People are losing their minds over Butler...why?

JonDMiller

JonDMiller

Publisher/Founder
Butler was ranked #11 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll...their opponent, Duke was #9...Butler was ranked #11 in the last AP poll of the regular season.

Butler has not lost a basketball game in 2010 (last loss on 12/22)

Butler was a five seed, at least one if not two seeds too low based on their ranking and not having any significant injuries.

I love this story and hope they beat Duke. People will act like this is some kind of Hoosier's Redux, as the ultimate underdog little guy won it all. Yes, they are a small school. But there were expectations for this team before the year began, and certainly when the year ended. The Nova title in 85 is still more unlikely (they were an 8 seed), as was the KU title in 88 (6 seed with double digit losses).

George Mason making the Final Four a few years back as an 11 seed is more unlikely, IMO.

Butler was expected to be a very good team, and they are playing like a very good team.
 
There is always this talk of Hoosiers, but that team was expected to be good, yet no one seems to mention, or know of the Hebron,Il team of 1952. That was earlier than the Indiana story, was during single class play, and was a great story. They worked their way through everyone and won it all! You look at what the players did afterwards, its amazing how accomplished they became. The drive back up IL Rt 47 was a celebration as many communities turned out to honour them as they returned home, just a couple of miles off the IL/WI border. Look them up, its a good read.

And yes, I agree Jon, its not like Butler is surprise team given their ranking and record this year.
 
Hayward and Mack are NBA prospects with mock drafts putting Hayward in the bottom half of the first round this year as a sophmore. Mack,another soph, reminds me of Chauncey Billips...strong pg.
What is impressing me is these young bench guys for Butler...Jukes,Smith,VanZant..only bench guy I heard about all year was Hahn.
Butler was much deeper than MSU,which is surprising,altho with Lucas out,that did push Thornton and Keibler into roles that they did not play earlier.
Butler returns everyone but Veasley next year? They gonna be a top 5 team in the preseason. So, no real shock here.
Now, if they beat Duke...a #5 over a #1 is still a real upset,no matter what round it is ..
 
Yep, they've got 1 first-rounder and probably 3 guys who will play in the NBA at some point. They've been a top 25 program for 5 years and they'll be a top 5 team preseason next year.
That said, they're still definitely underdogs tomorrow night.
 
Some teams buckle under high expectations. But they went through Horizon being the team to beat and still put teams away. I mean a lot of people had UTEP beating them. But to beat out Syracuse and the champion of the midwest bracket, regarded as the toughest bracket, I think it would be fair to say they exceeded their already high expectations. And for a team from the Horizon playing in the NCAA title game, I think you'd be crazy to say there isn't any underdog element.
 
Butlermania shows how slow public/media perceptions have been to pick up on the fact that the gap between the so-called "mid-majors" and the "majors" has all but disappeared in MBB. Butler is quite small with only 4500 students. However, small schools have always been able to compete with the big boys in hoops: Holy Cross, San Francisco, Loyola Chicago, and Texas Western (UTEP) have all won NCs.

Villanova has about 9,000 students and Georgetown has about 13,000 -- same size as UNI. Yet these two schools had no trouble receiving recognition as "major" college programs thanks to their membership in a "major" conference. Butler should have been a 2/3 seed. UNI should have been a 4/5. Only those unfamiliar with the depth of good teams in MBB should be shocked by such schools' success in the tourney.
 
I was rooting for Butler-I can't stand Izzo. When his own player had to restrain him at the end of the game-crybaby crap because he was going to loose, that is why I can't stand him. His player was more mature than he was.
 
phays01 said:
I was rooting for Butler-I can't stand Izzo. When his own player had to restrain him at the end of the game-crybaby crap because he was going to loose, that is why I can't stand him. His player was more mature than he was.
Click to expand...

People will agree with this, but aren't we the same fan base that are so energized to actually have a Coach with passion on the sideline.
 
JonDMiller said:
Butler was ranked #11 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll...their opponent, Duke was #9...Butler was ranked #11 in the last AP poll of the regular season.

Butler has not lost a basketball game in 2010 (last loss on 12/22)

Butler was a five seed, at least one if not two seeds too low based on their ranking and not having any significant injuries.

I love this story and hope they beat Duke. People will act like this is some kind of Hoosier's Redux, as the ultimate underdog little guy won it all. Yes, they are a small school. But there were expectations for this team before the year began, and certainly when the year ended. The Nova title in 85 is still more unlikely (they were an 8 seed), as was the KU title in 88 (6 seed with double digit losses).

George Mason making the Final Four a few years back as an 11 seed is more unlikely, IMO.

Butler was expected to be a very good team, and they are playing like a very good team.
Click to expand...

Great points. It still seems weird, but they are a great team. I'll be pulling for them.
 
Jon While i agree this should be no big surprise, and am juast about as Anti Duke as they come, I fear a Butler win will influence the BCS to put an undefeated team from a lesser confrence in a championship game over a 1 loss BCS team with 5 times as difficult of schedule.

Not to hijack but i don't want that to happen.
 
EastLosRandy said:
Butlermania shows how slow public/media perceptions have been to pick up on the fact that the gap between the so-called "mid-majors" and the "majors" has all but disappeared in MBB. Butler is quite small with only 4500 students. However, small schools have always been able to compete with the big boys in hoops: Holy Cross, San Francisco, Loyola Chicago, and Texas Western (UTEP) have all won NCs.

Villanova has about 9,000 students and Georgetown has about 13,000 -- same size as UNI. Yet these two schools had no trouble receiving recognition as "major" college programs thanks to their membership in a "major" conference. Butler should have been a 2/3 seed. UNI should have been a 4/5. Only those unfamiliar with the depth of good teams in MBB should be shocked by such schools' success in the tourney.
Click to expand...

Thanks for reminding us.
 
IATrainMaster101 said:
Jon While i agree this should be no big surprise, and am juast about as Anti Duke as they come, I fear a Butler win will influence the BCS to put an undefeated team from a lesser confrence in a championship game over a 1 loss BCS team with 5 times as difficult of schedule.

Not to hijack but i don't want that to happen.
Click to expand...

Actually, you SHOULD be hoping for that. If that happens, then say that non-AQ team gets absolutely hammered. What do you suppose happens then? Do you think that BCS execs will be saying "Oh, they just didn't match up well. Utah is gonna be really good again next year though, so maybe we'll put them in next year."? No way. They'd be dancing in the streets if a Boise State got hammered by Alabama, having been released from the pressure to let those teams play for it all.

I think several of those teams can compete with the best, and would love to see one get a shot at the title. But even those who feel they don't belong should go along. Let them in once, and either they'll win/be in the game and prove that they're deserving, or they'll get drilled and prove that they don't belong.
 
Whether they were ranked high in the preseason or not isn't the point. The fact that a Horizon league team actually has a chance to WIN the national championship is unreal. Even if they were ranked a 2 or 3 seed, I still think the story of Butler in the championship game is incredible. In my book, this ranks as more impressive than George Mason and IF they win, more impressive than Nova and Kansas.
 
HawkKing81 said:
Whether they were ranked high in the preseason or not isn't the point. The fact that a Horizon league team actually has a chance to WIN the national championship is unreal. Even if they were ranked a 2 or 3 seed, I still think the story of Butler in the championship game is incredible. In my book, this ranks as more impressive than George Mason and IF they win, more impressive than Nova and Kansas.
Click to expand...

How can it POSSIBLY be more impressive than George Mason? If I'm reading this right, you're saying that if a team who should have been no worse than a 3 seed wins the whole thing, they made a more impressive run than an 8 seed that won it all. And just by making it to the title game, they've had a more impressive run than George Mason, an 11 seed from the Patriot League? Give me an F'ing break. George Mason beat a 6 seed Michigan State team, then defending national champion UNC (a 3 seed), then a 7 seed Wichita State team (who a lot of people thought were underseeded), and then overall #1 UCONN. George Mason got into the tourney because they won their conference tournament. Butler made the Dance because they were a top 10 caliber team. And George Mason beat better teams to get there than Butler has, IMO.

3 seeds have made it this far before. Florida won it as a 3 seed in 2006 (and made it to the finals as a 5 seed in 2000). Syracuse was a 3 seed when they beat Kansas. Hell in 2006, the seeds were 2,3,4, and 11.

Butler's run is impressive, but I still don't get how it's such a shock. They were SUPPOSED to be very good, and were considered a top-10 caliber team pretty much all year. Since when do we get worked up about a top-10 team making the national championship game? Stop treating them like they're some kind of alien. They want to be treated like every other team in the country (from the BCS conferences). And they've proven time and again that they deserve that. So stop cheapening what they've accomplished by making them out to be Hickory High v2.0.
 
Obviously Butler is the little brother. School of 4,000 where the others are nearly 10X the size.
 
JonDMiller said:
Butler was ranked #11 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll...their opponent, Duke was #9...Butler was ranked #11 in the last AP poll of the regular season.

Butler has not lost a basketball game in 2010 (last loss on 12/22)

Butler was a five seed, at least one if not two seeds too low based on their ranking and not having any significant injuries.

I love this story and hope they beat Duke. People will act like this is some kind of Hoosier's Redux, as the ultimate underdog little guy won it all. Yes, they are a small school. But there were expectations for this team before the year began, and certainly when the year ended. The Nova title in 85 is still more unlikely (they were an 8 seed), as was the KU title in 88 (6 seed with double digit losses).

George Mason making the Final Four a few years back as an 11 seed is more unlikely, IMO.

Butler was expected to be a very good team, and they are playing like a very good team.
Click to expand...

Good for you, Jon. Butler is no Cinderella. They will not be a push over tomorrow, either.

I am a lifelong Hawkeye fan, born and raised in IC, went to my first bball games with my Dad in the fieldhouse, watching Downtown Freddie Brown, Kevin Kunnert, JJ, and the rest of the 1970 Hawks. Live and die with the Hawkeyes and thank G-d for the B10 Network.

I now live in Indy, about a 5 minute drive from Hinkle fieldhouse on Butler's campus, and send my kids to their bball camp every year. I have had numerous experiences with the folks at the bball dept. at Butler, and attend about a 1/2 dozen games a year (minimum), and have even made road trips to see them play. I would root for the Hawks if the two were to ever play against each other, just so you know.

I am so thankful that I can take my kids to Hinkle, because it is the closest thing to the old Fieldhouse I have ever experienced, and I have experienced a lot of venues. I have been a supporter of Butler since Barry Collier was the coach, and have seen the steady rise of this program. These kids are everything that the media talks about and frankly, more. I have been getting to know Ron Nored recently, because he is a student teacher of my daughter's at her elementary school, and I know a lot of the professors that have/had these kids in their classes.

These guys do it the right way, and are to be admired. So many stories to tell about them, but I think Hawkeye Nation in general is tired of hearing about "The Butler Way", and that is why there is some of the hate on this board about these kids. I am sorry Coach Lick did not work out. I support the decision to move on with Coach Fran. I will tell you this, you will never hear bad things about Iowa from Coach Lick, like you keep hearing from ... the other unmentionable in New Mexico. Won't happen.

Even though there is a bad end with the coaches from Butler, I believe a foundation has been laid by them, and a corner will be turned soon. Although they will never get any credit, future Hawkeye success will owe a small debt of gratitude to the Butler Bulldogs, and Coach Lick. I will never forget, and will always be happy that these two programs will be distant cousins forever.

As for the game tomorrow. Expect Howard to be rotated with Jukes, Smith, and maybe even Butcher (tough son of a gun who hasn't played much in the second half of the season because of a knee). They may go to four guards often and blanket the three point shooters of Duke, forcing them to play inside. If Duke is bugged, Butler will weave and run a lot on offense, and basically try to run Duke off the court while bleeding the clock, because the Bulldogs are a lot deeper, stronger, and athletic than anyone gives them credit for. IF Butler is shooting the rock halfway decently, they may drive Duke crazy. Butler went down to Cameron about 4 years ago, and darn near won with a similar formula, but without the same talent as they have now. Either way, should be a wail of a game.

Go Dawgs!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Share this page

Top