Before the Old Spice Classic had even begun, the Oklahoma State Cowboys were already inked in champions of the 8-team tournament. That really didn't settle well with the Butler Bulldogs. Heading to Disney's Wide World of Sports with a 4-0 record, Butler looked to continue that trend as long as they possibly could.
They were able to scrap and eventually slip by Washington State in their first of three games, 76-69 on Thanksgiving Day. That win pitted them against #5 Oklahoma State and highly touted sophomore Marcus Smart. The Dawgs shocked a lot of people by sticking with, and almost knocking off, the high-energy Cowboys from the Big XII and only lost by two, 69-67.
The loss to Oklahoma State dropped Butler into the 3rd place game with LSU, which is projected to be a top 5 team in the SEC this season. The Bulldogs held their own once again, but fell 70-68 in overtime to the Tigers.
Butler got back in the comforts of Indianapolis and got back to work in a couple tune-up games that will hopefully get them ready for Saturday's battle with the Purdue Boilermakers at Banker's Life Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis.
The University of North Dakota made a long trip to Indianapolis on Saturday, December 7 to face the Bulldogs. With Butler shooting 52% (29-56) and outrebounding UND 44-28, North Dakota put up a fight, but playing on their home court helped Butler secure a 79-65 win.
Sophomore Kellen Dunham put together another stellar shooting performance by leading all scorers with a game-high 29. The 6'6 guard from Pendleton, Indiana was 9-of-15 from the floor, including 5-for-8 on his three-point attempts and all six of his free throw attempts. Khyle Marshall did his part by totaling 21 points and 7 rebounds.
Last night, Monday, December 3rd, Butler welcomed another non-conference foe to Hinkle Fieldhouse. Division III Manchester College, which resides just southwest of Fort Wayne, Indiana, made their first appearance at Butler in almost 70 years.
Butler managed to reach the century mark on the scoreboard, with a 100-41 shellacking of the visiting Spartans. The Bulldogs haven't had that much of a winning margin since the 1921-22 season when they pummeled Indiana Law School, 82-14.
With a comfortable 48-24 doubling-up halftime lead, the second half became 20 minutes where head coach Brandon Miller and staff were able to figure out which players fit into different situations. His troops outscored Manchester 52-17 in the second half to cruise past the Spartans by 59 points, 100-41.
Once again, Dunham led four Bulldogs in double-figures with 15 points in just 19 minutes. Marshall had another great game with 14 points on 6-of-9 from the floor. Kameron Woods chipped in with 11 points and 5 boards, while Erik Fromm had 7 and 7 with 3 blocks.
The Bulldogs had a couple of freshmen that were real sparkplugs off the bench that could prove to be vital parts of their offense and depth now and throughout the Big East season. Rene Castro added a career-high 12 points on 5 field goals (2-3 on 3's) in 16 minutes and Elijah Brown had 9 points (3-4 on 3's) with 4 rebounds and 4 assists.
In four days, Butler (7-2) will meet up with the Purdue Boilermakers (8-2) on a neutral court. They'll tip at 6 p.m. on the Big Ten Network in the second game of the doubleheader at Banker's Life Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis as part of the 3rd annual Crossroads Classic. Radio coverage can be heard locally in Indianapolis on 1070 The Fan and 107.5 FM with the pre-game 30 minutes prior to tip.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-2) and the Indiana Hoosiers (8-2) renew their rivalry in the first game of the afternoon with a 3:15 start on ESPN.
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