Yame Butler logged a team-high seven assists against Seton Hall. Photo by Andrew Buckley.
DAVID JACOBS | MANAGING EDITOR | drjacobs@butler.edu
Following an ugly outing at home against Seton Hall, the men’s basketball team finds itself at 13-13 after holding a 13-7 record just over a month ago. In hopes of salvaging any sort of momentum for the Big East Tournament, the Dawgs will first have to get back in the win column against Georgetown.
Here is what you need to know:
Who: Georgetown vs. Butler
When: Feb. 18, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Capital One Arena
How to watch: FS1
Expect ugly
As junior guard Finley Bizjack’s left wrist sprain leaves him questionable against the Hoyas, the Bulldogs are down to just eight healthy recruited scholarship players with him sidelined.
Without Bizjack, it was a stale, ugly and out-of-sync offense for 40 minutes against Seton Hall, but a respectable, scrappy effort defensively kept the Dawgs competitive throughout.
Head coach Thad Matta even emphasized after the game that the playbook is extremely modified without key ball-handlers on the court and expected to “win ugly” had they been able to pull out a victory.
The addition of Bizjack to the line-up will certainly bring a boost of life back to the court; however, graduate guard Yame Butler looked the most comfortable he has all season in his absence with six points and seven assists in 24 minutes off the bench. Showing that even once Bizjack returns to the court, he can be the guy to step up in the point guard role as first-year guard Efeosa Oliogu-Elabor continues to iron out the wrinkles in his game.
Scouting the Hoyas
With a 13-12 record on the season, Georgetown is in a similar spot as a program as Butler. The Hoyas, however, have been far more competitive during conference play, drawing two single-digit defeats against No. 5 UConn and suffering five other single-digit losses throughout Big East play.
In comparison, Butler has lost just two of its 11 conference losses by single digits.
The Hoyas are paced by guards KJ Lewis and Malik Mack, each averaging around 15 points per game. The junior duo scored 17 and 14, respectively, in the Hoyas January victory over Butler as senior center Vince Iwuchukwu logged a season-best 17 points.
With a lack of guard depth, specifically on the defensive side, the Dawgs could be in for a long night guarding Lewis and Mack, while Iwuchukwu will be looking forward to exploiting his match-ups down low.
For a Butler win, the Dawgs have to remain composed defensively, and as Matta has told the media time and time again, simply, “make a shot.”
