Fifth-year center Andre Screen put up 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds against DePaul on Jan. 25. Photo by Jonathan Wang.
SARAH HOHMAN | MANAGING EDITOR | shohman@butler.edu
The men’s basketball team will look to win its second straight for the first time since December as they face off against the Golden Eagles at home.
The Dawgs are coming off a big 86-69 win over DePaul to keep themselves out of the Big East basement. Now, the Bulldogs have another daunting task ahead of them as the Golden Eagles have only dropped one conference matchup so far this season.
Here’s what you need to know as Butler prepares to battle against Marquette.
Who: Butler vs. Marquette
When: January 28, 8:30 p.m.
Where: Hinkle Fieldhouse
How to watch: FS1
Don’t beat yourself
To a fan who has watched every game, for the most part, Butler has looked like a competitive team. Its record looks poor on paper, but if you look closer at the loss column, they are mostly within a ten-point margin.
Recently, the Dawgs fell short to Creighton by four points and even took the UConn Huskies to overtime. In the Big East opener, the Golden Eagles had a second-half push to defeat the Bulldogs 80-70. Poor rebounding played a role in this as Butler was out-rebounded 38-27.
Butler’s second-half woes and inability to close out games is due to unforced errors and lack of clutch offensive plays.
In recent success, the Bulldogs have slowly started to creep their turnover numbers down, keeping the giveaways in the single digits in four of their last five games. In order to have a chance at taking Marquette down, the Dawgs will have to play near-perfect basketball.
Scouting report
The Golden Eagles stand at the top of the Big East at 8-1 and are ranked ninth in the nation. Their only loss was to Xavier in a thrilling 59-57 matchup.
Marquette is led by senior guard Kam Jones who is averaging an impressive 18.9 points per game and was named Big East Player of the Week on Jan. 27. Last week alone, the guard shot 52% from the field and 45% from three. The potential Player of the Year candidate has looked unguardable at times, giving Butler a tough task in controlling his impact.
Another upset opportunity awaits the Bulldogs at Hinkle Fieldhouse. If Butler shows the hustle and fight they did in their last two games, there is no reason they don’t stand a chance.
