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Butler Basketball: Takeaways from the Bulldogs’ PK80 performances

By Lukas Harkins

PORTLAND, OR - NOVEMBER 23: General view of a rack of basketballs before the between the Portland State Vikings and the Duke Blue Devils during the PK80-Phil Knight Invitational presented by State Farm at the Moda Center on November 23, 2016 in Portland, Oregon. North Carolina won the game 102-78. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - NOVEMBER 23: General view of a rack of basketballs before the between the Portland State Vikings and the Duke Blue Devils during the PK80-Phil Knight Invitational presented by State Farm at the Moda Center on November 23, 2016 in Portland, Oregon. North Carolina won the game 102-78. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /
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PORTLAND, OR – NOVEMBER 23: General view of a rack of basketballs before the between the Portland State Vikings and the Duke Blue Devils during the PK80-Phil Knight Invitational presented by State Farm at the Moda Center on November 23, 2016 in Portland, Oregon. North Carolina won the game 102-78. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR – NOVEMBER 23: General view of a rack of basketballs before the between the Portland State Vikings and the Duke Blue Devils during the PK80-Phil Knight Invitational presented by State Farm at the Moda Center on November 23, 2016 in Portland, Oregon. North Carolina won the game 102-78. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /

Butler basketball competed in the PK80 Tournament over Thanksgiving week. What did the team learn and how will it affect the rest of the season?

Over Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 23-26), the Butler Bulldogs competed in one of the most exciting early-season tournaments in college basketball. Presented by State Farm, the PK80 Tournament in Portland was held in honor of Nike Co-Founder Phil Knight’s 80th birthday. The tournament featured two outstanding 8-team brackets and there were several tremendous games.

For Butler, they played three games in four days and while nothing came easy, the team was able to finish with a solid 2-1 record in the Motion Bracket. This stretch of games was certainly a challenge for this young team, but head coach LaVall Jordan did a solid job in having his team conditioned and prepared for a lot of games in a short period of time.

With the Big East Tournament (and hopefully the NCAA Tournament) coming later in the season, the experiences gained from this trip cannot be understated. Butler has a lot of room for improvement at this point in this year, but playing three solid teams in the PK80 was an excellent place to start.

Although the tournament is now over, the PK80 was a great place for Butler’s team to improve on the fly while giving them valuable experience for the rest of the season. The Bulldogs were tested in each and every one of their games and there were several important takeaways for the team. Let’s take a look at each game and how the Bulldogs played as well as the biggest points of interest.