Preview
Among all its Big East competition, Butler presents a unique challenge to the Georgetown game plan, as evidenced when the teams played a rare non-conference game in November. The Bulldogs can excel in slow tempo games, maintain a strong defense against Georgetown's sets in man to man or zone, and lead the league in rebounding. But the Hoyas' performance in a gutty win at DePaul should provide some clues on solving the riddle of the Bulldogs.
Georgetown's ability to force DePaul outside led the Hoyas to assert itself late. For a Butler team which has struggled from outside, it's an apt comparison.
Butler's guard play has often struggled against Georgetown but the Bulldogs are seeing some of the best play of the year from guards Alex Barlow (55.6% from three last two games) and Roosevelt Jones (23 points versus Seton Hall). With Butler's resurgence, Butler is third in the Big East in threes but without him, Georgetown should be able to force Butler inside on its possessions.
6-6 forward Kellen Dunham is Butler's most dangerous scorer and figures to be that on Saturday, Dunham's mid-range shot is one of the best in the Big East and Butler will count upon him to pick up points in a bunch. Dunham's play will be no surprise, but the inside game has been a pleasant surprise for the Bulldogs,which lead the league in rebounding behind that of Kameron Woods and Andrew Chrabascz, who had a career day last season versus Georgetown. Limiting rebounds and second chance points will be considerably better if Georgetown can force Butler out of the middle, which is where a complete game (or something close to it) from Josh Smith will be helpful.
Some keys to the game:
Tempo: If this game is played in the 60's, Butler will thrive. Much like the DePaul game, the more Georgetown can force Butler out of its style of play, the better.
Transition Defense: The Hoyas' defense was a point of failure in the November game with Butler, but has shown signs of improvement thius far.
Hop To It: Can Georgetown get a second strong effort from senior Mikael Hopkins? This is the kind of opponent that may allow Hopkins to thrive, but early fouls must be avoided.
Among all its Big East competition, Butler presents a unique challenge to the Georgetown game plan, as evidenced when the teams played a rare non-conference game in November. The Bulldogs can excel in slow tempo games, maintain a strong defense against Georgetown's sets in man to man or zone, and lead the league in rebounding. But the Hoyas' performance in a gutty win at DePaul should provide some clues on solving the riddle of the Bulldogs.
Georgetown's ability to force DePaul outside led the Hoyas to assert itself late. For a Butler team which has struggled from outside, it's an apt comparison.
Butler's guard play has often struggled against Georgetown but the Bulldogs are seeing some of the best play of the year from guards Alex Barlow (55.6% from three last two games) and Roosevelt Jones (23 points versus Seton Hall). With Butler's resurgence, Butler is third in the Big East in threes but without him, Georgetown should be able to force Butler inside on its possessions.
6-6 forward Kellen Dunham is Butler's most dangerous scorer and figures to be that on Saturday, Dunham's mid-range shot is one of the best in the Big East and Butler will count upon him to pick up points in a bunch. Dunham's play will be no surprise, but the inside game has been a pleasant surprise for the Bulldogs,which lead the league in rebounding behind that of Kameron Woods and Andrew Chrabascz, who had a career day last season versus Georgetown. Limiting rebounds and second chance points will be considerably better if Georgetown can force Butler out of the middle, which is where a complete game (or something close to it) from Josh Smith will be helpful.
Some keys to the game:
Tempo: If this game is played in the 60's, Butler will thrive. Much like the DePaul game, the more Georgetown can force Butler out of its style of play, the better.
Transition Defense: The Hoyas' defense was a point of failure in the November game with Butler, but has shown signs of improvement thius far.
Hop To It: Can Georgetown get a second strong effort from senior Mikael Hopkins? This is the kind of opponent that may allow Hopkins to thrive, but early fouls must be avoided.
