Quote Originally Posted by SoundOfBrooklyn:
I would. Youre clearly one of the best cappers on this site and im guessing Joes is your alma mater from your avitar, so I would love to know if you think Joes is in a good spot here against a pretty good butler squad. Im leaning towards Joes at home but I dont know if its better to sit this one out.
Yep, graduated this past Spring.
This SJU group has shown up for these types of games. Last year, they beat ranked Creighton and Temple teams at home, as well as a dominant performance against our biggest rival, Villanova. A few months ago, they beat Notre Dame despite being down by 8 with less than four minutes to play. The issue has been bringing the same high level of effort against lesser competition and on the road.
From a "talent" perspective, SJU is miles ahead of Butler. Jones (Hon Mention), Galloway (2nd Team), Roberts (6th Man of the Year), Kanacevic (Hon Mention), and Aiken (Def. Player of the Year) ALL garnered all-conference honors last season. Unfortunately, that gap is negated by the fact that Martelli is obscenely overrated as a coach and will be going against the
best basketball man in America.
In terms of atmosphere, it's going to be really, really rowdy. Even though the student body is still on break, many students are from the Philly suburbs and New Jersey, making it an easy commute. The place only holds 4200 people (1200 are in the student section) and the fans are quite literally on top of the court (
a la Cameron Indoor). Butler is unlikely to be as fazed by the ambience, as, say Dayton or Saint Louis, which play in large arenas, though many people believe Hagan is the loudest "pound-for-pound" building in the league.
From a strategical standpoint, the game boils down to how well Butler shoots from the outside. It's extraordinarily difficult to score against SJU in the paint with Aiken (Top 5 in shot blocks last two years) helping from the weak-side. Kanacevic and Roberts are also good shot-blockers. As an SJU fan, though, I'm concerned about Butler's ability to space the floor and make Aiken guard the perimeter. At 6'9, his lateral quickness is actually really good, but he is at his best in the middle of the lane. When Butler goes to the lineup with Clarke, Dunham, and Barlow, we cannot play our three forwards at the same time. Thus, Chris Wilson becomes the key to the game for SJU. He's a heady player, true point guard, and very good on-ball defender. I suspect he draws much of the assignment on Clarke, as Martelli will not want to tire out Galloway chasing through the myriad of Butler screens.
Butler has had issues defending smaller, quicker guards. Tay Jones is as fast with the ball as any guard in America. Conversely, SJU has had major issues guarding the three-point line. Butler is deadly from three with Clarke and Dunham. Who makes the right adjustments? Who does a better job taking away what the other team wants to do?
I don't have a recommended play on this game. Way too many unanswered questions. The bellwether is probably the matchup between Roosevelt Jones and Kanacevic - two similar players who facilitate from both the top of the key and the low block. Gut says the Hawks show up in a big way, but I'm always skeptical until proven otherwise.
#THWND
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