Indiana knew it. Butler did too. If you slow down Ball State's offense and take it out of rhythm, you will win.
Butler did just that as the Bulldogs extended their unbeaten streak to 11 Wednesday night downing the Cards 75-66.
Butler shot 12-26 from behind the three-point line, an area in which Ball State has dominated all year. The Cardinals shot just 5-13 from behind the arc.
"They beat us in every phase of the game and when you play that kind of basketball you are going to make shots," head coach Tim Buckley said. "I felt that because we didn't create the pace. We could have got the ball and run with it and we didn't do that early in the game and it took us a while to get started. To help your defense out, you have to bring fatigue to the game so that those jump shots don't go in and start hitting the front of the rim and we didn't get them to the point where they were fatigued enough."
Senior guard Petie Jackson was held to just 2-5 shooting from the field in the first half for five points. He finished the game with 14.
"(The three) is a main part of our offense and we really didn't get to take the shots we wanted to," Jackson said. They were just switching everything out there and we normally don't see that," Jackson said. "We weren't playing our style of basketball which is drive and kicking and shooting threes."
At times, Butler would rotate its players causing a smaller guard to be matched up with Ball State's bigger players and the Cardinals were unable to take advantage.
"Lonnie (Jones) had a little guard on him or (Theron Smith) would have a little guard on him and we were trying to dump it down and try to get some easy baskets and get to the free-throw line and that's not our game," Jackson said.
The Cardinals (6-3) came out in the second half looking to take over the tempo of the game. Ball State went on a 9-0 run cutting the Butler lead to just one with 14:29 remaining in the game when Butler's Darnell Archey hit a three stretching the Bulldog lead.
"We have a lot of confidence in our guys to shoot the basketball and Darnell is one of those guys," Butler head coach Todd Lickliter said. "He is truly a tremendous shooter."
Archey finished with 12 points shooting 4-6 from behind the arc.
At times emotions ran high for both teams trying to walk out of Worthen Arena with a victory and Buckley said the Bulldogs just played their kind of basketball.
"Butler never gets emotional," he said. "I've probably watched every game they have played this year. You make a run and they never change their expression. They are a very good basketball team."
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