With the game on the line late in the second half, there was only one person Butler wanted to get the ball to, D.J. Davis.
Davis is the second-best free throw shooter in the nation at 95.9%, and the Bulldogs needed to send him to the line to ice Friday’s game against No. 13 Creighton. After one failed inbounds attempt bounced off his foot and went out of bounds, Butler had another chance to inbound the ball to Davis and seal the win.
With six seconds left, Landon Moore got the ball to Davis, but Ryan Kalkbrenner poked Davis in the eye while attempting to foul him. The poke drew blood along Davis’ lower eye and impaired his vision. Butler’s training staff tried to work Davis’ injury, but it became clear Davis would not be able to finish the game.
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Enter, freshman center Boden Kapke. Because Kapke was subbing in for Davis, the freshman had to shoot the critical free throws. Kapke’s playing time has been sporadic all season. He hadn’t played since Butler’s Dec. 23 win over Georgetown. And he hadn’t played more than four minutes in a game since a Dec. 15 win over Division II Saginaw Valley. Jalen Thomas’ first-half foul trouble forced Kapke into eight first half minutes, so the 6-11 big man from Minnesota wasn’t coming into the game cold. Still, the freshman had attempted just eight free throws all season, and his next two free throw attempts could decide the outcome against the Bluejays.