Butler looks to bounce back against Brown

THE FACTS

Time and Date: Wednesday, December 5 @ 7 p.m. ET

Location: Hinkle Fieldhouse (Indianapolis)

Records: Butler (5-2) | Brown (6-3)

Rankings: Butler (#30 KenPom) | Brown (#181 KenPom)

TV Channel: FSN (Check local listings)

Stream: Fox Sports GO (Where available)

GAME PREVIEW

Butler hosts the Brown Bears at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Wednesday night, looking to bounce back from a loss to Saint Louis. Brown comes in at 6-3 and brings a potent scoring duo in guards Desmond Cambridge and Brandon Anderson. Cambridge is coming off a 29-point performance against Navy on Saturday.

Of greater concern to the Bulldogs may be Brown’s defense. Butler has played great defense lately and should be capable of containing Cambridge and Anderson. However, Butler’s offense has been less than impressive so far this season, and the Dawgs couldn’t get anything going against Saint Louis.

Brown’s defense won’t be quite as challenging as the Billikens’ but the Bears do a play at a deliberate pace and have held six opponents under 70 points this year. Only Sean McDermott has played consistently on offense this year — he’ll need his teammates at least a couple of his teammates to step up on Wednesday.

If the Bulldogs have another slow offensive night, they could be on upset alert. Their biggest advantage in this game should be inside, where they are much bigger and stronger. It’ll be interesting to see if the Bulldogs look to the post often — something they have yet to do this year.

KEYS TO THE GAME

Butler: Dominate the paint

Brown can actually match Butler’s athletes on the perimeter better than one might expect an Ivy League team to do. Butler needs to press its advantage in the paint with a steady dose of Joey Brunk. If Butler relies on Baldwin and Jorgensen and they struggle again, the Bears may be able to pull off an upset.

Brown: Control the pace

If Brown wants to challenge in this one, it will have to control the pace. The best way to snap out of an offensive funk is transition buckets and points off of turnovers. Brown has to keep the Bulldogs out of rhythm and force them into late shot clocks. On the offensive end, Brown must play deliberately and make sure Cambridge and company are getting good looks.