Sunday, November 17, 2013
Next blog entry: November 27
Apologies to anyone who has visited this blog over the past 8 days and saw no content about Butler's first two games. I have been overwhelmed by schoolwork and while I have watched parts of both the Lamar and Princeton games, I did not get a chance to write about the games. On November 27 (the day before Thanksgiving) I will post my thoughts on Butler's first four games and preview the Old Spice Classic as well.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Andrew Smeathers to transfer from Butler
Yep. That's right. I will be changing the background to this blog shortly after I write this post. Andrew Smeathers, Butler's sharpshooter who has seen limited action in two seasons mainly due to injury and the emergence of Roosevelt Jones, is transferring from Butler but will finish out the current academic semester. This is a puzzling move for Butler fans because one would think that Jones' injury opened up over 30 minutes in Butler's rotation. Maybe the strong offensive play of Elijah Brown and the strong defense of Devontae Morgan, coupled with Butler's three forward lineup, gave Smeathers the notion that minutes would be hard to come by. Nonetheless, Smeathers is gone and although he could have made an impact, other players such as the two I just mentioned are more than capable of stepping up in his absence.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Butler defeats DePauw 93-68 in Final Exhibition
Another exhibition contest, and another victory. While it was nice to win by 25, there are still major concerns for the Bulldogs. One would be defense, which Miller said would need a lot of work over the next week. The other is point guard play. No one got more than 2 assists for Butler, and while Alex Barlow may start at point guard, he doesn't have the court vision necessary to consistently find other teammates. I followed the Creighton exhibition game last night, where Grant Gibbs had 6 assists and Devin Brooks had 7. I would love to see that kind of output from Barlow. And if not Barlow, either Castro or Aldridge.
On a more positive note, here are the players who stood out in my opinion:
Kellen Dunham: Another strong shooting performance, 7/11 shooting, 3/6 threes, and 6/6 at the line. I know this isn't strong competition, but it is great to see Dunham shooting well after his Australia trip shooting woes.
Elijah Brown: 18 points on 6/11 shooting. Continues to be an explosive weapon off the bench with the ability to drive the ball and also shoot from the outside.
Alex Barlow: Despite no assists, Barlow did everything else well last night. 9 points, 3 steals, 3/4 shooting, 1/1 threes.
Erik Fromm: I was pleasantly surprised by his aggressiveness inside, putting up 10 total free throws in the game. Now I did not watch the game so I don't know exactly how he got fouled, but this is nonetheless a positive note.
Devontae Morgan: Reminds me a lot of Shawn Vanzant during his first 3 years at Butler. Not much offensively, but a stud defensively. He had 2 steals today, so I'm hoping he can become Butler's defensive stopper as a situational player.
Butler hosts Lamar in the first regular season game next Saturday at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
On a more positive note, here are the players who stood out in my opinion:
Kellen Dunham: Another strong shooting performance, 7/11 shooting, 3/6 threes, and 6/6 at the line. I know this isn't strong competition, but it is great to see Dunham shooting well after his Australia trip shooting woes.
Elijah Brown: 18 points on 6/11 shooting. Continues to be an explosive weapon off the bench with the ability to drive the ball and also shoot from the outside.
Alex Barlow: Despite no assists, Barlow did everything else well last night. 9 points, 3 steals, 3/4 shooting, 1/1 threes.
Erik Fromm: I was pleasantly surprised by his aggressiveness inside, putting up 10 total free throws in the game. Now I did not watch the game so I don't know exactly how he got fouled, but this is nonetheless a positive note.
Devontae Morgan: Reminds me a lot of Shawn Vanzant during his first 3 years at Butler. Not much offensively, but a stud defensively. He had 2 steals today, so I'm hoping he can become Butler's defensive stopper as a situational player.
Butler hosts Lamar in the first regular season game next Saturday at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Butler Passes the Century Mark to Defeat Nova Southeastern
This game was never really close and the Bulldogs dominated with excellent shooting from nearly the entire team.
The standout players for me were:
Elijah Brown, 11 points 5 assists. No one else had more than two assists, so Brown proved he can both score and distribute. Expect him to be in the starting lineup very soon.
Kellen Dunham, 16 points, 3-5 three point shooting: With no Rotnei Clarke as a defensive distraction, teams will target Dunham beyond the arc so it was nice to see him shoot well tonight.
Nolan Berry, 11 points, 6 rebounds: This freshman was also as good as advertised despite not seeing much action early in the game. Expect him to push Marshall, Fromm, and Woods for playing time in the frontcourt with his varied offensive game.
Jackson Aldridge, 8 points, 2 assists, 1 turnover: After two atrocious shooting seasons it was nice to see Jackson hit a couple of three balls in the first half. Only one turnover is also key for him since ball control problems is what has kept him on the bench during his Butler career.
Butler faces Brad Stevens' alma mater DePauw in their second exhibition game on Saturday. Stay tuned for more game recaps!
The standout players for me were:
Elijah Brown, 11 points 5 assists. No one else had more than two assists, so Brown proved he can both score and distribute. Expect him to be in the starting lineup very soon.
Kellen Dunham, 16 points, 3-5 three point shooting: With no Rotnei Clarke as a defensive distraction, teams will target Dunham beyond the arc so it was nice to see him shoot well tonight.
Nolan Berry, 11 points, 6 rebounds: This freshman was also as good as advertised despite not seeing much action early in the game. Expect him to push Marshall, Fromm, and Woods for playing time in the frontcourt with his varied offensive game.
Jackson Aldridge, 8 points, 2 assists, 1 turnover: After two atrocious shooting seasons it was nice to see Jackson hit a couple of three balls in the first half. Only one turnover is also key for him since ball control problems is what has kept him on the bench during his Butler career.
Butler faces Brad Stevens' alma mater DePauw in their second exhibition game on Saturday. Stay tuned for more game recaps!
Butler's First Exhibition Game Tonight!
Hello Butler Bulldogs fans! Long time no see. I am typing this just as tip-off for Butler's first exhibition game is about to happen. I haven't posted in a while partially because there hasn't been any major news about the team the past couple months (save recruiting). Anyway, I will be posting a game summary for tonight's contest against Nova Southeastern by the end of tonight and will continue to do so throughout the season for most games.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Final Non-Conference Schedule
November 9 vs. Lamar
November 16 vs. Princeton
November 19 vs. Vanderbilt
November 19 vs. Vanderbilt
November 23 @ Ball State
November 28 vs. Washington State (Old Spice Classic)
November 29 Old Spice Classic
December 1 Old Spice Classic
December 7 vs. North Dakota
December 9 vs. Manchester University (IN)
December 7 vs. North Dakota
December 9 vs. Manchester University (IN)
December 14 vs. Purdue (Crossroads Classic)
December 21 @Evansville
December 28 vs. NJIT
December 21 @Evansville
December 28 vs. NJIT
Here is Butler's non-conference schedule that I had been keeping track of since May. For television stations and game times, look at the IndyStar article below.
http://blogs.indystar.com/butler/2013/09/05/a-look-at-butlers-2013-14-schedule/
Butler's Big East Schedule released
|
Date
|
Opponent
|
TV
|
Time
|
|
December 31
|
vs. Villanova
|
Fox Sports 1
|
7:30 PM ET
|
|
January 4
|
@ Xavier
|
FSN National
|
2:00 PM ET
|
|
January 9
|
vs. DePaul
|
Fox Sports 1
|
7:00 PM ET
|
|
January 11
|
vs. Georgetown
|
Fox Sports 1
|
5:00 PM ET
|
|
January 14
|
@ Creighton
|
Fox Sports 1
|
9:00 PM ET
|
|
January 18
|
vs. Marquette
|
CBS Sports Network
|
2:00 PM ET
|
|
January 21
|
@ Providence
|
Fox Sports 1
|
9:00 PM ET
|
|
January 25
|
vs. St. John’s
|
FSN National
|
4:00 PM ET
|
|
January 29
|
@ Seton Hall
|
Fox Sports 1
|
9:00 PM ET
|
|
February 4
|
@ Marquette
|
Fox Sports 1
|
9:00 PM ET
|
|
February 8
|
@ Georgetown
|
CBS
|
1:00 PM ET
|
|
February 11
|
vs. Xavier
|
Fox Sports 1
|
9:00 PM ET
|
|
February 13
|
vs. Creighton
|
CBS Sports Network
|
7:00 PM ET
|
|
February 18
|
@ St. John’s
|
Fox Sports 1
|
9:00 PM ET
|
|
February 23
|
vs. Providence
|
Fox Sports 1
|
6:00 PM ET
|
|
February 26
|
@ Villanova
|
Fox Sports 1
|
8:00 PM ET
|
|
March 6
|
@ DePaul
|
Fox Sports 1
|
7:00 PM ET
|
|
March 8
|
vs. Seton Hall
|
Fox Sports 1
|
5:00 PM ET
|
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