After a tough loss at home, the Hoyas will venture to Hinkle Fieldhouse to take on the Butler Bulldogs on Wednesday at 7PM. Butler is currently sitting at 1-3 in the Big East and 2-5 overall. Riding a two-game losing streak, the Bulldogs are looking to defend their homecourt to see which team has the superior bulldog mascot.
Butler lost several main contributors from last year’s team including Kamar Baldwin and Sean McDermott. Both averaged double figures as seniors, leaving a significant scoring gap for the Bulldogs. This year, they have been looking to forward Bryce Nze and point guard Aaron Thompson to fill this void. Unfortunately for Butler, Thompson has missed the team’s last five games with a sprained knee and remains questionable for Wednesday’s contest.
The loss of Aaron Thompson has significantly impacted the Bulldogs, as he was their floor leader and averaged 17.5 points per game before being injured. In his absence, graduate transfer Jair Bolden has become the Bulldogs’ leading scorer, averaging 13.6 points per game to go along with 4.4 rebounds. He is a combo guard who can both shoot (he leads the Big East with three made threes per game) and find his teammates. In crunch time, Butler counts on Bolden to produce. Their next leading scorer is freshman guard and D.C. native Chuck Harris. He averages 11.1 points and 2.4 assists per game. Harris stands out because of his physicality and play-making ability, making him look like he isn’t a freshman. Myles Tate, who is also a freshman, is coming off a big performance in the loss to Seton Hall, when he dropped 22 points. On the season, he has averaged 9.4 points and 3 assists per game. Other starters include forwards Bryce Nze and Bryce Golden. The Bulldogs are definitely a guard dominant team, giving the Hoyas an advantage.
Butler doesn’t receive much production off the bench, as they typically use only a 7-man rotation. They play at a slower pace and take care of the ball, turning it over just 11.3 times per game. The Bulldogs’ three-point shooting has been average (just under 37% as a team) and there is no real offensive threat. Their defense is more of their strong point, which could cause problems for a Hoyas team that sometimes struggles to score. Butler was predicted to be a “middle-tier” Big East team, but have underperformed thus far.
The Hoyas have certainly struggled as of late. Blowing an 18-point lead at home against Marquette certainly did not help this already struggling squad. The Georgetown defense has looked atrocious in recent games and seems to be the source of many of their issues, as they allow 74.9 points per game. Offensively, there has been no go-to guy that can get a bucket when needed. Yes, Jahvon Blair and Jamorko Pickett are the seniors and leading scorers, but both have appeared inconsistent. Qudus Wahab has also been off-and-on. The biggest problem, however, has been turnovers, as the Hoyas average 16.3 turnovers per game. Despite all of this, Butler seems to be a beatable team on paper. Though the Hoyas have played only two away games thus far and lost them both, Butler could very well be without their leading scorer. If the Hoyas can play solid defense and minimize turnovers, they’ll be able to give themselves a shot at their first road win.
Kathryn’s Prediction: Georgetown 72, Butler 68
The Hoyas have to be desperately wanting to win after the recent ugly losses. Butler is a somewhat bland team that is easy to figure out. Though they are at home, they are still very beatable. If Georgetown can limit their turnovers and Blair or Pickett have a big game, I think they can hold on and get this much needed win.
Jacob’s Prediction (8-1 on the year): Butler 68, Georgetown 60
Well, my resolution to be more positive this year is off to a great start thanks to the Marquette loss. UPDATE: As of now, it appears that Aaron Thompson will suit up for the Bulldogs tonight.
After hearing this news, I’m flip-flopping and picking Butler over Georgetown. Yes, the Bulldogs have been bad this year. But to be frank, Butler is simply a different team with Thompson. He does everything for them. With their senior leader back in the lineup (regardless of whether he starts or not), I expect the Bulldogs to regroup and get the win on their home floor. Is being wishy-washy going to bite me in the ass? Perhaps. But as much as I’d like to see a Hoyas win tonight, the Thompson news has scared me off from picking the upset.
Will’s Prediction (8-1 on the year): Georgetown 62, Butler 58
Despite my growing reputation on Twitter as a jinx, I’m forging ahead with this pick. I place way too much stock in Ewing’s record at Hinkle (undefeated!) and his calling the team’s practice on Monday the best of the year. If it turns out that it was just a New Year’s joke, I’m in trouble. I’m interested to see if the Hoyas can get Berger involved again, as it’s been radio silence in terms of contributions since he went off for that one game. I’m hoping Wahab can clean up against Butler’s weak frontcourt, but I’m also hoping Jamorko Pickett can turn it around starting tonight, and that Georgetown fans can refer to tonight as “the Butler game) (in a good way, of course!).
