Kilyn McGuff has averaged 13.5 points per game this season. Photo by Jada Gangazha.
DAVID JACOBS | ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR | drjacobs@butler.edu
The women’s basketball team hosts their toughest competition to date on Nov. 13 as the Indiana Hoosiers pay a visit to Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Here is what you need to know before tip-off against the Hoosiers:
Who: Butler vs. Indiana
When: Nov. 13, 7:00 p.m.
Where: Hinkle Fieldhouse
How to watch: FloSports
Living up to the hype
In this past off-season, Butler introduced senior transfer guard Kilyn McGuff and a group of four first-years.
So far, McGuff has shined for the Bulldogs after impressing head coach Austin Parkinson during the offseason.
The Belmont transfer has averaged a team-high 13.5 points per game to pair with nine rebounds a game. A workhorse on the defensive side of the ball, McGuff led all players with a whopping 38 minutes played in their 79-70 overtime win against Milwaukee on Nov. 9.
Lily Carmody, a first-year guard from Australia, has lived up to the hype surrounding her name during her recruitment. Through the first two games of the season, Carmody leads the team in scoring with 13.5 points and in steals with an impressive 3.5 steals per game through the first two outings.
In the overtime victory, Carmody paced the Dawgs with 20 points off the bench — getting more minutes than both starting guards ahead of her.
Scouting the Hoosiers
Ranked 25th in the AP Pre-Season poll, the Hoosiers quickly dropped out of the rankings following a 72-68 overtime loss to Harvard.
In the defeat, Indiana let the Crimson reach an early 21-7 by the end of the first quarter and could not overcome the deficit.
What sets the Dawgs apart from the Hoosiers is the depth of their respective rosters. Indiana plays a short six-woman rotation, with four starters averaging 30 minutes a game. For the Dawgs, McGuff is the lone player averaging over 30 minutes, with eight players over 15 minutes per game.
Junior guard Yarden Garzon has led the Hoosiers with 18.5 points per game while junior forward Lily Meister has averaged a double-double with 16.5 points and 10.5 rebounds each outing. Not to mention senior guard Sydney Parrish, who does a bit of everything for the Hoosiers, but has yet to find her outside stroke this season with just a 10% clip from the perimeter.
Coming off a loss, Indiana will be yearning for an improved result — meaning the Dawgs will likely be getting the best the Hoosiers have to offer. The Bulldogs will need to contain a lot of different scoring threats with threats from every level.
As the underdogs, Butler will need to be able to contain Garzon while getting out to a hot start against the Hoosiers like Harvard did to secure a win.
