One year ago, Butler wasn't even expected by many to get past the Sweet Sixteen and top seeded Syracuse. However, the Bulldogs shocked the College Basketball nation with a 63-59 win over the Orange to move to the Elite Eight. Even in the West Regional final, many people were ready to say "Good year, you made us proud, now let's just go back to Indiana and our farms." However, the Bulldogs survived a tough contest against the nation's top backcourt, and secured their spot in their home city of Indianapolis. Behind a Pro-Butler crowd, Brad Stevens' team survived the defending national runner up's late run, defeating Michigan State by two, to lock up a prime time match up with Duke for the title. I think everyone know what happened in that game. When March comes, it doesn't matter how you win, you just have to win. That's what Duke did, ending the Butler dream one game short of a Hoosier Like finish, this time with over three million people watching. While Butler fought valiantly, Gordon Hayward simply shot the ball too hard from half-court as time expired, and they had to watch Duke celebrate on the court, thinking about what might have been.
At the beginning of the season, the 2010 Final Four banner was hung from the rafters of the storied Hinkle Fieldhouse. "Let's all give Butler a good applause. They fought hard, got to the championship game, and showed tremendous resilience throughout their run. This is most likely never going to happen again, seeing as how they lost their leading scorer Gordon Hayward to the NBA. Shelvin Mack is good, but he;s not good enough to help a team win more than two games in March." That was the consensus out there as the 2010-11 season tipped off, and Butler stumbled out of the gate, going 4-4 in their first eight games. But who expected Butler to win this year? To be honest, I think most people were surprised to see them beat Old Dominion in their first game. Butler knows how to win, plain and simple. Although Matt Howard is their leading scorer, Shelvin Mack is their go to guy when they need a big play. However, do not think that the Bulldogs are a one or two man team by any means. If it wasn't for Andrew Smith, a 6'11" Center with a nifty post game, Butler never would have beaten Pitt, as his shot gave Butler the lead (even though Shelvin Mack ended up committing a bone headed foul with time running out). And how about Zach Hahn? The senior from New Castle, Indiana was a huge factor, if not the main reason why they defeated Florida. You cannot look past anyone on this roster, including Ronald Nored, Shawn Vanzant, and even Chrishawn Hopkins, whose late game three pointer against the Gators helped gain Butler the momentum although he is just averaging 1.6 points on the year as a Freshman. And how about Khyle Marshall snatching up the boards over Florida's bigs?
Butler, if you watch them, likes to run a lot of pick and rolls, as well as double pick and rolls at the top of they key. And, since Mack draws so much attention on the dribble drive, nearly everyone on Butler's team can shoot. Look at how efficient Butler is with the ball as well. The Bulldogs are only averaging 11 turnovers per game, which is very good compared to other teams. So, even after another magical run in the Big Dance, don't look for Butler to go away any time soon. This team, and its young coach, are here to stay.
No comments:
Post a Comment