Live Blog: Butler vs. Saint Louis
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
10:05 — After beating VCU and Butler in back-to-back games, the Billikens have won nine in a row and are the clear-cut best team in the Atlantic 10 at this point in the season. Thank you for stopping by the live blog tonight. It was our first try at this, and we’ll do what we can to improve upon the idea. Send me input on Twitter @chrisgoff_ISL or let my editor Cliff Brunt know your thoughts via email (cliff.brunt@indysportslegends.com). Again, I appreciate you stopping by, and keep an eye out for my game column in a little bit.
9:00 — Mike McCall Jr. makes two big free throws to put the visitors ahead 65-61 with 19.3 seconds left.
8:47 — As my editor just pointed out, Butler is in great shape with fouls. Only committed five and are in the double-bonus themselves. Of course, Jones and the other guys have to make ’em. Only 3:32 left and the ‘Dawgs trail 59-56.
8:44 — The finish could be one to remember as Butler trails 57-56 with 4:44 to go. The Bulldogs have found something that works going to Jones.
8:31 — Telling sequence for Rotnei Clarke, who only has eight points. On one ill-fated possession, Clarke gave it up after he crossed the timeline and just stood in the right corner on the weakside as Smith tried to go 1-on-1 and had the ball stripped. After a defensive stop, Clarke dribbled across midcourt the next time and went right into a floater, which he made for his first points since halftime. Clarke knows he must step up for Butler to recover from a nine-point hole, which feels like 20 against the Billikens’ awesome defense. Clarke just made a second-chance 3 as I type this. Timeout called by Jim Crews as Butler closes within 53-49 with 8:49 to go. Hang on tight.
8:25 — Mike McCall Jr., a 42 percent 3-point shooter, is starting to take Rotnei Clarke-esque shots. He’s feeling it, and Butler needs to find a way to cut down on his offense. The Bulldogs are in a seven-point hole and reeling on both ends.
8:21 — Saint Louis is just a great team, and the Billikens are the aggressor at this point, with Butler on its heels, hesitant and struggling on offense with just eight points since halftime. SLU leads 48-42 with 12:16 to play.
8:11 — Saint Louis is on a 10-2 run out of halftime, and they’ve done it on the strength of their team speed, shown most notably on McCall Jr.’s blazing drive past a stuck-in-the-mud Alex Barlow, and by Kwamain Mitchell attacking Butler’s defense before it could get set. Butler needs to settle down on offense. Andrew Smith going 1-on-1 is not going to cut it.
8:01 — A word on Andrew Smith. His numbers — five points and five rebounds — are modest. But Smith was on the court for 15 minutes in the first half, and he made too many smart basketball plays to count. He threw a pinpoint pass from the top of the arc to a cutting Roosevelt Jones for a layup, Jones’ only field goal of the half. Lying on the floor after diving for a loose ball, Smith, having corralled it, managed to throw a skipper ahead to Marshall for an easy dunk in transition. A lot of players would burn a timeout in that situation, but Smith was aware enough to seize an easy opportunity for two points. Three of Smith’s five points came on second chances, and he made a nifty left-handed hook from the left block later in the half. About the only things he did wrong were commit a moving screen and lose the ball in a misguided attempt to drive on Rob Loe when he didn’t have a step. But Smith anchored a terrific Butler defense which forced plenty of SLU misses right at the basket.
7:52 — It’s halftime. And it’s been “go time” for freshman reserve Kellen Dunham. He has 14 points, and Saint Louis doesn’t appear to have a good matchup for him. Dunham has made a few mistakes, such as leaving his feet on a pump fake by Mike McCall Jr. in the lane, but he has been simply brilliant in sum, both creating his own shot and using screens to find slivers of daylight and mismatches when Saint Louis dared to switch a screen. Stevens has not gone small; at times, he’s gone with even more size, playing about three minutes with three big men on the court at the same time. Butler led by as many as nine and is shooting 52 percent from the field. After starting 6-for-21 from the floor, Saint Louis has made five of its last 10 shots to close the gap. Evans leads them with eight points and Jordair Jett has seven.
7:39 — Brad Stevens has a big lineup in the game right now: Khyle Marshall, Kameron Woods and Erik Fromm together in the frontcourt, with tall guard Kellen Dunham joining Rotnei Clarke. Saint Louis has missed a lot of 3s, but it’s evident Butler’s defense has few holes, and Jim Crews has not found something that works on a consistent basis. Evans has been taken away quite well by the defense of Jones. Butler is up 27-20 with 3:40 left in the half. It’s a great start for the Bulldogs on both ends, really, but especially on defense.
7:27 — Butler has limited itself to three turnovers in the first 12 minutes of the half, and one could easily argue all three were unforced. Two travels, one moving screen. Butler leads 19-15 with 7:59 to go in the half. Dunham has seven. Marshall has four but has not attempted a shot after his two early dunks. Saint Louis, which has missed 15 of 21 shots, simply has not had many chances to set up its pressure defense and force the big men to handle the ball. That’s good news for Butler. Saint Louis point guard Kwamain Mitchell has two fouls.
7:18 — Butler is on an 11-2 run to lead 17-9 with 11:04 left in the half. Saint Louis is 4-for-15 from the field, and Butler has played with as much energy and intensity on that end as we’ve seen in recent weeks. Four of the last five Butler opponents have shot 38 percent or less from the field. Could this be another? Dunham is just terrorizing Saint Louis right now, which might have to consider moving Dwayne Evans onto him.
7:15 — Butler leads 15-9 after Kellen Dunham has found openings for jump shots. One occurred on a switch with Cody Remekun on him after a screen. The Bulldogs are playing with a lot of energy and intensity, and Saint Louis has not pressured around midcourt yet.
6:41 — It’s game time (almost) at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Welcome to our live blog. Thanks for joining us. Please hit refresh for updates throughout the night.
When I pulled into the media lot at Hinkle, I saw a bus letting out streams of Saint Louis students. Makes sense, huge game and a relatively quick trip over on the Interstate. I’ve been told that was the only bus, and about 50-60 students were on it. They’re in Section 22 in the bleachers up above me, and they’ve already been pretty vocal. No doubt, this sellout crowd, which is still filing in with 14 minutes until tipoff, is going to be partisan in favor of the Dawgs. But the SLU fans will add some extra spice to what should be a great game.
Saint Louis has won eight in a row. Butler has won two in a row since losing here to Charlotte. Whoever wins will have to come up with a complete, all-around effort.
