Junior guard Finley Bizjack is leading the Big East with 19 points per game. Photo by Drew Kosmak.
DAVID JACOBS | MANAGING EDITOR | drjacobs@butler.edu
The men’s basketball team nears the end of its non-conference slate with the front-end of a home-and-home series with Boise State on Dec. 6.
Here is what you need to know:
Who: Butler vs. Boise State
When: Dec. 6, 2:00 p.m.
Where: Hinkle Fieldhouse
How to watch: truTV
Keeping focus
Sitting at 7-1 on the season and receiving a handful of votes in the Coaches Poll, the Bulldogs are in the same spot as they were this time last year — except something feels different with this year’s squad.
Last season — after an identical 7-1 start — Butler proceeded to drop nine games in a row to fall to 7-10. However, this season has seen vast improvements in scoring, rebounding and overall gameplay.
The Dawgs are averaging 16 more points per game while holding opponents to three points fewer.
“These guys got to keep going at breakneck speed,” head coach Thad Matta said.
As the Bulldogs strive to keep their impressive pace, a win against the Broncos will not only separate them from last year’s team further, but will put Matta above a .500 win percentage for his second stint at Butler.
Scouting the Broncos
Coming into Hinkle with a 5-3 record, Boise State is the toughest opponent to visit the Dawgs so far this year.
The Broncos made early headlines this season when they were on the losing end of one of the first big upsets this season, losing to D-II Hawaii Pacific on Nov. 3. Since then, they have close wins against Montana State, Wichita State and a 1-2 record at the Maui Invitational, dropping games to AP-ranked No. 25 USC in a tight match and NC State.
This will be the third time Butler and Boise State have faced each other in as many years, splitting the prior two match-ups on neutral courts.
Most recently, the Broncos bested the Dawgs in the quarterfinals of the CBB Crown. In that contest, junior guard Finley Bizjack saw a career-high 30 points go through the hoop.
Coming off a 29-point outing against Eastern Michigan, Bizjack — who leads the Big East in scoring at 19 points per game — will be hoping to see another big rim in Hinkle and exploit the Boise State defense that is allowing five more points per game this season.
Riding the hot hand of Bizjack, expect the Dawgs to put on another strong performance during the matinee game.
