedule looms.

Defensive toughness

On the other end of the floor, Butler kept Mississippi State at bay to keep the lead throughout the game. The Dawgs had several different players step up and contribute on defense, often making it hard for Mississippi State to get open shots.

The Bulldogs limited Mississippi State to shooting just 37.7% from the field and 25.9% from three. The Dawgs also dominated on the boards, securing 11 more rebounds than their opponents to help them close out the victory.

Despite the win, Butler did not force many turnovers on defense and gave the ball away 14 times on offense. There was a turnover disparity, but the Bulldogs’ ability to contest shots and make Mississippi State uncomfortable resulted in missed shots. These contests forced those misses and limited Mississippi State getting points off of turnovers.

There is still room for improvement though. Butler had troubles on the interior of its defense on some of Mississippi State’s drives, allowing easy layups throughout the game. The Bulldogs cleaned this problem up later on to secure the win, but it was a persisting issue during the matchup.

Butler will take this win and head into a matchup against Eastern Illinois on Tuesday, Dec. 3 back home in Hinkle Fieldhouse.