Woods leads Butler to victory at UMass

Kameron Woods scored 17 points on 7-11 shooting to lead Butler to a great road win and confidence booster.  I cannot underscore how much he has improved, even if his scoring average does not indicate that. He shot 37% from the field last year and is now shooting 54% this year.  I saw a two minute stretch we he scored on back-to-back alley-oops from Roosevelt Jones, and then swishing a mid range jumper on the third possession.  This was by far his best game of the season.  However, Woods was not the only one who contributed to the victory.  

Khyle Marshall scored an efficient 14 points on 6-7 shooting, and Andrew Smith produced a Matt Howard-like stat line with 9-13 from the free throw line and 15 rebounds, which led to 13 points.  Alex Barlow filled the stat sheet with 4 points on 2-2 shooting, 3 assists, and 4 steals.  Roosevelt Jones also filled the stat sheet with, 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists.  He always manages to have a major impact on the game even if he is not looking for his shot, and tonight was a prime example of that.  On the downside, Butler did not get good games from Rotnei Clarke or Kellen Dunham.  Dunham scored 2 points while going 0-6 from distance, while Clarke scored 17 points on 16 shot attempts, going 3-12 from distance.  Even worse, Clarke had 3 assists and 6 turnovers, further proving my point that he is not a true point guard.  As poorly as Clarke and Dunham played, it was nice to see that the Bulldogs were able to win without shooting the 3 point shot well.  

Brad Stevens essentially cut the rotation to 7, down from its traditional 9.  Erik Fromm and Chase Stigall only played two minutes each, although for Fromm, that was mainly due to the fact Andrew Smith played a season-high 37 minutes.  This could continue for the two of them, especially if they continue to be unable to make three pointers, which is their primary role on offense.  

Butler faces Xavier in their first ever A-10 match-up against the Musketeers on Saturday at Hinkle Fieldhouse.  Thanks once again to NBC Sports Network for allowing an out-of-market Bulldog fan to watch games that wouldn't otherwise be on national television.