Second Round Preview: Take a look at Butler

Saturday, March 18

Milwaukee, Wis.

6:10 PM

Middle Tennessee

Butler

3/17/2017 7:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball

By: Josh Vardaman

GAME INFORMATION
(Game notes)

Hashtag: #TrueBlue, #BlueRaiders
Twitter: @MT_MBB
Instagram: MT_MBB
Facebook: MTSUMBB

Date: Saturday, March 18
Time: 6:10 p.m. CT
Teams: Middle Tennessee (31-4) vs. Butler (24-8)
Location: Milwaukee, Wis.
Arena: BMO Harris Bradley Center (18,850)
TV: TBS

MILWAUKEE, Wis. – With their thrilling 81-72 win over Minnesota on Thursday in the NCAA Tournament first round, the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders moved into the round of 32 for the second-straight year. There they will meet the South region's No. 4 seed, the Butler Bulldogs.

The Blue Raiders (31-4) and Bulldogs (24-8) will meet for the first time. Middle Tennessee is attempting to make it to the Sweet 16 for the first time, while Butler is hoping for its sixth trip and first since going to the National Championship in 2011.

The Bulldogs have been ranked both in the AP and Coaches Polls for most of the season. They got off to a fast start, winning each of their first eight games including victories over tournament teams Vanderbilt, Arizona and Northwestern.

Butler also beat the NCAA Tournament's top seed, Villanova, twice, and it was victorious over Cincinnati, Vermont, Providence, Xavier (twice), Marquette (twice) and Seton Hall – all tournament teams.

Two Bulldogs score in double figures. Junior forward Kelan Martin leads the way with 15.5 per game, and senior forward Andrew Chrabascz averages 11.

Martin also leads the team in rebounds per game (5.8), while Chrabascz does a little bit of everything on both ends of the floor. The 6-foot-7 forward averages the third-most rebounds (4.6) and second-most assists (3.2) on the team.

Two tough defenses

Fans of tough, defensive battles should keep their eyes locked on Saturday's matchup. Butler has shown several times this season – most notably in its wins against Villanova – that it can lock teams down.

The Bulldogs' defense is believed to be much better than its 68.4 points allowed per game (81^st in the nation) would suggest, and they will be facing off against the country's 20^th-best scoring defense in MTSU (63.3 per game).

In its first-round matchup with Winthrop, Butler allowed the Eagles to shoot just 40 percent (25-62) from the field and 36 percent (9-25) from beyond the arc.

Middle Tennessee also played a good defensive game in the first round, limiting Minnesota to just 29 percent (6-21) from 3-point range and 46 percent (24-52) overall. The Blue Raiders also held Golden Gopher leading scorer Nate Mason (15.5 points per game) to just five points thanks to stifling 1-3-1 and 2-3 zones.

Efficiency key for both offenses

Both teams feature fantastically efficient offenses.

Middle Tennessee ranks in the top-12 nationally in both turnovers per game (10.4) and field goal percentage (49). On the flip side, Butler is 32^nd in the country in field goal percentage (47.8) and eighth in turnovers per game (10.2).

While the Bulldogs' ability to hang onto the ball can be attributed to a wealth of experience from Chrabascz and redshirt senior Tyler Lewis (team-high four assists per game), a lot of the good ballhandling for the Blue Raiders comes from a freshman.

Tyrik Dixon's 2.52:1 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks 41^st in the country and seventh among freshmen. In his first NCAA Tournament game, he had five helpers while turning the ball over just once.

Both teams are deep

In Middle Tennessee's first-round matchup, Minnesota played primarily with six players. Against Butler, though, the Blue Raiders better be ready to see a deep bench.

The Bulldogs have nine players averaging at least 11 minutes per game, and of the 10 that played against Winthrop in the first round, eight scored.

MTSU has nine guys averaging eight or more and seven who get in 10 minutes or more per game. Nine of its 10 who saw the floor on Thursday scored.

Rebounding could be x-factor for Raiders

Middle Tennessee head coach Kermit Davis said after Thursday's win the rebounding margin was the key to his team's win. The Blue Raiders, who finished second in Conference USA in the regular season with a plus-5.4 rebound margin per game, outrebounded Minnesota 37-24 and only allowed the Golden Gophers to grab four offensive boards.

Rebounding could again be the reason for a Blue Raider win on Saturday. The Bulldogs have not been particularly good on the backboards this season, with just a plus-.6 rebound margin per game average. But, in their win against Winthrop on Thursday they dominated the rebounding battle 42-27 and only allowed the Eagles to snag three on the offensive end.

Only two Butler players – Martin and Tyler Wideman – average five rebounds per game. Middle Tennessee, by comparison, has three players – JaCorey Williams, Reggie Upshaw and Giddy Potts – averaging more than five boards. Williams leads the way with 7.3 per game, followed by Upshaw's 6.9 and Potts' 5.4.

Program Davis emulates

Butler's success on the national level is no secret. The Bulldogs' back-to-back NCAA Championship game appearances in 2010 and 2011 set the stage for all mid-major and up-and-coming programs, and the stability of the program has captured the eye of Davis.

"I took over this program 15 years ago, and my biggest goal was trying to get our program to be like Butler," MT's head coach said after the win over Minnesota. "The stability and what they've done – all of those things are important to a program. I have a ton of respect for their program, and I think it's going to be a heck of a basketball game."