Need a _FAN / Chingon breakdown on Butler to ease the 
Frontcourt: Haywood (6-8 200), Howard (6-8 230) and Jukes (6-8 215) vs Kelly (6-8 250), Lou (6-10 265), Samuels (6-7 215) and Wally (6-9 248). Haywood (15.3 PPG, 8.2 RPB) and Howard (11.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG) are 2 of their best 3 players. Jukes (2.7 PPG, 1.1 RPG) plays abour 10 MPG for a bit of depth. Howard is their best offensive rebounder at 9.4% and Haywood is decent at 8.2%, but we have 3 at 11%+ (Kelly, Sutton, Judge). Of course in typical "lengthen the game style", they don't really try to Oboard most of the time. Howard is also great at drawing fouls with a FTR at 84. While they are good players, they have very little frontcourt depth and if we can successfully pound the ball they will get into foul trouble (Howard fouls about the same rate as Samuels, Jukes about the same rate as Wally). This will be a huge key for this game b/c I'm sure Butler will try to SLTH this thing up and make it a plodding mess. Haywood will step out and shoot 3s; 142 attempts but only 28% and Jukes will as well, only 28 attempts but 39%.
Backcourt: Mack (6-3 214), Veasley (6-3 204), Nored (6-0 178), Hahn (6-1 170), and Vanzant (6-1 171) vs Pullen, Clemente, Sutton, Irving, and McGruder. Mack is probably their 2nd best player, but should be a good match-up for Sutton. Veasley and Nored on Clemente and Pullen. Mack is their biggest 3 pt threat at 40% on 160 attempts, Veasley is solid at 36% on 118 attempts and Hahn looks to be their Redford at 44% on 107 attempts. Norwood and Mack are their best distributors, both with over 3 APG. Nored is the best G at drawing fouls with a nice FTR of 75.
Defensively their profile is almost exactly the same as BYU's. Solid pressure, solid eFG%, don't give up ORBs, but average at giving up fouls. They are better at defending the 3 compared to BYU, but worse at blocking shots. Biggest difference from BYU is probably their pace, around 65 possessions per game. Like I said before, they want to play a type of game very similar to what Doc plays, they just have better/more experienced players and the luxury of building confidence beating terrible competition in the Horizon League. Of course they've certainly proven they can beat teams of our caliber; Syracuse, but also Xavier (2 games after we beat them and with some controversy) and Ohio State (but when Ohio State was without Turner). The later 2 games were both at Butler.
Offensively, they are don't rely too much on the 3, and really aren't a great 3 pt shooting team. Part of that is probably b/c Haywood shoots so many and isn't very good at it. They seem to be more of an attack the rim/paint type of team, and are very good at getting to the FT line. They are only decent at not turning the ball over, and I think our pressure can bother them.
Its pretty obvious if we come out like Syracuse and don't attack these guys, they can beat us. They'll be an extremetly confident team riding their 23 game win streak. But like BYU, I think we've got a huge advantage in the paint, even though their bigs are probably one of the strengths of their team. Defensively, unlike Syracuse, I think we could cause them a lot or problems with our pressure, and hopefully generate some offense (and a higher pace) and get them out of their comfort zone. I'd like to think we have a chance to excert our will on Butler similar to what Kentucky did against Cornell. Butler had a fantastic game against Syracuse, but I think we have much better guard play than the Orange and everywhere I look on the floor we cause Butler all kinds of problems. I expect this to be a slightly lower scoring version of the BYU game. We should pull ahead sometime in the 1st half, then hold them off. I don't know that we'll run away from them, but I don't expect an ending like Xavier; this team simply doesn't have a Holloway/Crawford due that can match our playmaking ability.
Cats 78-Dogs 66.
