MILWAUKEE — Azavier Robinson’s absence from Butler’s game against Marquette on Saturday had several ramifications.
The freshman guard’s wrist injury thrusted Efeosa Oliogu-Elabor into the starting lineup for the second straight game, altering the Bulldogs’ rotation and shifting their playmaking responsibilities.
Butler had 16 turnovers and shot 32.8% from the field in its 70-55 loss without Robinson orchestrating the offense.
“It made a difference no doubt,” Butler coach Thad Matt said. “Because he handled their pressure at our place (referring to Butler’s win vs. Marquette on Jan. 23).”
Robinson had four assists in Butler’s 87-76 win over Marquette two weeks ago, a mark no Bulldog reached Saturday.
Finley Bizjack, who scored a game-high 23 points, assumed much of the point guard responsibilities as he played every second of the loss. With Robinson now out and Jalen Jackson already done for the season, the senior guard is reverting back to the role he played a year ago.
“It’s hard to lose two point guards and still take care of the ball perfectly like you want to in every possession,” Bizjack told IndyStar. “If they want me to bring it up, I’ll bring it up. If they want me off the ball, I’ll be off the ball. I just trust them fully and trust that they’ll make the right decision for me, for the team and I’ll do whatever I need to hopefully help us get back on the right track.”
Butler had six turnovers in the first six minutes, a moment in the game where they also only had three made field goals.
The Bulldogs turnovers came in a variety of ways. That includes on-ball steals from Marquette defenders, a shot clock violation on its first possession and several errant passes into the paint while trying to beat Marquette’s hard hedge pick-and-roll coverage with passes to the rolling screener.
Despite having five more turnovers Saturday, compared to the first game, Bizjack said Marquette didn’t change much defensively.
“They were doubling Mike (Ajayi) a lot and they were playing heavy gaps whenever I was driving,” Bizjack said. “I got to be better at taking a dribble, getting off it and kicking it, so that way my teammates can get good looks at shots.”
Marquette coach Shaka Smart said holding Ajayi to 3-of-15 shooting, among other things, was crucial to securing the victory.
“Between him and Bizjack, if those guys both have big days, then those guys are hard to beat,” Smart said. “But if you can make one of them, or two of them very inefficient, it just really improves your chances.”
Marquette had 40 deflections, which helped cause Butler’s turnover issues throughout the game. However the Bulldogs miscues, compounded with their inefficient shooting, led to their eventual downfall.
Butler was 8 for 17 on layup attempts and, aside from Bizjack, who was 8-of-12, the starting lineup shot 5 of 30 from the field.
“We had four or five turnovers there to start the game and we did a decent job of settling down,” Butler coach Thad Matta said. “But we didn’t make the right reads off the penetration and if you’re not going to make the right reads, you’ve got to finish and we didn’t do either one there.”
Freshman Jackson Keith provided a spark off the bench by matching a career high with eight points, including a dunk over a Marquette defender with two minutes remaining. The freshman played a season-high 19 minutes, pointing to Butler’s need for guard play with Robinson and Jackson out.
Butler will harp on taking care of the ball Wednesday when they host No. 3 UConn, and Greenfield-Central alum Braylon Mullins, fresh off suffering its first Big East loss of the season to St. John’s on Friday.
“We have to take care of the ball, make sure we’re getting out to shooters like Solo Ball and guys like that,” Bizjack said on what to improve. “Make sure we’re doing the job on Tarris Reed (Jr.), kind of handling the ball and I mean just making sure we’re not giving up easy drives.”
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 4-game losing streak brings familiar issues Butler basketball hopes to correct
Reporting by Nile McNair, Special to IndyStar / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
