There are two undefeated teams thus far in the Horizon League and surprisingly, Butler isn’t one of them.
Cleveland State (8-0) and Butler’s opponent tonight Loyola (7-0) have the best record in the conference. The season is still very early and things will change.
Tonight the 3-2 Bulldogs open conference league play in a rowdy Loyola environment. There have been some good Butler memories as well as some bad. It is always a challenging gym and playing Butler, Loyola will bring their best effort.
The Bulldogs have won 20 consecutive Horizon League regular season games, one shy of the league record. They have also won an astounding 49 of 54 conference games in four years under Brad Stevens.
Butler however must focus on themselves and get back to the fundamentals. While in midst of the most difficult part in their schedule, the 2010 NCAA runners-up must get back to ‘The Butler Way.’
Brad Steven’s team has always took pride in the little things. And tonight they will try to start feeling good about what their doing.
This season Butler is negative two in their turnover to assist ratio. Loyola on the opposite end of the spectrum is plus 20. That will be an integral part of tonight’s contest.
Butler just needs to win. Win the rebounding battle, win the turnover margin and win at the free-throw line. They just need wins. If they can start to feel good about what they do and get back to ‘The Butler Way,’ the wins will come.
Coach Stevens said today that even if they beat Evansville at home Saturday, it wouldn’t have been a quality win. He stressed that his team didn’t do many things very well and he was not comfortable with what took place on the floor. The Bulldogs need to regain some much needed confidence.
The big question will remain at the point guard. With Ronald Nored out for the second game in a row, Butler will rely on a point guard by committee more than Stevens would like. Without Nored, the role players must step up and not make critical mistakes on the court.
As for the Ramblers of Loyola, head coach Jim Whitesell expects another hard fought game.
“We better be great, it’s going to be a heck of a game. We always know we have to play outstanding to have a chance against Butler.”
The Ramblers are coming
off of a thrilling, come-from-behind 63-62 victory at San Francisco on Saturday.
At 7-0, Loyola is
off to its best start since 1962-63. Terrance Hill leads the team with 13.1 points per game, 3.6 rebounds and is shooting 70 percent from beyond the arc. But Coach Whitesell understands the defense needs to have a stellar game.
“I think we need to keep the two big monster guys (Mack and Howard) from having a big night. With that we need to do what we do best, not turn the ball over and rebound the basketball.”
This Horizon League conference has improved over the years mostly because of the success of Butler in the last decade. More primetime games and improved competition have been two key factors in the improvement.
“I’m grateful for what Butler has done putting this conference back on the map. It has helped with recruits, talent and the awareness of the program,” Whitesell emphasized.
The game tips-off at 8 p.m. on WNDY Channel 23 and the radio call on ESPN 1070 The Fan in Indianapolis.