By J.P. Pelzman
Here are some of the key factors heading into tonight's game, as I see them:
Butler off an emotional loss.
Blowing a 19-point second-half lead against Providence on Sunday marked the second gut punch for the Bulldogs (13-15, 6-11 Big East) in less than 48 hours, coming on the heels of Friday night’s 91-57 smackdown by resurgent St. John’s. Granted, Seton Hall (16-9, 7-8) doesn’t often start fast, but this is the night for it against a team that could be a bit wobbly emotionally.
Butler coach LaVall Jordan admitted the loss was a “tough one to swallow” but said the players and coaches will “just continue to pick each other up.”
A brave front.
Butler point guard Aaron Thompson said after the game, “The season’s not over. We can still accomplish what we set out to accomplish if we keep chugging away. We've got a conference tournament for a reason. We can go in and win that.”
He indicated that the Bulldogs could build momentum in their final three regular-season games. Still, that is much easier said than done.
Thompson averages 3.9 assists, but unlike a lot of point guards, he is not at all a threat from beyond the arc, with only 19 made threes in his entire five-year career at Butler. He can be defended almost exclusively for the drive and the mid-range game.
The first meeting.
The Hall rallied from an early 16-9 deficit with a 15-2 run that put the Pirates ahead to stay. Jared Rhoden scored 17 points and Alexis Yetna had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Bryce Aiken had 12 points and seven assists in that 71-56 victory in Indianapolis on Jan. 4. (And no, I don’t have any new info on him, unfortunately).
For Butler, Bryce Golden scored 19 points and Bryce Nze (pronounced like, well, you-know-who), had 12. The Bulldogs were without injured wing Bo Hodges, who is back now.
Chuck Harris, who averages 11.0 points, the only Bulldog to average in double figures, had zero that night. He also had three fouls in only 15 minutes. Afterward, associate head coach Grant Billmeier, standing in for Kevin Willard at the Butler postgame, credited Myles Cale with locking down Harris. I would expect that same matchup tonight.
Taking care of business matters.
Rhoden played all 40 minutes against DePaul on Saturday. It would be nice if he and some of the other starters wouldn’t have to go all-out until the final seconds, especially with a game at Xavier looming at 3:30 on Saturday. The Musketeers will be traveling after playing at Providence tonight at 7.
Here are some of the key factors heading into tonight's game, as I see them:
Butler off an emotional loss.
Blowing a 19-point second-half lead against Providence on Sunday marked the second gut punch for the Bulldogs (13-15, 6-11 Big East) in less than 48 hours, coming on the heels of Friday night’s 91-57 smackdown by resurgent St. John’s. Granted, Seton Hall (16-9, 7-8) doesn’t often start fast, but this is the night for it against a team that could be a bit wobbly emotionally.
Butler coach LaVall Jordan admitted the loss was a “tough one to swallow” but said the players and coaches will “just continue to pick each other up.”
A brave front.
Butler point guard Aaron Thompson said after the game, “The season’s not over. We can still accomplish what we set out to accomplish if we keep chugging away. We've got a conference tournament for a reason. We can go in and win that.”
He indicated that the Bulldogs could build momentum in their final three regular-season games. Still, that is much easier said than done.
Thompson averages 3.9 assists, but unlike a lot of point guards, he is not at all a threat from beyond the arc, with only 19 made threes in his entire five-year career at Butler. He can be defended almost exclusively for the drive and the mid-range game.
The first meeting.
The Hall rallied from an early 16-9 deficit with a 15-2 run that put the Pirates ahead to stay. Jared Rhoden scored 17 points and Alexis Yetna had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Bryce Aiken had 12 points and seven assists in that 71-56 victory in Indianapolis on Jan. 4. (And no, I don’t have any new info on him, unfortunately).
For Butler, Bryce Golden scored 19 points and Bryce Nze (pronounced like, well, you-know-who), had 12. The Bulldogs were without injured wing Bo Hodges, who is back now.
Chuck Harris, who averages 11.0 points, the only Bulldog to average in double figures, had zero that night. He also had three fouls in only 15 minutes. Afterward, associate head coach Grant Billmeier, standing in for Kevin Willard at the Butler postgame, credited Myles Cale with locking down Harris. I would expect that same matchup tonight.
Taking care of business matters.
Rhoden played all 40 minutes against DePaul on Saturday. It would be nice if he and some of the other starters wouldn’t have to go all-out until the final seconds, especially with a game at Xavier looming at 3:30 on Saturday. The Musketeers will be traveling after playing at Providence tonight at 7.
