GAME PREVIEW: Butler vs. IUPUI

THE FACTS

Time and Date: Wednesday, November 6 @ 6:30 PM ET

Records: Butler (0-0) | IUPUI (0-0)

Rankings: Butler (#34 KenPom) | Marquette (#247 KenPom)

TV Channel: FS2

Watch Online: FOX Sports Go

ODDS AND ENDS

(via OddsShark)

The Spread: Butler is a 19-point favorite

Over/Under: 145.5 points

GAME PREVIEW

College basketball games officially started on Tuesday night, but has the season really begun before a game has been played at Hinkle Fieldhouse? Tonight, the Butler Bulldogs kick off their 2019-2020 campaign by hosting the IUPUI Jaguars.

Though this will likely be a run-of-the-mill blowout, the Butler faithful have more than enough reasons to tune in. The Bulldogs have a players on the Naismith Award watch list. They have a brand new center who stands over 7’0.” They have a top 100 recruit, the highest-ranked recruit in program history. They have a good mix of battle-tested veterans and hungry newcomers.

Here are the three biggest things to watch:

1. Offensive Execution: Will Coach Jordan be introducing some new offensive schemes? The Bulldogs have a lights-out shooter in Sean McDermott and an elite slasher in Kamar Baldwin. Will Jordan find ways to exploit these talents? Will the supporting cast bring enough offense to open things up for them?
2. Post Play: What kind of interior presence will Butler have? The frontcourt will be almost entirely new this year — either newcomers (Derrik Smits, Bryce Nze), or guys that didn’t get many post minutes last year (Christian David, Bryce Golden). Will the Dawgs get any offense from their bigs? Can Smits protect the rim and allow defenders to be more aggressive on the perimeter?
3. Rotation: Who is going to be in the regular rotation? There are several question marks here. How many minutes will Golden get? Will Khalif Battle be a regular? How will Jordan manage the abundance of wings on the roster? Does Jordan Tucker start?

Some of these questions and more will be answered tonight as the Bulldogs set sail on a comeback campaign!