After sluggish start, new-look Butler shows it has more bite, blows out Eastern Michigan

The Butler Bulldogs found themselves in a scenario that was all too familiar to last season.

In the 2023-24 season opener against Eastern Michigan on Monday, the offense had gone stagnant, and turnovers prevented the Dawgs from getting into a rhythm.

Last season, a scoring drought would sink them. The team would get into a funk, and before long, a two- or three-possession game would become a 20-point blowout. Those Dawgs lacked the fight to regularly overcome adversity, and a season that started promisingly went off the rails come Big East play.

Butler basketball: 5 burning questions for remade Bulldogs

Butler needed a hard reset. So Thad Matta blew it up.

It's just one game, but Monday's dominant 94-55 win over Eastern Michigan could be the first sign these Dawgs have more bite.

With 9:29 left in the first half, two Eastern Michigan free throws put the Eagles up 17-16. Butler had made just one 3-pointer at that point, and something needed to change offensively.

Then Jahmyl Telfort and Pierre Brooks II took over.

The two physical forwards, who can get into the paint whenever they need to, sparked a 14-0 run. Instead of going into a shell, Butler fought through the slow start and began playing like the superior team.

Overcoming adversity takes a certain type of mindset. During the offseason, Butler coach Thad Matta and his staff sought out mentally tough players. Players with experience, players with a chip on their shoulders who wanted to come to Butler and prove that they can compete.

That rugged mindset led to a 60-29 drubbing in the second half.

"It really just came down to toughness," point guard Posh Alexander said of the second-half turnaround. "We spoke in the locker room about our defense, and we came out and we just put it on display. I would say it's about toughness and really locking in on defense."

Alexander is the type of mentally tough point guard who will not be fazed by a slow start. The veteran St. John's transfer missed his first three shots of the game, all 3-pointers. With the outside shot not falling, Alexander began attacking the basket, getting into the paint for turnaround jumpers, floaters and layups at the rim. He also got his teammates involved, finishing with a team-high eight assists.

"I liked the fact we had to slug it out there for a little bit, because I wanted to see how these guys would react," Matta said. "At about the seven-minute mark we got on a really good roll there.

"Second half we wanted to clean up our turnovers, we wanted to clean up our rebounding, and I thought that was something that was good for us. It allowed us to get out and score in transition some, and I thought our defense was better."

Butler held EMU to 33% shooting in the second half. The Dawgs forced seven turnovers and turned the miscues into 10 points. Once the Dawgs shutdown the visitor's offense, the ball started to go in easier for the host. 7-1 Bucknell transfer Andre Screen made the most of his size advantage down low, scoring nine of his 13 points in the second half. Connor Turnbull twisted the dagger in style, throwing down a reverse dunk and adding consecutive 3-pointers to ice the game away.

Butler's slow start could be explained as 11 new players coming together for the first time in an actual game. Despite the early miscues, Alexander said the time spent playing together in the summer was crucial. They've learned how their teammates play and where they need to get the ball to be successful.

The Dawgs never doubted that they'd right the ship, but Matta was glad to see them navigate the choppy waters and come out with a commanding victory.

"The message at halftime was stay the course," Matta said. "Like I said, I'm kind of glad we had to duke it out there and loved the result we had. This gives us the ability to take the tape and say, 'you know, when we do these certain things, good things happen.'"

Follow IndyStar Butler Insider Akeem Glaspie on X at @THEAkeemGlaspie.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Butler Bulldogs basketball: New-look roster, transfers lead to blowout