Butler Bulldogs Basketball Weekly Preview

Mar 21, 2013; Lexington , KY, USA; Butler Bulldogs forward Khyle Marshall (23) dribbles the ball against Bucknell Bison forward Joe Willman (15) during the second round of the 2013 NCAA tournament at Rupp Arena. Butler defeated Bucknell 68-56. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

The Butler Bulldogs basketball program opened the season with a 31-point victory over Lamar. It was a close game at halftime, then the Bulldogs were utterly dominant in the second half.

Butler is going to have an interesting season. New coach, new conference, and a key injury could lead to a big let down for the Butler faithful.

In the opener, Butler shot a blistering 54-percent from the field, but just 24-percent from the three-point line. Aside from Alex Barlow, the starters all scored in double digits. Barlow took just two shots and was more of a presence on the defensive end.

Butler dominated the glass, out rebounding Lamar 41-27. The Bulldogs were very impressive on defense, forcing 13 turnovers including nine steals. They also played nearly mistake free ball, turning the ball over just five times.

The Bulldogs need to work on free throws and three point shooting, but it was still an impressive win. Forward Khyle Marshall led the team with 19 points and 13 rebounds.

It was a nice win for the Bulldogs, but in fairness, Lamar is terrible. They were 3-28 last season, and Pat Knight (Bobby Knight’s son) doesn’t appear to have this team heading in the right direction. For a team like Butler, anything less than a big double digit win would have been unacceptable.

After one game, Pomeroy has Butler with a mediocre offense, but one of the top 30 defenses in the country. That sounds about right for most Butler teams.

Up Next

Nov. 16th – Butler vs Princeton, 8pm

The Tigers enter this meeting 1-0 after a big win over Florida A&M. They have a surprisingly tall team for an Ivy League school that could pose problems for the Bulldogs. For the past few seasons, Princeton has been able to lose talent and keep playing at a high level. They are not particularly efficient on offense and are going to have trouble on defense this season. They shot under 40-percent in their season opener and only put up 67 points. The Tigers have an experienced starting five and should be competitive…in the Ivy League.

Butler will handle Princeton at home and should run away with the game in the second half much like it did against Lamar.

Don’t forget to follow us on twitter, @InkOnIndy.