Junior guard Finley Bizjack is shooting just 18% from three-point range amid Butler’s 3-4 stretch. Photo by Jonathan Wang.
DAVID JACOBS | MANAGING EDITOR | drjacobs@butler.edu
Just a few days after getting run off the court against Villanova, the men’s basketball team is back in action against St. John’s, hoping to get back in the win column.
Here is what you need to know:
Who: Butler vs. St. John’s
When: Jan. 6, 7:00 p.m.
Where: Hinkle Fieldhouse
How to watch: Peacock and NBC Sports Network
Broken by Boise
Through the first eight games of the season, the Bulldogs sat pretty with a 7-1 record and were living through an offensive renaissance, averaging 90 points per game and shooting 50% from the field and 36% from beyond the arc.
However, ever since the Broncos strolled into Hinkle and walked out with a 77-68 victory over Butler, the Dawgs have posted a 3-4 record, scoring 79 points per game, shooting 42% from the field and just 27% from beyond the arc.
While losing graduate point guard Jalen Jackson right before the offensive slump does play a key factor, the offensive deficiency also coincides with an extended shooting slump from junior guard Finley Bizjack.
Amid the 7-1 start, Bizjack averaged 19 points on 50% shooting from the field and 45% from range; however, in the seven games since, Butler’s longest-tenured player has faltered to just 12 points on 32% from the field and just 18% from deep.
After being the first to slow down both Bizjack and a once-humming Bulldog offense, Boise State head coach Leon Rice attributed the success to sending multiple defenders to slow down the offense.
“Every time [Bizjack] gets a ball screen, and every time he gets a pin down, we committed two defenders every time,” Rice said. “They got some stuff at the rim because of that, but we wanted to be in on those bigs.”
The defensive stunts that Rice sent at Bizjack throughout the game have continued to be seen by the Dawgs throughout their recent skid, and will likely continue the rest of the season unless Bizjack and company can learn to exploit it consistently.
Scouting the Red Storm
The Dawgs have lost six straight against St. John’s — including the first five match-ups against Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino.
After winning both the regular season and the conference tournament championship, St. John’s fizzled out in the second round of the NCAA Tournament following its impressive 31-5 campaign.
However, in year three, Pitino and the Red Storm have found themselves with a 9-5 record after ranked losses to Alabama, Iowa State, Auburn and most recently drawing a five-point defeat to Providence, who Butler beat 113-110.
Pitino reloaded with all-conference forwards senior Zuby Ejiofor and graduate Bryce Hopkins, who combine for nearly 30 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, two steals and three blocks per game this season.
On the perimeter, the Johnnies roster just a couple of consistent volume shooters in sophomore guards Ian Jackson, Joson Sanon and senior guard Oziyah Sellers.
Trying to get out of their slump, the Bulldogs will need to try and do so against a St. John’s squad that has not given up more than 70 points to Butler since 2022.
Expecting a similar stunt on any ball-screen actions with Bizjack — like has been displayed on multiple occasions in the last seven games — the Dawgs will need to be efficient on kick-outs to the corner and dump-offs to the dunker spot to win this one.
