Ky McKeon
Special thank you to Lukas Harkins (@hardwiredsports) for helping to facilitate credentials and the bulldog meet-n-greet.
Blue IV
Ever since Butler introduced its new bulldog mascot, Blue IV, two years ago, I have wanted to make the trip to Indianapolis to pet the pooch in person. Yes, yes, I also wanted to go see Hinkle Fieldhouse, one of the most storied venues in all of college basketball, but it was: Pooch 1A, Hinkle 1B.
My wife joined me on the 3-hour drive to Hinkle, because she is an even bigger Blue fanatic than I am. After a few drinks at the Chatham Tap right next door to the Fieldhouse, we made our way into the venue and onto the floor where we met…
Blue.
Hinkle Fieldhouse
Hinkle Fieldhouse lived up to its reputation. You can almost feel the history inside the fieldhouse, and the aesthetics like the exposed air ducts and bricks and windowpanes above either side of the floor give it a unique flavor unlike anywhere else in the college basketball world. It has an intimate quality to it that makes you feel as if you’re part of the action on the floor.
The crowd was solid, though I’m told not as solid as a usual Butler crowd. The team’s struggles this year (9-9 overall, 2-5 in Big East play) have soured many a fan on the program.
Two student sections are placed directly behind each basket – bleachers that go about four rows deep. Think high school metal bleachers about the length of the baseline.
I loved the student section placement, right in the thick of things, but I couldn’t help laughing at how comically close the first row of students were to the cheerleaders. Having “front row seats” isn’t necessarily a good thing in the Hinkle student section.
The Game
Butler performed admirably throughout the first half. The Dogs knew they were facing a better team, a better team that just beat by 17 in Connecticut just two days ago. UConn has the FAR bigger and more athletic players – it was almost like watching men versus boys during stretches.
To combat its athleticism and size disadvantage, Butler knew it needed to make the game ugly and scrap and claw on every possession. Mission accomplished in the first half. Both teams struggled to score throughout the first 20 minutes, and both coughed up the rock seven times on their offensive end.
UConn looked nonchalant throughout the first half -- not valuing the possessions, not going hard for loose balls, and taking lazy shots. This allowed the Bulldogs to stick around and even lead for much of the half. When the gun sounded for halftime Butler held a 28-24 lead and looked to be a real threat to knock off the mighty Huskies. UConn was just 29% from the floor overall and 2/11 from downtown.
The second half was a different game. UConn coach Dan Hurley, a known, we shall say, “emotional” head coach, clearly had some choice words for his players in the locker room which appeared to wake them up from their general malaise.
After Butler scored on its first possession of the second half UConn went on an 11-0 run, taking the lead and command of the game. At the under-16 timeout the Huskies led 35-32.
To Butler’s credit, it didn’t fade into oblivion after the hot UConn start. We’ve seen countless teams countless times this season give up when facing a better opponent once that opponent makes a significant run. Not Butler – Butler fought.
It was still a two-point game with 11:39 to play at the under-12 timeout, and Butler then sliced UConn ever-growing leads back down a few pegs throughout the next eight minutes. During that timespan UConn’s lead ranged from 2 to 8 points.
Free throws proved to be one of the main drivers to Butler’s tail off the final three minutes of the game. Star point guard Aaron Thompson went to the line to shoot two, down eight points following a timeout with 3:37 to play… and he missed both. UConn forward Tyler Polley came down on the next possession and buried a triple. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
UConn extended its lead over the final three minutes thanks to an uptick in pressure, crazy shot-making, and more Butler charity stripe misses. At the horn the scoreboard read 75-56 in favor of UConn. Everyone in the building knew it was closer than that.
Butler shot 14/22 from the FT line. UConn shot 12/12. Butler scored 0.84 PPP. UConn scored 1.12 PPP.
Quick Player Notes
Butler
Lithuanian import Simas Lukosius is a crowd-favorite and a guy who can put points up in bunches. He averaged 13 PPG off the bench in the two-game series with UConn. Unfortunately for Butler, Lukosius hasn’t ever met a shot he didn’t like – he takes SO MANY shots, a lot of them bad, that it can damage possessions. He holds an 88.1 O-rating on the year, but a 105.9 O-rating in league play.
Chuck Harris, Butler’s star sophomore guard, is the type of player that you know is really good but still makes you incredibly nervous every time he touches the ball. He is very erratic right now and is feast or famine on the court.
Aaron Thompson does all the little things (as does Bryce Nze), but he needs to be more assertive. His shooting issues are well-documented, but he can be dangerous attacking the rim. It’s also worth noting Thompson was the main reason why UConn leading scorer RJ Cole had four points on 2/8 shooting.
UConn
This team is stupid big.
It is not fair that 6’9” Tyler Polley and 6’6” (looks 6’10”) Andre Jackson can both put the ball on the floor and hit step-back 3s. Not fair at all.
Adama Sanogo is one of the biggest humans I’ve ever seen – he was dominant in the paint
Tyrese Martin EXPLODED in the second half. Martin had two points in the first 20 minutes and then proceeded to score 25 in the second half on his way to a career-high 27. He made some absolute circus shots and was 4/7 from 3P-land. He teammates were 3/13.
Coach Presser
Dan Hurley
Hurley gave credit to Butler and the usual coach-speak about how hard it is to win in the Big East, especially on the road. He was furious with his team’s lackluster first half performance but encouraged by the second half.
His staff gave Lukosius and fellow freshman Jayden Taylor more attention this game after the pair scorched them on Tuesday. He was impressed by Thompson’s defense on Cole.
Hurley also touched on Isaiah Whaley, a player he said was away for a while over Christmas and thus wasn’t himself for a few games. Whaley had 11 points and 10 boards on Thursday night, a sign to Hurley that his big man was rounding back into form.
LaVall Jordan
Jordan came into the presser with Chuck Harris and Aaron Thompson.
Overall, Jordan was encouraged by his team’s performance for the first 37 minutes of the game. He thought they competed hard. Defensive rebounding was his main gripe regarding Butler’s second half performance – Uconn six offensive rebounds in the final 20 minutes and 11 for the game.
Both Harris and Thompson were optimistic about the future. They both seemed ready to get back into practice and prepare for the next game.
See coach interview clips on our Instragam @3MW_CBB