What to look for?
Expect Louisville to press most of the game full court and use their depth to try and wear down Butler's ball handlers. As is the case in any game involving a pressing team, turnovers will be a big stat to watch tonight. Louisville has been using a 24-second shot clock in practice to emphasize a fast pace and would benefit from a more sloppily played game.
If each team's possessions get into the low 70s then the game is being played at Louisville's pace.
One thing to watch is how Butler handles the press in the backcourt. Last year Gordon Hayward was essentially a one-man press break against most teams. Ron Nored and Shelvin Mack struggled a bit at times against the presses of Cleveland State and late in the Ohio State game.
Game Notes:
This will be the 10th meeting between these two teams. Butler holds a 5-4 series lead over the perennially powerful Cardinals.
Tonight marks the opening of Louisville's KFC Yum! Center. Capacity is 22,000 and expect almost all of them to be wearing red.
Dan Shulman and Dick Vitale have the call on ESPN.
The last time these two teams played was 2003 in the NCAA tournament, a 79-71 Butler victory.
Shelvin Mack, a Lexington native, will be playing in his home state for the first, and possibly only, time in his collegiate basketball career.
Tags: Butler - Men's Basketball
