Butler basketball closes season with win vs DePaul, Chris Holtmann to end regular season

[ASFN Admin]

CHICAGO — After an ugly loss against Creighton where everything from the players' effort levels to their desire to remain on the team came into question, Butler put together its best performance since late January, earning a 81-71 win over DePaul.

Butler ended its regular season with a 16-15 record and 7-13 in the Big East.

Finley Bizjack led Butler with 17 points. Michael Ajayi added 12 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Four Bulldogs finished in double figures. Bizjack reached 1,000 points for his career.

former IU player CJ Gunn had nine points on 3-of-15 shooting with six rebounds and five assists.


Here's what I liked, disliked and what the win means.

What I liked in Butler basketball's win vs. DePaul​

• The Bulldogs have been a man-to-man team for the majority of the season, but coach Thad Matta said after Wednesday's loss to Creighton that he was searching for schemes to get his players to play hard. The switch to a zone defense was effective. DePaul shot 2 for 13 from 3 in the first and 13 for 34 (38%) overall.
• DePaul's defense sent multiple players at Michael Ajayi every time he touched the ball. The added attention to Ajayi gave his teammates room to operate. Jamie Kaiser Jr. had his best shooting performance in weeks, scoring 10 first-half points on 4-for-4 shooting, including 2 for 2 from 3. Kaiser finished with 15 points.
• For the first time in a long time, it was Butler using a scoring run to take control of the game. The Dawgs led 39-32 at halftime and went on a 22-4 run to start the second half. The energy level the Dawgs showed in the second half was a stark contrast to their game against Creighton. They didn't look like the disinterested bunch on the floor against the Bluejays. Earning a blowout win on the road shows the players are still playing hard for their coach.
• Efeosa Oliogu-Elabor continues to make strides as a point guard. He put his elite-level athleticism on display with an acrobatic layup and a powerful transition slam in the first half, but his decision making is where he needed to make progress, The freshman recorded four assists and just one turnover, showing a marked improvement from the player struggling to hold onto the ball and make proper reads when he first took over the point guard spot from an injured Azavier "Stink" Robinson.

What I disliked in Butler basketball's win vs. DePaul​

• If it works once, try it over and over again. The DePaul offense didn't have much success against Butler except when the Blue Demons were throwing lobs to their big men. Poor rotation allowed NJ Benson to come to the weak side and catch four alley-oops and one put-back slam in the first half. In the second half, backup center Fabian Flores joined the party catching a lob from Kruz McClure. Benson finished with a team-high 24 points and 10 rebounds.
• Ajayi made the right reads with the ball on most occasions, but the grad transfer tried to force the issue at times too. Ajayi settled for mid-range shots on multiple occasions in the first half.
• Butler led by as many as 29 points. The Dawgs built up a big enough cushion to hold off the late-charging Blue Demons, but their second half was much sloppier than the first.

What Butler basketball's win vs. DePaul means​

Heading into Saturday only No. 3 Villanova and No. 4 Seton Hall were locked into its Big East Tournament seeds. Butler's win means DePaul misses its chance at a No. 5 seed and a first day bye. Butler will likely receive the No. 7 or No. 8 seed depending on the outcome of Providence's game against Georgetown.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Butler vs DePaul basketball score today, Michael Ajayi, CJ Gunn game stats

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