Graduate guard Jalen Jackson logged 17 points and eight rebounds against IU Indy. Photo by Jada Gangazha. 

DAVID JACOBS | MANAGING EDITOR | drjacobs@butler.edu 

The men’s basketball team continued its strong start to the season with a high-scoring 112-80 win over IU Indy. 

Garnering national attention early in the season for their unorthodox, run-and-gun style of offense paired with heavy on-ball pressure for 94 feet, the Jaguars were able to make some noise against the Bulldogs. 

The Jags leaped out to a 6-0 lead over the Dawgs, quickly controlling the pace of the game. 

However, as the first half progressed, Butler was able to flex its muscles by adapting to IU Indy’s fast-paced style rather than forcing the game to be played at a comfortable pace. 

The Bulldogs even mimicked the Jaguars’ philosophy and pressed heavily on select in-bounds plays, something head coach Thad Matta had yet to display much in the team’s previous outings. 

Once the Dawgs adapted to the pace of the game, the shots slowly started to fall in their favor as they took a 51-38 lead into halftime. 

Graduate forward Michael Ajayi and graduate guard Jalen Jackson shouldered the offensive load, combining for 24 points in the first 20 minutes of play. Jackson ended the night with a team-high 17 points while Ajayi logged a game-high 14 rebounds. 

“When you’ve got a team around you that trusts you and supports you, I feel that’s going to carry us a long way,” Jackson said. “I’ll do anything for them, and being able to be a part of this team is something special.” 

While the Dawgs held a double-digit lead for a majority of the game, it did not come without some ugly moments. 

The Jaguars’ on-ball pressure led to 17 turnovers while forcing Butler to just a 20% clip from deep. 

“We definitely had way more turnovers than we should have,” Jackson said. “We pressure each other every day in practice, and we don’t turn the ball over. We got to clean that up, and I think we will.” 

Despite the turnovers and poor perimeter shooting, the Dawgs were able to diminish IU Indy’s rhythm as the second half matured, striding out to lead as large as 32 points midway through the second half thanks to 30 second-chance points. 

“With our size and athleticism, trying to keep balls alive and earn extra possessions is something that we look to do,” Matta said. “We had a couple crazy things happen [today], but for the most part I thought we did a pretty decent job of getting back [in transition].” 

Going forward, Butler will not see another team that plays anywhere close to as chaotic as the Jaguars this season. However, to be able to deplete an offensive system that came into the game averaging 96 points per game and hold it to 80 points shows that this Bulldog squad may, in fact, be better than those of yesteryear. 

“Here’s what I’ll say about Butler, I think they’re really good this year,” IU Indy head coach Ben Howlett said. “From a defensive perspective, they get up and they guard you. Coach Matta has done a good job with this roster.” 

The new-and-improved Bulldogs will be back in action at Hinkle on Nov. 11 against Chicago State.