Marshall: 'Couldn't be prouder' of Dunham

KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Butler senior forward Khyle Marshall -- who had a pretty decent afternoon himself Thursday -- was quick to praise his sophomore teammate, Kellen Dunham, following Butler's 76-69 victory over Washington State in the Old Spice Classic opener.

"I couldn't be more proud," Marshall said. "Just to see a guy mature in such a small amount of time. He's probably the hardest worker on our team and he deserves to be our go-to-guy."

Dunham was tremendous Thursday, scoring a career-high 32 points -- the most ever by a player in an Old Spice Classic tournament game -- and pulling Butler to another close victory.

It was unquestionably his finest game as a Bulldog. Dunham, always quick to deflect the credit to his teammates, did so again Thursday.

"I really thought my team was doing a great job of setting me up," he said. "I was in attack mode tonight and just looking for opportunities to score."

Marshall's 30 points will be overlooked -- but I'd argue his performance was as important as Dunham's. He was the steady offensive force Butler leaned on heavily in the first half, scoring 14 when no other player on either team reached double figures. Marshall lived inside Washington State's zone, picking his spots and punishing the Cougars.

"I noticed a lot of holes in the zone," he said. "We saw that in film. There was a lot of space, and you get a couple to go down and you get in a rhythm."

Even more, Marshall is establishing himself as this team's undisputed leader. He demands the ball when he sees a mismatch, points players in the proper direction and plays with the sort of veteran savvy that would make the likes of Matt Howard and Ronald Nored proud.

"I've just gone through so many games, been on so many teams and played with so many guys that have showed me that leadership role," Marshall added. "Now, it's my turn to be the upperclassmen."

I asked longtime Butler Sports Information Director Jim McGrath -- he's been at the school since 1981 -- if he could ever recall a time when two Butler players scored 30 or more points in a single game. He said no.

It's the first time a Butler player -- let alone two -- have hit the 30-point barrier since Shelvin Mack scored 30 against Pittsburgh in the second round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament.

Miller on Oklahoma State:

Butler will face far and away its stiffest competition of the year Friday afternoon. It comes in the form of All-American guard Marcus Smart -- who dropped 30 on Purdue Thursday -- and the fifth-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys.

"Obviously, they're a very very talented team and extremely athletic," Butler coach Brandon Miller said. "They have a lot of star power on offensive end. We're going to get together as a team, look at the film and come together and get ready as best we can."

Butler is 4-0 all-time vs. Oklahoma State, but all four games came in a two-year window between 1933 and 1934. Safe to assume the Cowboys didn't pose an offensive threat like Smart on those teams.

... on the fan support in Orlando:

"They were terrific. To come out to Orlando, far away from Indianapolis, and have the support we had, was tremendous. The game was getting close, and you could hear our crowd. We played off their emotion at the end. It was great having their support."

... on Devontae Morgan, who played just one minute Thursday:

"He's fine. He's fouled a little bit too much (this season), got caught using his hands. (Today) was just the flow of the game, the way it went. Nothing's changed on Devontae's end. I still have confidence in him. He's going to play the next game for us, and play his role."