Struggling Butler gets another big opportunity to right the ship on Saturday when it plays host to No. 11 UConn at Indianapolis in Big East play.
In its conference opener, Butler (7-5, 0-1) fell for the fourth consecutive time, losing 80-70 to No. 9 Marquette on Wednesday after leading for nearly all of the first half.
“The way we started the second half with all the turnovers, we’ve got to be a more resilient basketball team,” Bulldogs head coach Thad Matta said. “You know they’re gonna make a run, they’re gonna come back at you. We got to keep getting better.”
UConn (9-3, 1-0) had a thrilling conference opener against Xavier at home on Wednesday, taking it 94-89 in overtime.
“This had all the designs of a game you lose at home,” Huskies coach Dan Hurley said. “Usually you lose when you give up 13-for-24 from three. The resolve we’ve shown the last couple weeks is great.”
Alex Karaban leads the back-to-back reigning national champions, averaging 16 points and just under two blocks per game. Tarris Reed Jr. is the leading rebounder (8.4) and Hassan Diarra averages a team-best 6.2 assists.
UConn’s offense has been dominant, averaging 84.4 points per game with an average scoring margin of 17.5. The Huskies are also shooting 35.3 percent from 3-point range while holding opponents to 39.2 percent, despite Xavier shooting 54.2 percent (13 of 24).
On Butler’s side, Jahmyl Telfort leads with 16.2 points and 3.1 assists per game. Andre Screen makes his presence felt down low, averaging 5.9 boards and 1.4 blocks.
Turnovers have been an issue for Butler, including its last game when Marquette scored 14 points off 14 turnovers while Butler forced just two turnovers.
On the season, the Bulldogs have nearly a -5 turnover margin, with opponents averaging 13.2 points off of Butler’s turnovers per game.
On the injury front, Butler center Augusto Cassia remains out with a knee injury and guard/forward Jamie Kaiser Jr. is still recovering from ankle surgery.
UConn center Samson Johnson missed the Xavier game with a concussion after a hard fall against Gonzaga on Dec. 14.
Hurley reported before the Xavier game that it’s possible Johnson could return for the Butler matchup and that he feels great and will be back soon. The coach also called Johnson “the heart and soul of this team.”
Butler has never defeated Connecticut, losing all nine matchups against the Huskies since 2011.
In January, Butler nearly pulled a home upset after leading by seven at halftime. UConn rallied for an 88-81 win. The Bulldogs also hung tough on the road against the Huskies, falling 71-62 last February.
Current Bulldogs Pierre Brooks II scored 19 and Telfort added 16 in that game in Indianapolis. Karaban led UConn with 20 points and was a big part of the Huskies’ second-half comeback.
–Field Level Media
