Butler battles Georgetown with Thad Matta on verge of 500 wins
Butler coach Thad Matta gets a second chance to score his 500th career win on Saturday when the Bulldogs host Georgetown in Indianapolis.
The setting couldn't be more appropriate for Matta, 58, who gained his first victory at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse 25 seasons ago, leading Butler past Eastern Illinois.
Matta's first chance to reach the milestone came Wednesday at another renowned arena, Madison Square Garden, but No. 25 St. John's handed Butler its most decisive loss this season, 92-70.
The Bulldogs (13-8, 4-6 Big East), who entered with the best rebounding differential in the conference, suffered a 41-31 disadvantage on the glass and had their worst free-throw shooting performance this year, making 15 of 30 attempts (50%).
Butler also had trouble freeing up top scorer Finley Bizjack, who averaged 25.7 points during the Bulldogs' previous three-game winning streak. Against St. John's, Bizjack attempted just six shots from the floor and finished with 11 points.
Saturday's matchup with Georgetown (11-10, 3-7) could present problems. The Hoyas won their last two games on the heels of a six-game skid, which included near-upsets of then-No. 3 UConn and Creighton.
"They're gonna mix up the defenses. They're a team that's better than their record, better than their analytics," Butler assistant coach Alex Barlow said Wednesday in a postgame radio interview.
Last Saturday, KJ Lewis scored 26 points to fuel Georgetown's rally from 21 down in the second half in an 81-78 victory at Providence.
Then on Wednesday in a 70-61 win over DePaul, Malik Mack delivered 16 points and seven assists, running an efficient offense that made 51.1% of its shots from the floor.
"We've always believed we could win games. We've just had a tough time finishing," Mack said.
Kayvaun Mulready has also given the Hoyas a lift, scoring 27 points in the last three games on 10-of-17 shooting. In 16 previous appearances, Mulready scored just 29 points.
"I'm very excited about what we're doing because I see us growing and getting better because we have healthy bodies in practice," Georgetown coach Ed Cooley said. "Hopefully we can continue that Saturday as we're going to play a very desperate Butler team."