I meant to write this months ago when the schedule dropped, but as soon as I realized I was going to spend too much time looking into a handful of these teams for the Everything College Basketball Magazine (yes I’m going to be absolutely shameless here), I decided to sit on it. And because I was lazy, that’s the real reason. Anyway, here’s a brief preview of Butler’s nonconference schedule and what to expect.
Missouri State
Not going to start with the exhibition game, rather let’s go into the real season start. This was a team I looked into quite a bit for the Magazine, so I’ve got a good sense of who they are.
Cuonzo Martin is taking over this Missouri State team, after a tenure with Missouri, and a whole bunch of other schools, including with Missouri State from 2008-11.
And this game reveals a lot. I think there’s a tendency to overreact to secret scrimmage games because we all want to, but losing to KenPom’s preseason-ranked #360 team… yeah that’s a reason for overreaction. Obviously, we don’t know everything about who played for Missouri State and the context of the game, but even if you are without your three best players (which we have no indication Missouri State was), if you want to be a league-median MVC team, you have to smoke Texas A&M Commerce.
Coach Martin took up transfers that were on their All-Conference freshman teams with Dez White and Vincent Brady, and a couple of impressive JUCO players. Mike Osei-Bonsu inside is undersized but was effective at the JUCO level. At 6’4”/6’5” he was a NJCAA All-American on the interior and is a name to watch.
Overall, I don't think this game is as competitive as some analytic sites are indicating. That's all I'll say until we get closer to tip-off, because I need to make sure that game one preview at least gets some clicks.
Austin Peay
The Governors are led by a very promising coach, Corey Gipson, who is a name to watch for jobs down the line. Sai Witt is a player to watch entering this game and will likely draw the Telfort assignment. Witt will be able to put up numbers, he’s developed well throughout his college career, and this will be his team. He does most of his work on the interior, which will be balanced out by G Isaac Haney on the perimeter.
Coach Gipson has always made it work offensively, though his teams have struggled on the other end. Austin Peay was excellent last season at not turning the ball over, and I would expect that to remain the case again.
They like to slow down games and may keep it close, but Butler should have this one in hand. I think this is the tougher game of the first two, but the Bulldogs should still be ready here. Butler should be scoring with relative ease in this game, though the Governors will also be there to put up points. This game is lined around 16-18 points, and that feels roughly accurate.
Western Michigan
I’ve done my fair share of research on this WMU team. At PG they have former Michigan Mr. Basketball Chansey Willis Jr, who started his career at Henry Ford College. He’s got some flash to his game. The backcourt here has some talent, with Donovan Willians transferring in from Pacific, after starting his career at Oklahoma State. Jayvaughn Hannah was the MAC Sixth Man of the Year last season, and likely takes on a large role for this team.
Butler should be able to take advantage of this team on the interior, as they have a stretch four and a very inexperienced five-man. Butler should muscle this team around, and their guards will shoulder almost all of the offensive load. Where those guards have some spark, they are also not afraid to look to isolate and take a bad shot.
This game should also be a route. WMU lost their Top Two scorers from last season, and projects to be one of the worst teams in the MAC. Butler will bully them in the paint, force bad shots, and should roll here. Unless Willis comes in and shows out, this game shouldn’t be within 20.
SMU
In Andy Enfield’s first year with everyone's favorite ACC team, they mark a tough test for the Bulldogs early on in the season. This is the first “Get To Hinkle” game, as this one will be a battle.
This marks the Hinkle return of G Chuck Harris, who Butler fans should remember. Aside from Harris, a lot of the names to talk about on this team are transfers. Wake Forest transfer Kevin “Boopie” Miller is a really impressive scorer who averaged 15.6PPG with Wake last season on efficient shooting splits. Matt Cross and Kario Oquendo bring some toughness and high major experience at the forward positions.
On the interior is a question for the Mustangs, will it be former five-star recruit and UCSB transfer Yohan Traore, or very highly-touted international recruit Samet Yiğitoğlu? Both players have talent but have yet to showcase it at the college level. If Yiğitoğlu is ready, he could mark a problem on the interior for Butler.
There are so many new pieces here that continuity could be an advantage for Butler in this spot, especially with this game coming so early in the schedule. On the other hand, this guard matchup will be a huge test for Butler’s inexperienced backcourt, and one they will need to pass with flying colors. Butler will be the bigger team, and that marks an advantage, especially with SMU not projecting to be the best outside shooting team, aside from Harris and Miller.
Merrimack
When this game was announced, I mentioned this game potentially being the “trap game.”
Especially if Butler beats SMU and is looking forward to having a huge Thanksgiving weekend, this game is absolutely the trap spot.
Merrimack is going to be a problem. Their awkward zone and style of defense make them one of the best teams in the country at turning the ball over. Do not be surprised to see Butler having 15+ turnovers in this game, given Merrimack had the fifth-highest forced turnover percentage in the country. Merrimack forces turnovers and G Budd Clark will cause absolute havoc in this game. For the Magazine, Clark was our MAAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, he’s a candidate to lead the country in steals this season.
The Warriors will make this game painfully tough for the Bulldogs, as every key non-conference opponent they played turned the ball over at least 13 times last season. With no proven option at PG for Butler yet, this could mark a game where that is exposed.
One advantage is that Butler will have a week to prepare for this pressure, while Merrimack will play Rutgers just two days prior. Butler may start slow and fans may get nervous, but as they settle into this game, Butler should pull away and win a game that has fans on further the edge of their seat than they would've expected.
Northwestern
Two teams from the midwest travel to the deserts of Arizona to battle in the Arizona Tip-Off Challenge. Northwestern proves to be a tough test for Butler, led by All-Big Ten Candidate Brooks Barnhizer.
Barnhizer averaged 14.6PPG and 7.5RPG last season as a true faceup four-man. He will find a way to get buckets, creating opportunities for himself from all three levels. You can’t double him either, as he’s an excellent passer who will make your defense pay for a lazy rotation.
Fairfield transfer Jalen Leach is a big, downhill guard who gets to the bucket well. He’s an impact transfer at guard who should have a role in this game.
They’re going to be the same Northwestern team of old, just without star Boo Buie. Buie was one of the most entertaining guards through the last few years in college basketball. Buie just found ways to make any possible clutch shot. He got better when the games mattered most, and was always great.
Aside from guard Ty Berry, this Northwestern team could really struggle from beyond the arc. I’m interested to see how they look this season, and fortunately for me in that case, we’ll learn more in the handful of games they play before this one.
Mississippi State/UNLV
Few quick notes here, since this can be multiple teams. Mississippi State is a great defensive team but is running out with a team very different from years past. They have a very undersized backcourt, though their guards are absolute gunners. Josh Hubbard and Kanye Clary can both really score the ball. I’d expect them to be in bubble talks in March and could be a favorite to win this tournament.
We’ve talked about Brooks Barnhizer, Josh Hubbard and know the talent on Butler's roster. However, the best player in this tournament might just rep UNLV and go by the name Dedan Thomas Jr. He reclassed up as a PG last season and still lit everybody up. Thomas popped on my radar when he schooled Steven Ashworth last season and helped his Runnin’ Rebels knock off a legitimate Creighton team. I think this UNLV team is being underrated because of Thomas’s star power, and underrated veterans in the frontcourt. They’re being forgotten about in the MWC, when we should be taking note.
Eastern Illinois
We’ll learn much more about EIU in the games preceding this one, but they’ve gotten better each of the past four seasons. There are some players to monitor, namely Artese Stapleton from UMKC.
However EIU was one of the worst offensive teams in the country last season and project to be a middling team at best in the OVC, after doing so last year and finishing 320 in KenPom. Good spot to get the shoes back underneath the guys after a few pretty tough games.
Houston
Houston? Really? Shit. Houston might just be the best team in the country.
LJ Cryer, Mylik Wilson/Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp are one of the better backcourts in the country. Houston is also relentless on the offensive glass with Ja’Vier Francis and Joseph Tugler never giving up on a play. Jahmyl Telfort and Pierre Brooks will get them in this game, but I think everybody else really struggles with Houston’s defensive pressure and relentless attack.
The defense will be smothering, and Houston is a very tough and physical team, which has been a weakness for Butler in Matta’s tenure.
This is a nightmare spot and matchup for the Bulldogs.
North Dakota State
Same thing here, we will learn much more about North Dakota State as the season progresses. But Summit League teams, very broadly, are all the same. They are dynamite offensively but play minimal defense.
That’s generally what I expect from North Dakota State entering the season, including their impressive guards led by Damari Wheeler-Thomas. This team is a dark horse in the conference with transfers Jacksen Moni and Brennan Watkins absolutely on track to finish towards the top of the league. Watkins averaged 15 PPG in the SoCon and will be ready to make up for some lost scoring from last season.
This game should be high-scoring, but the Bulldogs should look like a vastly superior team.
Correction
As a man of integrity, I have to own a mistake. In a recent article, I included this note because I believed I was so much smarter than everybody else:
It’s wrong. I noticed a little while back, before it was announced as the Indy Classic, that one way to get around this rule is to just name the event, as Grand Canyon did for the “Jerry Colangelo Classic.” Why this loophole exists I have no idea, or how the NCAA has incorrect information on their website I also have no idea, but that doesn’t make me any more correct. Do your homework kid.
Wisconsin
Anyways, Wisconsin is a projected mid/bottom tier Big Ten team. Transfer G Camren Hunter should be a familiar name to Bulldog fans because once upon a time he was a Bulldog. For like a week. Now he's a Badger, but will still get to play a game in Indianapolis.
That said, one player I’m really watching is guard John Blackwell. He was very impressive for the Badgers last season in his freshman campaign and should be primed to take a substantial jump. He’s one of the more underrated players in the country, and should be ready to take the nation by storm.
Transfer John Tonje is another underappreciated piece from Colorado State. This Badgers team has enough talent to keep them out of the bottom tier of the Big Ten but should provide a good but winnable test for the Bulldogs.
Overall, the strength of this schedule hinges on how good the HM teams are. Merrimack is a tough spot, but the Bulldogs should hold serve there. The only surefire tournament team on this slate is Houston. Wisconsin probably doesn’t hear their name called in March. SMU has a very wide range of outcomes, but I also see them on the outside looking in. Northwestern and Mississippi State are fringe tournament teams to me, but only one of those games is guaranteed. It’s not the strongest schedule, but it's far from the weakest in the conference.
By the end of this slate, we will know much more about this team and hopefully be talking about NCAA Tournament prospects. But for now, just a handful of days left until basketball is back on our televisions.
Usually, I end all my Butler stuff with that video, and just call it quits. I was going to do this whole magazine bit. I had everything written Thursday evening, but this bit, and was thinking of a way to try to be funny, which inevitably would have fallen flat. But, I think it's just better suited to make a note of Amir Abdur-Rahim's passing.
I'm not the most eloquent speaker in these situations, nor did I know the guy personally to any sort of degree, but it's such a sad story to lose, in my opinion, the most promising up-and-coming Head Coach in this sport. So I'm just going to link a handful of videos below which could give some insight into the type of leader Coach Abdur-Rahim was and let them speak for themselves.
And that day came. Took Kennesaw from nothing to something, and in one year at USF he won the league's Regular Season Title. Incredible coach, and his legacy outside of coaching will live on.
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