First Thoughts: Butler 73, Dayton 67 in Atlantic 10 tourney
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
Let’s take a quick look at how the Butler Bulldogs grinded out a 73-67 win over the Dayton Flyers on Thursday afternoon at the Barclays Center.
WHY IT HAPPENED: Rotnei Clarke and Andrew Smith were the best players on the floor in this first-round Atlantic 10 tournament game, and their excellence helped Butler avoid the upset and pull away from No. 12 seed Dayton. Clarke had 21 points and five assists. Smith had 18 points and six rebounds. Once again, Kameron Woods played with energy and passion, scoring three points, grabbing seven rebounds and blocking two shots to go along with rock-solid defense in the post. Fellow reserve Erik Fromm ran off nine points in less than three minutes as Butler pushed a five-point lead to 10 in the latter portion of the second half. Josh Benson led the Flyers with 18 points, but Butler’s defensive pressure forced Dayton to score two points at a time. Without the benefit of the 3-point shot, and with Clarke and Smith bombing away, the Flyers just couldn’t keep up and were knocked out of the tourney.
WHAT WE LEARNED: The Bulldogs tend to play their best basketball in win-or-go-home situations, and they showed the skill that pushed them to 24 regular-season wins, though grit and determination were especially evident on a day the offense looked flat and uninspired in shooting 36 percent in the first half. After intermission, Butler went 14-of-29 and shot 42 percent for the game. Clarke, who endured so many losses in three seasons at Arkansas, happily took charge on the big stage in New York City. Roosevelt Jones played the role of facilitator, dishing a game-high six assists, and Kellen Dunham, apparently having taken over as the starting shooting guard, finished with nine points and five rebounds in his postseason debut. Dunham was jumpy at the start but settled in. Butler’s bench bounced back from a scoreless first half to knock down several big shots in the second. After being in and out of the rotation, Fromm has to feel great about his performance. Dayton point guard Kevin Dillard had 15 points, just two in the first half, and suffered a long day on defense against Clarke. Dillard is perhaps Dayton’s best defender. You wouldn’t know it against Butler’s high-scoring point guard.
As we head into the second round, there are two key issues to keep in mind. First, Brad Stevens decided once again to split the playing time nearly evenly between Woods and Khyle Marshall. Marshall was pretty good — nine points and six rebounds — but the power forward spot has essentially become a platoon. Marshall shot an airball on the only jump shot he took. If the Bulldogs want to win Friday, they must get more point production from the forwards, whether Jones, Marshall or Woods. Four points is not enough from Jones. Secondly, Butler must defend at an even higher level. The Bulldogs let Dayton shoot 49 percent from the field and outscore them 48-28 in the paint.
KEY NUMBER: Dayton attempted 29 percent of its field goals from behind the arc during the regular season, and made 38 percent of those tries. Butler limited the Flyers to four 3-point attempts in 55 shots, meaning that only 7.3 percent of Dayton’s field-goal attempts came from long range. In their biggest game of the season, the Flyers’ offense appeared drastically different.
TURNING POINT: After Smith’s layup sent Butler to a 55-50 lead, the proceedings hit an official TV timeout with 7:59 remaining. That’s when Fromm entered the game, took a shot on five straight possessions, and made four of them. He took a pass from Alex Barlow and finished a fast-break layup. A 3-pointer, dunk and close shot finished the flurry. By the time Fromm checked out with 3:12 remaining, Butler had taken full control at 67-58.
NEXT: The fifth-seeded Bulldogs take on No. 4 La Salle tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. The Explorers (21-8) shoot 45 percent from the field and present a challenge on both ends.
