Know your foe: Oklahoma Sooners

OUlogo
Who: Oklahoma Sooners (3-1)
Where: Paradise Island, Bahamas
When: November 27th at 1:00 pm
TV: ESPN
Radio: 1070 AM/107.5 FM

After a win that has characterized the toughness of the players that come through the Butler program, the Bulldogs face another tough opponent in the Oklahoma Sooners at 1 pm in the Imperial Ballroom. Though there isn’t a number by their name, this matchup will be much tougher for the Bulldogs than the top 5 Tar Heels. This is a team that relies heavily on the 3 ball, so Butler won’t be able to pack in the defense like they were able to against North Carolina. So who should Butler fans keep their eyes on for the Battle 4 Atlantis semis?

HieldBuddy Hield – 6’4, 212 lbs JR G averaging 21.5 ppg, 6 rpg, 3 apg, 1.3 spg – Hield, the native of Freeport Bahamas is making the most of his homecoming, scoring 24 points to lead the Sooners over UCLA. While his body will appear to be fairly similar to Rose Jones, he is far more deadly from 3 (45.5%), than he is from 2 (38.9%). He’s someone Butler doesn’t want to put on the foul line, as he shoots 81.2% from the foul stripe. He’s also a solid ball handler, but if he does drive, Butler will have to make sure not to help off of the other players on the floor. I see Jones covering him to start with, though Barlow could also be used as well in order to force him to drive.

CousinsIsaiah Cousins – 6’4, 192 lbs JR G averaging 12 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.8 apg – Cousins is about as versatile of a player as you can ask for at his height. Cousins hasn’t been great from 3 this year (31.6%), but he shot over 40% from deep last season, so he’s still a threat and takes about half his shots from deep. He’s a good finisher inside the arc as well, shooting 50% from 2. He’s also solid from the foul line, hitting on 72.7% of those attempts. As a rebounder, he’s a very good defensive rebounder, with the second best rate out of players who play over 15 minutes a game, and he’s also solid on the offensive end. He’s not nearly the passer that Hield or Woodard is though, and given his smaller size, this is who I see Barlow covering, though given his ability to finish in the lane, that could be problematic if he’s able to get a head of steam going.

SpanglerRyan Spangler – 6’8, 235 lbs JR F averaging 11 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.3 spg, 1 bpg – Spangler is the model for offensive efficiency. He doesn’t use many possessions (12.3% while he’s on the floor), but when he does, it usually turns out well. Spangler is willing to pull the trigger from deep (4-6 from deep this year), but he’s also very effective inside the arc, knocking in 60% of his attempts. Like many of the Oklahoma players, he’s someone you don’t want on the foul line, as he’s hit 88.9% of his attempts from there this year. Rebounding-wise, he’s a fantastic defensive rebounder, with the 153rd best rate in the country. He’s also a solid shot-blocker and takes care of the ball really well. Given his size, this could be a difficult matchup, but this is who I see Kam Woods matching up with to start the game with his inside and outside offensive proficiency.

WoodardJordan Woodard – 6’0, 189 lbs SO G averaging 8.3 ppg, 5.5 apg, 4 rpg, 1.8 spg – Woodard is a pass first point guard that Butler will want to force to shoot it as much as possible. Woodard has struggled from both outside (11.1%) this year as well as his inside game (31.6%), but last season he was able to knock in 37% of his attempts from 3, so there is a possibility that he could just be off to a slow start this season. He’s a solid free throw shooter, hitting 75% of his attempts. He’s an excellent passer, but he’s also a bit turnover prone, as his turnover rate is similar to what Kam Woods had last season. He also is a little foul prone as well, committing 6.2 of them over a 40 minute period. Because he appears today to be the weakest on offensive of Oklahoma’s 3-Guard system, this is who I see Dunham being matched up with, and hopefully his length can both him enough that he doesn’t get many easy looks at the basket.

ThomasTaShawn Thomas – 6’8, 242 lbs SR F averaging 8 ppg, 5 rpg, 1.3 apg – Thomas, the Senior transfer from Houston was recently declared eligible by the NCAA and he’s made a big difference in the paint for the Sooners. He’s got no outside game to speak of, but inside the arc he’s hit on 50% of his attempts. Unlike the other 4 mentioned, he is a guy that Butler would want to see on the foul stripe, hitting on only 57.1% of his attempts so far this season. Thomas isn’t a big rebounder for his size, but one other weakness that he’s had so far this year is that he’s a bit turnover prone, so if Chrabascz isn’t able to handle him 1-on-1 to begin with, a double team could help the Dawgs defensively.

Keys to Singing the War Song:

1. Defend the 3 – Oklahoma is 82nd in the country in 3 point field goal attempts per field goal attempts, and 40th in point distribution from 3’s. If Butler wants to win, they’ll have to do a good job at running their guards (and Spangler on occasion) off the line. Butler’s defense does appear to be good defensively against the 3, but this team will be able to spread the floor like no one has so far. Especially a guy like Hield who is bombs away from anywhere on the court, the Sooners guards can’t be given much room to operate.

2. Create extra possessions – This is really a key for Butler in nearly every game they play, especially against good competition like the Sooners. Butler is a very good team defensively, but offensively they need to create extra shots just as they did against the Tar Heels. Whether that’s generating turnovers defensively, taking care of the ball offensively, or attacking the glass either end of the floor, Butler needs to take several more shots than the Sooners. If they don’t, they’ll have to try to win from the foul line, and given Oklahoma’s proficiency from the foul line and Butler’s deficiencies, that would be a difficult task indeed.

3. Keep them off the foul line – Prior to the Carolina game, defending without fouling was actually something that Butler was quite proficient at, and they’ll need to be that way again tomorrow. Oklahoma shoots 72.2% from the foul line as a team, and while it’s not quite up to Providence’s proficiency, it’s good enough to win the majority of ball games, so unless it’s Thomas or possibly Khadeem Lattin, this is not a team you want to see lining up to shoot free throws.

4. Contributions from guys not named Kellen – This was huge during the North Carolina game, and will continue to be as Dunham will continue to be a major focus for teams to stop. Kelan Martin has been big for the last couple of games, but it’s a lot to ask of a Freshman to keep producing, so guys like Jones, Barlow, Chrabascz, Etherington and others will be vital to a Bulldog victory.

So what do you think some keys to the game will be tomorrow? Who else should we be watching out for? Let us know in the comments section below as well as the message board. ButlerWay will continue to have all of your Battle 4 Atlantis coverage throughout the tourney, so check back often for updates!

Go Dawgs.

Photo Credit: USA Today

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