First-year guard Lily Carmody scored 17 points in the exhibition win over Taylor. Photo by Jada Gangazha.
DAVID JACOBS | ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR | drjacobs@butler.edu
After a dominant showcase in an exhibition win over Taylor, the Dawgs will look to continue the trend against Chicago State on Nov. 6.
Butler has hosted the Cougars each of the last two seasons with decisive victories by at least 27 points each time.
Here is what you need to know before tip-off against Chicago State:
Who: Butler vs. Chicago State
When: Nov. 6, 11:00 a.m.
Where: Hinkle Fieldhouse
How to watch: YouTube
Scouting the Cougars
With 26 consecutive losses to NCAA opponents, Chicago State brings in a new head coach — Corry Irvin — as well as six true first-years and three transfers into the program. Despite this, the Cougars still return four of their top five leading scorers from last year’s 1-26 squad — including junior guard Ja’Cia Cunningham who led them in scoring with 13.6 points per game.
Irvin, who coached in assistant roles at both Illinois and Mississippi State over the last five years, will be in her first division one head coaching role in the Windy City.
Their new coach is a documented winner with a combined 376-63 record throughout her career. With success at Saint Xavier University and Whitney Young High School, only time will tell if Irvin can change the basketball culture at Chicago State as they await their inaugural season as a Northeast Conference (NEC) member.
Voted in a tie for last in their pre-season poll, the Cougars started their season off with a 96-56 loss to Iowa State on Nov. 4.
Sophomore guard Asha Walker led the Cougars with 18 points in a loss where the team was outscored 38-10 in the paint against the eighth-ranked team in the country.
While victory is expected in this matchup, the Dawgs should focus on three things to ensure another dominant showing to start the season off strong.
#1 Start strong
In last year’s 84-51 triumph, the Dawgs were up just four points after the first quarter and held a nine-point lead going into halftime. Although a victory of any capacity is the goal, being able to take a commanding lead early and hold on for a big win will be crucial to kickstart the season on a positive note.
#2 Dominate the paint
As a power five school playing against a lower-tier conference like the NEC, the understanding is that the power school will dominate in the interior. Last season — despite the final outcome — that was not the case for the Dawgs. Chicago State scored 26 of their 51 points in the paint while Butler only outrebounded the Cougars 36-31. A larger rebounding margin and a stronger defense in the paint will be key to helping the Dawgs win big.
#3 Active defense
Head coach Austin Parkinson has preached creating havoc on defense to this team all season. The Dawgs will have a great opportunity to rack up a lot of steals against a Cougar team that turned the ball over 21 times per game last year. In the last matchup against Chicago State, Butler was able to force 23 turnovers including 13 steals.
The Dawgs will look to start the season 1-0 for the third consecutive season in Parkinson’s tenure.
