Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Divisional Round
It’s a battle of teams from the Big East on the hardwood as they take the floor in search of a win in the Nutmeg State. The Butler Bulldogs are on the road as they make the trip to take on the #15 UConn Huskies Sunday afternoon. Butler was drubbed 73-52 at home by Creighton in their previous game Monday night, failing to cover as a seven-point underdog. UConn fell 67-66 on the road to Seton Hall in their previous game Tuesday night, losing outright as a five-point favorite. In the all-time series between the programs, the Huskies have won all six meetings, including a 68-46 on the road in the first meeting this season on December 17, 2022.
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Butler lost for the sixth time in their last nine games as they were rolled at home by Creighton in their previous game. The Bulldogs enter this game 11-9 overall and stand tied for ninth in the Big East with a 3-6 mark. Against Creighton, Butler was within two with just over four minutes to play in the first half before giving up a 10-4 run to trail 36-28 at intermission. The Bulldogs never got closer than six in the second half as the Bluejays pulled away down the stretch for the one-sided victory. Butler shot 34.5% from the field, including eight of 14 from three-point range, and was crushed 47-24 on the glass in the game. Simas Lukosius led the Bulldogs with 18 points in the loss.
The Bulldogs put up an average of 69 points per game on the season, which puts them 243rd in the nation in scoring offense. Butler pulls down 31.1 rebounds per contest (342nd) and dish out 13 assi sts (213th in the nation) per contest. The Bulldogs are good on the defensive end of the floor, ranking 107th in scoring defense as they allow 66.6 points per game this season. Chuck Harris is second on the team with 12.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists a contest. Jayden Taylor (12.2 points, 3.8 boards), Simas Lukosius (11.5 points, 3.8 boards, three assists), Manny Bates (12.6 points, 5.9 boards) and Eric Hunter Jr. (9.9 points, 2.8 assists) are each good secondary options this season. Pierce Thomas, Myles Tate, Ali Ali, D.J. Hughes and Connor Turnbull all are looked at to contribute. Butler shoots 45.6% from the field as a team on the season. The Bulldogs knock down an average of 6.9 triples a night while hitting 35.5% from beyond the arc. Butler is very good at the charity stripe as they sink 73.7% of their chances this season, which is 98th in the nation.