By Bob Herman
It's the perfect story that just didn't technically quite happen, yet we all wanted to happen.
When Butler barely lost to Duke 61-59 Monday night in the NCAA championship game, and I mean barely, the first reaction was utter shock and disbelief. Butler had gotten this close, and it came down to a missed Gordon Hayward fade-away baseline jumper and the most dramatic half-court shot that couldn't go in.
For a team like Butler to make the national championship game is, well, not very common. It was the first time the Dawgs had ever sniffed this kind of territory, and to get that close and not seal the deal was devastating to say the least.
But this all needs to be put into perspective.
Heading into this year, Butler was ranked 11th in the nation, but no one really expected this team to make it to the national championship game. For god sakes, this well-oiled machine of a team made it to the school's first-ever Elite Eight, Final Four, and national championship game.
Anyone who is a fan of Butler--and even those who aren't--will always remember this college basketball season for what Butler did. The Dawgs took on the biggest of the bigs and beat nearly all of them. Yes, this is the ultimate goal for any team, but it's the way Butler almost did it that gives hope to every other small school out there (I apologize for the indirect "Hoosiers" reference, but it's true...).
Now the big news is whether Brad Stevens will take this, that, or the other thing and if Gordon should stay or go now. But those are side items to a season that I and every other Butler fan will never, never, forget.
To the entire 2009-10 Butler Bulldogs basketball team, we can't thank you enough for what you've given us and the basketball world in an age that is rampant with recruiting malfeasance and teams run by the almighty dollar. You gave everyone a team to cheer for, and you played the right way, The Butler Way.
Sure, Duke won according to the record books, and I can't stop thinking about the "what ifs" from that game, but Butler is still the true winner of this year's college basketball season. Butler took the sport back to its roots and captured the hearts of millions along the way.
And as Ron Nored was quoted, "This isn't the end of our story. It's only the beginning."
Showing posts with label Butler Bulldogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Butler Bulldogs. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Final Four is nice, but these Dawgs can do better
By Matt Vachlon
Before I’m accused of being arrogant, let me first admit that Saturday will go down as one of the greatest days of my life as a sports fan. I’ve never been so nervous about a game, and that includes watching the White Sox go all the way in 2005. But after the Butler defense locked down the Kansas State scoring duo of Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente, the Butler Bulldogs will be playing in the Final Four, in Indianapolis.
Let me repeat, Butler is in the Final Four. Saying those words continues to blow my mind.
With that said, over the next week you’re going to hear a lot of "Hoosiers" references and there’s also the storyline of Butler being the first amongst its peers, Xavier and Gonzaga, to reach the Final Four. Those stories are nice and they each have their fair share of validity, but they each miss the major storyline behind Butler’s Final Four run.
These Bulldogs have a legitimate chance to win the national championship.
I know I’m getting ahead of myself and no one dislikes looking ahead more than head coach Brad Stevens. But it’s not like the team hasn’t already acknowledged this as its goal.
And they have legitimate reasons to be confident.
For starters, while every Butler fan knows the team has had its fair share of doubters throughout each round, each ensuing victory has more and more given the team the look of a champion. Against UTEP the Bulldogs made outstanding halftime adjustments, they gutted out a victory against Murray State when they weren’t at their best and they withstood late charges by both Syracuse and Kansas State, the top two seeds in their region.
Instead of wilting under the pressure this team has risen to the occasion. The nation’s sixth best defense in the country, according to Pomeroy, has held all four of its NCAA Tournament opponents below 60 points, including holding Syracuse and Kansas State to their lowest totals of the season. And the Bulldogs bona fide stars have shown up as Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack have scored in double figures in each game and Matt Howard has been solid when he hasn’t been plagued by foul trouble.
Still, it’s always acknowledged that things need to fall into place for a champion and Butler has seemingly had those intangibles as well.
The Bulldogs have had players step up as Ron Nored made clutch shots in both the Murray State and Syracuse games and seldom-used backup center Andrew Smith logged 12 key minutes for the foul-plagued Howard in the victory against Kansas State. They’ve made the hustle plays as epitomized by Hayward and Howard each laying out to knock balls into the backcourt on key defensive possessions against Murray State and Kansas State respectively. And finally, they’ve made the lucky plays like this shot (about 1:35 into the clip) by Willie Veasley against Syracuse.
Butler will no doubt have its hands full with Michigan State next weekend as every team that gets this far is obviously very good. And only one team can cut down the nets. Just don’t be totally surprised if the Bulldogs are that team.
Before I’m accused of being arrogant, let me first admit that Saturday will go down as one of the greatest days of my life as a sports fan. I’ve never been so nervous about a game, and that includes watching the White Sox go all the way in 2005. But after the Butler defense locked down the Kansas State scoring duo of Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente, the Butler Bulldogs will be playing in the Final Four, in Indianapolis.
Let me repeat, Butler is in the Final Four. Saying those words continues to blow my mind.
With that said, over the next week you’re going to hear a lot of "Hoosiers" references and there’s also the storyline of Butler being the first amongst its peers, Xavier and Gonzaga, to reach the Final Four. Those stories are nice and they each have their fair share of validity, but they each miss the major storyline behind Butler’s Final Four run.
These Bulldogs have a legitimate chance to win the national championship.
I know I’m getting ahead of myself and no one dislikes looking ahead more than head coach Brad Stevens. But it’s not like the team hasn’t already acknowledged this as its goal.
And they have legitimate reasons to be confident.
For starters, while every Butler fan knows the team has had its fair share of doubters throughout each round, each ensuing victory has more and more given the team the look of a champion. Against UTEP the Bulldogs made outstanding halftime adjustments, they gutted out a victory against Murray State when they weren’t at their best and they withstood late charges by both Syracuse and Kansas State, the top two seeds in their region.
Instead of wilting under the pressure this team has risen to the occasion. The nation’s sixth best defense in the country, according to Pomeroy, has held all four of its NCAA Tournament opponents below 60 points, including holding Syracuse and Kansas State to their lowest totals of the season. And the Bulldogs bona fide stars have shown up as Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack have scored in double figures in each game and Matt Howard has been solid when he hasn’t been plagued by foul trouble.
Still, it’s always acknowledged that things need to fall into place for a champion and Butler has seemingly had those intangibles as well.
The Bulldogs have had players step up as Ron Nored made clutch shots in both the Murray State and Syracuse games and seldom-used backup center Andrew Smith logged 12 key minutes for the foul-plagued Howard in the victory against Kansas State. They’ve made the hustle plays as epitomized by Hayward and Howard each laying out to knock balls into the backcourt on key defensive possessions against Murray State and Kansas State respectively. And finally, they’ve made the lucky plays like this shot (about 1:35 into the clip) by Willie Veasley against Syracuse.
Butler will no doubt have its hands full with Michigan State next weekend as every team that gets this far is obviously very good. And only one team can cut down the nets. Just don’t be totally surprised if the Bulldogs are that team.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Butler men's basketball awaits NCAA Selection Committee bureaucracy
By Bob Herman
I debated about this post in my head: Do I wait until Sunday to comment about Butler's seeding in this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament, or do I let it out now, especially since the thrashing of Wright State in the Horizon League championship is still fresh in my mind?
The fact that this has been posted proved that the latter idea won.
Now that the Bulldogs have clinched the automatic bid, it's a simple waiting game until Sunday rolls around, when all the other "big" conferences wrap up their individual tournaments and when the NCAA Selection Committee goes behind its closed doors to concoct its always debatable field of 65. (Thankfully, Matt, it still isn't 96 yet...).
Here's the cold hard facts, not brought to you by Coors Light: Butler is 28-4 (20-0 in conference...please look at that again), with an RPI of 14 and a SOS of 76. Qualities wins include an Evan Turner-less Ohio State, Xavier, and Siena (Northwestern is a borderline quality win, depending on its showing in the Big Ten Tourney). The Bulldogs have no "bad losses," as their four losses have come to Georgetown (20-9), UAB (23-7), Minnesota (18-12), and Clemson (21-9). Not too shabby, right?
Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star made a case for Butler, too, after last night's win. Unfortunately, his article is pretty shoddy. Aside from the fact that the entire piece is Kravitz paying lip service to a productive college basketball school within the city that he normally otherwise could give a crap about, he indirectly sympathizes with Collegerpi.com's Jerry Palm that Butler won't score anything higher than a six-seed yet is hopeful that Butler does land something higher because they pass the "eye test."
The "eye test," my friends, is nothing more than the bureaucratic, subjective feeling of placing an NCAA team in a spot simply because it seems like it belongs there.
And now, Butler's fate rests on the NCAA Selection Committee's multiple eye tests. Yes, I understand it's a rigorous process for those poor individuals who have to compose the tournament bracket, but let's be honest. It's subjective results based on objective data. And it's all done the day tournament championships finish.
When Butler was striken with a seven-seed in 2008 after going 29-3 (I think that's the snubbing Kravitz referred to, by the way), that honestly could not have been based on the objective data surrounding Butler's 2007-08 regular season.
Things will be better this around because, frankly, Butler has garnered more national attention this year than any other year before. It all comes down to the dollar signs, though, as most things unfortunately do in life. March Madness is up there with the Super Bowl in terms ad rates, and it lasts two weeks instead of four hours. The NCAA wants the most viewer-friendly matchups; it's just too PC to say such.
So although the Selection Committee will put out its "finest" slab of a bracket this Sunday, I--along with others who are associated with mid major programs--have fallen to the mindset of "hope for the best, plan for the worst." A six-seed appears to be in store; pinch me if Butler gains a five-seed or higher; and sweet mother, hold me back if it's anything lower than a six. We can only wait with baited breath now.
I debated about this post in my head: Do I wait until Sunday to comment about Butler's seeding in this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament, or do I let it out now, especially since the thrashing of Wright State in the Horizon League championship is still fresh in my mind?
The fact that this has been posted proved that the latter idea won.
Now that the Bulldogs have clinched the automatic bid, it's a simple waiting game until Sunday rolls around, when all the other "big" conferences wrap up their individual tournaments and when the NCAA Selection Committee goes behind its closed doors to concoct its always debatable field of 65. (Thankfully, Matt, it still isn't 96 yet...).
Here's the cold hard facts, not brought to you by Coors Light: Butler is 28-4 (20-0 in conference...please look at that again), with an RPI of 14 and a SOS of 76. Qualities wins include an Evan Turner-less Ohio State, Xavier, and Siena (Northwestern is a borderline quality win, depending on its showing in the Big Ten Tourney). The Bulldogs have no "bad losses," as their four losses have come to Georgetown (20-9), UAB (23-7), Minnesota (18-12), and Clemson (21-9). Not too shabby, right?
Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star made a case for Butler, too, after last night's win. Unfortunately, his article is pretty shoddy. Aside from the fact that the entire piece is Kravitz paying lip service to a productive college basketball school within the city that he normally otherwise could give a crap about, he indirectly sympathizes with Collegerpi.com's Jerry Palm that Butler won't score anything higher than a six-seed yet is hopeful that Butler does land something higher because they pass the "eye test."
The "eye test," my friends, is nothing more than the bureaucratic, subjective feeling of placing an NCAA team in a spot simply because it seems like it belongs there.
And now, Butler's fate rests on the NCAA Selection Committee's multiple eye tests. Yes, I understand it's a rigorous process for those poor individuals who have to compose the tournament bracket, but let's be honest. It's subjective results based on objective data. And it's all done the day tournament championships finish.
When Butler was striken with a seven-seed in 2008 after going 29-3 (I think that's the snubbing Kravitz referred to, by the way), that honestly could not have been based on the objective data surrounding Butler's 2007-08 regular season.
Things will be better this around because, frankly, Butler has garnered more national attention this year than any other year before. It all comes down to the dollar signs, though, as most things unfortunately do in life. March Madness is up there with the Super Bowl in terms ad rates, and it lasts two weeks instead of four hours. The NCAA wants the most viewer-friendly matchups; it's just too PC to say such.
So although the Selection Committee will put out its "finest" slab of a bracket this Sunday, I--along with others who are associated with mid major programs--have fallen to the mindset of "hope for the best, plan for the worst." A six-seed appears to be in store; pinch me if Butler gains a five-seed or higher; and sweet mother, hold me back if it's anything lower than a six. We can only wait with baited breath now.
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