Graduate forward Michael Ajayi logged a game-high 24 points and 12 rebounds. Photo by Andrew Buckley.
DAVID JACOBS | MANAGING EDITOR | drjacobs@butler.edu
The men’s basketball team started regular season play in dominant fashion with an 88-58 win over the University of Southern Indiana (USI).
It was all Dawgs out of the gate, with graduate forward Michael Ajayi spearheading a 17-0 run to start the game, scoring nine of his 24 points during the stretch.
In addition to his high-scoring display, Ajayi added 12 rebounds and five assists, proving himself to be the best all-around player on the court and potentially Butler’s most prized off-season addition.
The Gonzaga transfer shined on the fast-break all night, getting to the basket at will. Leading to 14 free throw attempts for Ajayi and 22 fast break points for the Dawgs, ultimately propelling them to victory.
“I was letting the game come to me,” Ajayi said. “Shout out to my teammates for finding me the ball. We played great defense, so that led to transition buckets.”
Despite the hot start from the Dawgs, the Screaming Eagles quickly found their footing, tallying off a 15-5 spurt to make it a seven-point deficit before ultimately going into the locker room down 52-26.
It was a slow start for the Bulldogs coming out for the second period of play, as USI got out to an 11-4 advantage in the second half. However, the Dawgs were quick to regroup and hold on for the season-opening win.
“We weren’t as good as we wanted to be,” head coach Thad Matta said. “I challenged those guys in the second [half] to [not] develop bad habits. We had some breakdowns, and they had some tough shots against us.”
Nonetheless, a 30-point season-opening win is a stark contrast from last year’s non-conference start that saw Butler pull out a closer-than-expected win against Missouri State and then fall to Austin Peay to start the season.
While Jamie Kaiser Jr. was not on the court for either, the redshirt sophomore was amped up to be playing his first healthy minutes for the Dawgs and wanted to set a tone for this season’s team.
“It’s a completely different culture,” Kaiser said. “There’s this certain intensity that has to be brought every day or else you’re going to get embarrassed in practice … Every day means something, we have to get better and we have to stay intense.”
Throughout the game, Matta experimented with numerous different rotations — playing 11 players over 10 minutes — as he continues to find out who will best suit him as the season progresses.
Of note, senior center Yohan Traore shined in his 15 minutes off the bench with 15 points and six rebounds, while graduate guard Jalen Jackson paced the Dawgs offensively with 11 points and six assists.
“We gave Jackson too much space, which allowed him to get downhill,” USI head coach Stan Gouard said. “There was too much separation on the dribble handoffs and ball screens, we didn’t get into bodies well enough … [When Traore] came into the game, he elevated [Butler’s] play, he didn’t bring them down at all.”
Butler will be back in action in Hinkle on Nov. 8 against IU Indy, which poured in 102 points against Ohio State in a competitive 16-point loss to start its non-conference play.
“I know they play a very unique style [of basketball], in terms of trapping, pressing and hockey subbing,” Matta said. “It’s a quick turnaround and we’ll have our guys ready.”
