Junior guard Finley Bizjack is averaging 18 points per game in conference play. Photo by Jada Gangazha.
DAVID JACOBS | MANAGING EDITOR | drjacobs@butler.edu
Following a ghastly outing on the road against No. 25 St. John’s, the men’s basketball team is in dire need of a win against Georgetown to cling to any sort of tournament hopes.
Here is what you need to know:
Who: Butler vs. Georgetown
When: Jan. 31, Noon
Where: Hinkle Fieldhouse
How to watch: TNT and truTV
Finding a rhythm
Nearly every Butler loss under head coach Thad Matta has been the same recipe of disaster: heavy isolation offense, minimal movement and a lack of urgency on both sides of the ball if the shots are not falling early.
Matta has acknowledged the trend several times, emphasizing that his team needs to remain cognizant enough to play defense, even when the shots are not falling. However, thanks to the hot start at the beginning of the year — mixed with a few solid wins early in conference play — there are still meaningful games to be played heading into February and time to right the ship.
The first order of business will be to play a faster brand of basketball. The Dawgs’ best offensive outbursts were early in the season, when they were running up and down the court, essentially playing a brand of basketball that mirrors that of a pick-up basketball game.
Although easier said than done against Big East competition, when scoring averages drop from over 90 points per game to sub-80 against conference foes, there is clearly room for improvement.
To start stacking wins from here on out, Butler must revert to that high-paced style of play and continue to feed the hot hand in each game, whether that be graduate forward Michael Ajayi, junior guard Finley Bizjack or any other rotational piece.
Scouting the Hoyas
A rare first-matchup nearly halfway into the conference slate, Georgetown is led by a quadfecta of double-digit scorers, led by nearly 15 points per game by junior guard KJ Lewis.
The Hoyas are a defensively sound squad — holding opponents to 42% from the field — but often falter around the perimeter, which is where the Bulldogs can take advantage.
With Georgetown allowing a 35% clip from downtown in conference play, it will open up opportunities for Butler’s main volume shooters — Bizjack and sophomore guard Evan Haywood — to get into the aforementioned rhythm early and shoot their way to victory.
