Four Questions on Butler-VCU with Chris Kowalczyk
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
It might be both the first and last meeting of league foes when No. 20 Butler visits No.25 Virginia Commonwealth. The two schools joined the Atlantic 10 this season. Fresh reports say the Bulldogs will jump to a reformed Big East this summer. If so, that would nip a great rivalry in the bud before it ever had a chance to blossom. Perhaps Saturday’s showdown will form a lasting memory.
To get you ready for the 2011 Final Four rematch between the 22-6 Bulldogs and 22-6 Rams, we are joined by Chris Kowalczyk, who covers VCU athletics for Around the Horns, for a round of Four Questions.
1. What will it take for Butler to survive HAVOC?
Chris Kowalczyk, Around the Horns: Surviving Havoc is all about guard play. It’s not enough to have a speedy point guard. You need two, sometimes three heady guards who aren’t going to abandon ship mentally at the first sign of trouble. This is where veteran playmakers are so important. Younger guys have a tendency to let one or two turnovers turn into six. VCU isn’t going to slow down or stop pressing. They live to ruin people’s days. The most effective teams against the Rams this season were those that could make good decisions with the ball and then spread the floor and let guys make plays.
Chris Goff, IndySportsLegends: Things won’t run as smoothly as usual, but the Bulldogs can endure VCU’s hyper-aggressive defense. To do so, they’ll need to handle full-court pressure better than they have to date. The Rams are tremendous at causing offenses to grind to a halt before the ball even crosses the timeline. Hold it a moment too long, and Butler’s guards risk getting stuck in a trap. Timely cuts are required by teammates without the ball to avoid that dilemma and to provide alternative outlets. In the halfcourt, Butler must strike a delicate balance between aggression and patience.
2. What will be the most important matchup on the court Saturday?
Kowalczyk: There are a few that intrigue me, but I think you’ve got to start with Darius Theus and Rotnei Clarke and work from there. Theus is a terrific on-ball defender, while Clarke is one of the best shooters in the country. Clarke has shown a tendency to turn the ball over under duress, and duress is the Rams’ calling card. VCU will likely throw a number of guys at Clarke over the course of the game, but it’ll be up to Theus to set the tone. I’m also curious to see how Shaka Smart plans on defending Roosevelt Jones. I’ve never met a guy named Roosevelt that wasn’t good for 25 at some point. Jones’ frame and ability to get on the glass leads me to believe Treveon Graham will get first crack at him. Butler is an outstanding rebounding team. VCU doesn’t necessarily need to outrebound the Bulldogs, but it does need to keep the margin manageable. That starts by keeping guys like Jones off the offensive glass.
Goff: I’m not sure how much time these two guys will spend guarding each other, but the performance of the small forwards will have a lot to do with who wins. Jones’ ability to step in and handle the ball as a point forward, along with his ability to get to the rim, will be huge. Jones must be a consistent scorer. Andrew Smith and Rotnei Clarke aren’t going to be able to do it alone. Meanwhile, in VCU’s six losses, Troy Daniels averaged just eight points on 35.8 percent shooting. In victories, Daniels is shooting 42.1 percent and averaging 13.4 points. Neither Jones nor Daniels has the ability to control the game by himself. But they certainly help set the tone.
3. Since neither team has beaten La Salle or Saint Louis, the other top A-10 contenders, do one or both teams enter Saturday with something to prove?
Kowalczyk: Both teams could really use this game for different reasons. Butler hasn’t played its best ball the last few weeks, while VCU would really like to have one more quality win to enhance its NCAA resume. The Rams have a bunch of good wins and no bad losses, but the committee really likes those statement victories. As far as the A-10 goes, I’m not sure this game will do much in the context of La Salle or Saint Louis, but it could set up some terrific rematches in Brooklyn.
Goff: The Bulldogs are 6-4 in their past 10 games with losses to La Salle, Saint Louis, Charlotte and Saint Louis again by an average of 6.5 points. Even if you factor in some of the health problems Butler has suffered, this team remains incomplete and is somewhat off its axis. VCU has a better efficiency differential in conference play. If Butler can get back to where it was when it beat Indiana and Gonzaga, it will be a serious contender. For both the Bulldogs and Rams, the season is already a successful venture into a new league. They would like to show they can beat the best, and Butler needs to take a step forward in regaining its mojo.
4. What kind of game can we expect?
Kowalczyk: It’ll be a tug-of-war. Butler’s been so good historically at controlling tempo and running its sets (which it did exceedingly well two years ago in Houston), while VCU wants the game to play out like a Y2K disaster drill, with zoo animals on the loose, people lighting small fires and cackling with a frantic look in their eyes. The more the game becomes about athletes flying around the arena, making plays in the open floor, the more the pendulum swings VCU’s way. I’m also expecting the atmosphere to be unlike anything we’ve seen here. People have waited two years for this. It’ll be the largest student crowd of the season, and fans here have been keeping old newspaper photographs of the Butler Bulldog on their mirrors like Rocky Balboa did with Ivan Drago. VCU’s style feeds off that atmosphere.
Goff: Competitive and fun. The Rams have firepower and depth. Butler has the talent to get a road win. Both teams come in rested. VCU will have had six days off, the Bulldogs will have had seven. Figure on each side playing at a high level, producing a great showcase for the Atlantic 10 on basic cable. This is precisely the situation in which Butler plays its best basketball, but it might be hard for either team to generate consistent stops. I wouldn’t be surprised if this became a high-scoring type of game.
