Graduate guard Jalen Jackson is shooting 51% from the field and 40% from three-point range. Photo by Jada Gangazha.
DAVID JACOBS | MANAGING EDITOR | drjacobs@butler.edu
The men’s basketball team is back in action on Nov. 28 against Wright State following a 2-0 weekend at The Greenbrier. Such results helped garner the Dawgs a single vote in the Coaches Poll.
Here is what you need to know:
Who: Butler vs. Wright State
When: Nov. 28, 2:00 p.m.
Where: Hinkle Fieldhouse
How to watch: ESPN+
Keep stacking wins
Playing in a competitive conference like the Big East, one of the biggest advantages a team can create for itself is entering conference play with minimal blemishes on its schedule — which is exactly what the Dawgs are doing.
Off to a 5-1 start, Butler has shown itself to be a better squad than those of yesteryear, with a notable increase in nearly all major statistical categories.
Wright State is the first matchup of a three-game homestand for the Bulldogs before hosting Providence to start Big East play on Dec. 13.
Maintaining a one-loss record up until then will be crucial for the Dawgs to come into conference play on a five-game heater. Until then, taking care of inferior opponents — like Wright State — is non-negotiable to prove any sort of early-season hype being built.
Scouting the Raiders
A former Horizon League foe, the Raiders return to Hinkle Fieldhouse for the first time since 2012, when Butler won 70-52 in the first round of the conference tournament.
Thirteen years later, Wright State sits at 4-3, with each defeat being no more than a 10-point deficit.
Led by first-year guard Michael Cooper — a Jeffersonville High School product— with nearly 15 points an outing on a ridiculous 44% from deep, the Riders deploy just one other double-digit scorer in graduate forward Michael Imariagbe.
Despite the lack of high-end scoring options, Wright State still averages 81 points per game on good efficiency as a team. A high-scoring buy-game opponent is typically the recipe for an upset, so the Dawgs cannot come out flat in this one.
As long as Butler executes properly and does not let the Raiders keep it close, it should be a comfortable Bulldog win.
