Game Reaction: Butler loss to Louisville

Starting early, Butler was ready to play and jumped out to a quick lead at the beginning of the first half. Chase Stigall scored early and Louisville wasn’t able to take their first lead until the final seconds of the second half.

However, seventh-ranked Louisville took complete control from there, and finished with a victory over the Bulldogs.

• Khyle Marshall led Butler in scoring with 20. He definitely proved that he is the most athletic player on this team and will have to be a major force inside for the Bulldogs against quality opponents like Louisville. Especially when Andrew Smith is out with foul trouble, he is going to have to have a big season for this team to be successful.

• That being said, Andrew Smith needs to stay out of foul trouble. Early in the first half, Smith took a seat on the bench with his second half and Louisville exploited that tremendously. Butler was dominated down-low with Smith on the bench. He is the biggest, and likely the strongest Bulldog down low, so they need him on the floor.

• Chrishawn Hopkins struggled offensively. It still seems to me like he forces too many jumpers that aren’t necessary. A couple of times in the second half, he let it go early in the shot-clock without even working the ball around at all. He went 1-8 from the floor and 2-2 from the charity stripe to finish with just four points.

In all, this was another learning experience for this young Butler team. Freshmen Jackson Aldridge and Andrew Smeathers both saw playing time today, and Kameron Woods played a significant amount of time on the floor.

David Woods of the IndyStar got it right in saying that playing this schedule is like throwing these young guys to the sharks, but it’s only going to make them better. As the entire team starts to become more comfortable around each other and their strengths, they should continue to improve, just like the past two seasons under Brad Stevens.

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