Sophomore guard Finley Bizjack had 8 points in the loss against Marquette. Photo by Jonathan Wang.
CALEB DENORME | MANAGING EDITOR | cdenorme@butler.edu
The men’s basketball team heads east for a Friday night matchup against Georgetown. The Dawgs saw their record drop to 9-12 after being beaten by Marquette at home earlier in the week. The Bulldogs now have a 2-8 record in Big East conference play.
Butler seeks to add a third conference win to its total with a showdown with the Hoyas on the horizon. Here’s what you need to know as the Dawgs battle Georgetown:
Who: Butler vs. Georgetown
When: January 31, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Washington D.C
How to watch: FS1
Playing a 40-minute game
One of the downfalls for the Bulldogs this year has been their inability to play good basketball for an entire game.
This tendency reared its ugly head again on Tuesday, when Butler imploded after halftime to give Marquette the victory. The Dawgs shot 57.1% in the first half but went ice cold in the second half, shooting only 25.8% from the field.
Butler head coach Thad Matta talked about the importance of playing solid basketball for an entire game after the loss against Marquette.
“There’s 40 minutes to a game,” Matta said. “That’s the one thing I’d say in this league … you have to play 40 minutes.”
If the Dawgs can come into the Hoyas’ home court and play tough basketball for the entire game, Butler could end up coming out with the win. For that to happen though, the Bulldogs will need to buck their trend of collapsing in crunch time.
Georgetown scouting report
The Hoyas currently have a 13-8 record overall and a 4-6 conference record. Georgetown is currently in the midst of losing six of its last seven games, with the lone win coming against Villanova on January 20.
The Hoyas are led by first-year forward Thomas Sorber and graduate guard Micah Peavy. Both Sorber and Peavy average over 14 points per game and are first and second in total points scored this season.
Georgetown has four players who average double digits in the scoring column, so the points can pour in from anywhere. The guard tandem of sophomore Malik Mack and junior Jayden Epps both contribute 13 and 12.3 points per game respectively.
The key for Butler in this game will be to limit Georgetown’s starters offensively. The Dawgs will not stay competitive if all four stars get into double digits, so Butler will need to pick its poison and decide who to stop.
It should be a classic, tight Big East matchup between the Hoyas and the Dawgs. Georgetown will be intent on getting out of its rut, while Butler will seek to grab a third conference win of the season.
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