NCAA Basketball FanHouse

Butler Clinches Horizon League Again

Matt Snyder — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 14:15:00 EST

For the third straight season, the Butler Bulldogs are the regular season champions of the Horizon League. For fans and second-year head coach Brad Stevens, though, this title has to be a little more sweet than last year's -- due to lowered expectations because of the significant losses from last year's stout squad.

The clinching win Saturday, however, was anything but easy. Cleveland State used 14-2 spurt in the second half to take a small, brief lead. The game see-sawed back and forth the rest of the way.

No. 24 Butler 58, Cleveland St. 56 : Full AP Recap | Box Score | RPI | Scores

After a Matt Howard airball, the Vikings got a George Tandy bucket to break a tie with 2:04 left in the game. The tenacious Bulldogs, however, were not to be denied -- as is often the case in the Horizon League and in the friendly confines of Hinkle Fieldhouse. Facing a one-point deficit with 1:10 left, a steal cleared the way for a Ronald Nored put-back layup -- which would give the Bulldogs back the lead for good.

Cleveland State actually had a chance to win the game with a last second three, but Norris Cole's shot was contested by Howard. At first glance, it appeared Howard may have fouled Cole, but replays seemed to show that he only got a slight piece of the ball, affecting Cole's shot successfully. In the ensuing fight for the ball, a jump ball was called -- and the possession arrow favored Butler with only 1.2 seconds remaining in the game.

Two missed free throws and a desperation Vikings 70-footer later, the Butler Bulldogs secured their seemingly annual regular season championship.

The Bulldogs used balanced scoring, as usual, as five players scored between eight and 13 points. Cleveland State was led by Norris Cole with 17.

With the regular season championship, Butler will host the Horizon League conference tournament. It's hard to see anyone rolling into Hinkle and taking down the Bulldogs, though they are securely in the NCAA Tournament even if they somehow falter.

For Cleveland State, they can come away from this game with confidence they can play with Butler. That should carry over into what is shaping up as quite an appetizing rematch between these two teams in the conference tourney. Remember, in early December Butler won in Cleveland State by just two. That's two games, two Butler wins, but a deficit of only four total points. You can bet the Vikings will be hungry to get another shot -- assuming they don't slip up before their chance.

Butler Clinches Horizon League Again originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 14:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Billy Packer Would Have Loved the Upcoming NCAA Tournament

Shiloh Carder — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 01:00:00 EST

Filed under: Butler, Davidson, George Mason, Gonzaga, WCC, Xavier, A-10, ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Mid-Majors, MVC, MWC, Pac-10, SEC, March Madness, St. Mary's (CA)

One of the biggest gripes against former CBS basketball analyst Billy Packer was that he didn't respect the mid-majors. He famously complained that there were too many mid-majors in the 2006 NCAA Tournament. That was the year that George Mason upset Michigan State, North Carolina and UConn to get to the Final Four.

This will be the first Packer-less tournament in decades as he retired after last year's Final Four. It's a shame for him because he would have loved the makeup of the brackets this time around. Going against the recent trends, it looks as if the major conferences will get most of the at-large bids, leaving the mid-majors out in the cold.

According to ESPN's Joe Lunardi, there aren't too many mid-majors that are locks to get in if they do not win their conference tournament. Siena, Utah State and Davidson have the strongest cases to be at-large teams but there are factions that believe they won't. Utah State has that win over Utah, but nothing else. Davidson has actually lost a couple of SoCon games this year and their biggest win is against West Virginia on a neutral court. Siena just lost to Niagara last night. All will be overwhelming favorites to win their conference tournaments but they could be in trouble if they don't.

Gonzaga will snatch a bid if they don't win the West Coast Conference tournament. Butler does the same if they fail to win the Horizon.

Lunardi is also projecting that 31 of the 34 at-large bids will be going to the so-called "BCS conferences". The ACC leads the way with eight teams, followed by the Big East and Big Ten with seven each. The SEC, which is suffering a perceived down period, is projected to get five teams in the tournament. The other three bids are penciled in for the Atlantic 10's Dayton and two from the Mountain West (Utah, BYU and UNLV should all get in; one should win the conference tournament). The only non-BCS school that is currently seeded as a No. 4 seed or better is Memphis.

Even Lunardi's last four out includes nothing but BCS schools. The "next four out" features two more Mountain West schools and two Big XII schools.

All this leads up to schools from power conferences fighting for those last spots available in the tournament. It will also lead to more name matchups in the first and second round. Right now, Lunardi has first round games of Kentucky-Texas, Florida-California, Oklahoma State-Arizona State, Boston College-Tennessee, Michigan-LSU, Penn State-UCLA and South Carolina-Wisconsin.

Billy Packer Would Have Loved the Upcoming NCAA Tournament originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 01:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Even With Curry, Davidson Must Worry

Chas Rich — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 15:33:00 EST

Filed under: Butler, Davidson, Mid-Majors

One of the thing repeated by punditry, whenever you tuned in to see Davidson and Steph Curry, was that the Wildcats were not a better team when compared to last year's squad. That has proven true most of the year. While Davidson has been a good team at times and Steph Curry is one of the best players in college basketball, Davidson is not a consistently good team. They are a bubble team in a mid-major conference. Their case was not helped by Butler beating them at home 75-63.

The game was important for both teams, to confirm and even clinch that they are an at-large worthy teams. A game that would take the pressure off of having to win their respective conference tournaments. Butler can now breathe a little easier if they do not take the Horizon Conference Tournament. Davidson, though, must win the Southern Conference to get back to the NCAA Tournament.

Davidson, even at home, was at a disadvantage with Steph Curry trying to quickly come back from a sprained ankle. He did more than just struggle early in the game. He started 0-for-8. Curry did go 6-for-15 after that, but he was clearly struggling with his left ankle. He had seven turnovers and really labored to provide defense -- picking up four fouls as Butler guards went right at him and forced him to contain.

Davidson is still in control of the SoCon, but winning the regular season means little. Other than the win over West Virginia, the Wildcats don't have any big non-conference wins. They will have to win win the conference tournament. The good news, is that they can afford to give Curry some time to get healthy before the conference tournament.

Even With Curry, Davidson Must Worry originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 21 Feb 2009 15:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ranking the Rankings: UConn Still No. 1*

Will Brinson — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 12:45:00 EST

Filed under: Arizona, Arizona State, Butler, Connecticut, Duke, LSU, Oklahoma, UCLA, ACC, Big 12, Big East, Pac-10, Media Watch

Ranking the rankings criticizes the critics when the polls come out.

Headlining: The beauty of a Tuesday column, at least this season, is that whoever ends up No. 1 can do so with an asterisk based on Monday's games. (*In case you didn't know already, Pittsburgh beat Connecticut.) And it appears that next week, we'll likely have a new No. 1 team in the nation. That will likely be Blake Griffin and the Oklahoma Sooners. Which is fitting, considering Griffin dropped a rediculous 40-point, 23-rebound Valentine's Day stat line on Texas Tech Saturday night.

But for now, at least, UConn is still your No. 1 based on this week's rankings. And it's not like they don't deserve it either; yes, Hasheem Thabeet was outmanned by DeJuan Blair down low (from the start, no less), and yes, the Huskies missed Jerome Dyson, but they're still a top-five squad despite losing on their home court Monday.

Freefallin': Duke (20-5). "Freefall" might be a stretch considering Duke is "only" at ninth overall. But they've lost four of six overall and the only two wins were over Virginia (unimpressive) and Miami (a textbook squeaker). The Blue Devils have serious issues right now, particularly with their point guard and post play, and unfortunately, those are two pretty important aspects of basketball. The home stretch, featuring North Carolina, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech and Florida State, isn't pretty either. Butler (22-3). Here's a hint, mid-majors: Don't lose. The Bulldogs, a very talented and dangerous, albeit young, team, coughed up a single game to Loyola-Chicago and nearly got booted from the top 25. Presuming Stephen Curry can play this Saturday, they'll have a chance for redemption at Davidson. Matt Howard, by the way, is very much for real. UCLA (19-6). It's a pretty simple formula, really. Lose twice in a week after having your value inflated (sixth in the Coaches' Poll!) and you'll hurt yourself moving down the poll the next week.

You Gotta Rise Up: Arizona State (20-5). Just another 20-game winner plus a trip to the NCAA for Herb Sendek, eh? The Sun Devils rode a four-game winning streak, including a home victory over UCLA for a season sweep of the Bruins, all the way up to 11th in the coaches' Poll (14th in the AP). LSU (21-4). Clearly, the Tigers felt that the SEC was under performing and needed someone to rep the conference in the polls. That, and they ripped off six straight wins (and nine of their last 10); granted, every single one of those wins is in-conference, so the whole "grain of salt" thing applies, but that doesn't make a tiny taste of cream rising above sour milk any less impressive. Back-to-backs against Florida and at Kentucky might even come after they've locked up an SEC West title and an NCA tourney bid.

Hyped: Duke, clearly, right? The Devils aren't "bad" per se, but right now, I'm extremely confident that they are not the ninth best team in the nation. Sure, college basketball is rife with parity and the ACC is most likely the best conference in the nation (the Big East, obviously, would disagree) but if you're a top-10 team in the nation, you're not coughing up four of six games. The Clemson game -- an absolute embarrassment -- stands out more than anything.

Bunked: Arizona, despite winning seven straight games -- in-conference no less! -- isn't pulling much love from the pollsters. And sure, maybe they aren't a legit top-25 team (sorry, Bacon) at this exact moment, if we're going to reward Syracuse for losing seven games, I see no reason why the Wildcats can't get some love with eight. Missouri is ranked 11th in the AP poll, and while that might seem generous even following a huge come from behind win over Kansas and a throttling of Nebraska, I think they're better than that. Certainly better than Duke and Wake Forest, no?

WTF? Why are there only 500 some names on the Pollspeak petition to force all college voting polls into the public? There should be five million. Do your country a favor and sign that sucker electronically so we can make sure the integrity of our college athletics aren't being compromised. Or, "more compromised than they already are by the BCS."

People Who Vote Are Smart (Brought to You by Pollspeak.com): Michael Vega was the pretty clear winner in "insane voter of the week" for the past seven days. While I don't necessarily disagree with all of the points he appears to be making with his ballot, there are still some, ahem, irregularities. For instance, Duke is 25th. Even I won't agree with that. Additionally, Butler is sixth. Not doable following a loss to Loyola. He has Dayton at seventh, while Louisville clocks in at a lowly 17. Additionally, Arizona State is unranked. LSU sits at 13. And even Connecticut was number two (regardless if that turned out to be correct, it's indicative). All told, six of his teams are higher in the polls than anyone else, with another six checking in lower than anyone else. It's like someone handed Jeff Goldblum (the Jurassic Park version) a ballot and some sort of chaos theory erupted, only with less non-pertinent lines of thinking.

Ranking the Rankings: UConn Still No. 1* originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 12:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Onion Peels: Duke, Carolina Have Similar Sunday Games, Different Endings

Will Brinson — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arizona State, Boston College, Butler, Davidson, Duke, Illinois, Indiana, UNC, USC, Virginia, University of Miami, North Carolina

Onion Peels is a recap of last night's action and an unofficial Bill Raftery blog.

Duke and North Carolina were separated by a single game in the ACC standings heading into Sunday; little did Duke know it, but they nearly had a chance to tie the Tar Heels again. However, games against Boston College and Miami, respectively, ended the wrong way for the Devils.

Boston College 80, Duke 74: The same problems that have plagued the Blue Devils all season -- point guard play as well as lack of an inside presence -- came into play again Sunday afternoon.

Another problem, the ability to close teams out, was acknowledged by Gerald Henderson after the game:

"You can't mess around. If you have a team down you have to step on their throats," Henderson said. "That's been a problem with us this year - we haven't approached leads like that, so we need to change that."

Of course, the bigger problem again is at the point position. Greg Paulus played a whopping 25 minutes but only registered two points, two assists and dealing with four fouls. Additionally, Tyrese Rice was nearly unstoppable, hitting big shot after big shot down the stretch en route to 21 points, six boards and six assists. Joe Trapani, held to just five points in a loss to Clemson, posted 20 in 37 minutes while adding five blocks and seven boards.

North Carolina 69, Miami 65: The fact that Miami was 14-0 this season when holding opponents under 70 points didn't seem to bother the Tar Heels, even though Jack McClinton, with 35 points last night, was a pretty big thorn. In the end though, it was Ty Lawson who again looked like Carolina's MVP and -- despite being sick -- managed to score 21 points while dropping what amounted to the game winning three pointer with just over 10 seconds remaining. Miami's a dangerous team, obviously, but the Tar Heels holding on gave them a two game ACC lead and seemingly, based on their remaining schedule, locked sights on this year's conference title.

Elsewhere: Arizona State, behind Jeff Pendergraph's double-double, helped kick Southern Cal a little further off the bubble. Virginia managed to really honor Sean Singletary, upsetting No. 12 Clemson at home. Nationally ranked Butler stumbled for the second time in two weeks, despite Matt Howard's 30 points, as they head into a February 21 matchup with Davidson, this time to Loyola-Chicago and Jordan Hicks, who poured in 23 for Loyola. Illinois took care of Indiana by double figures in a game that should really be more important.

Onion Peels: Duke, Carolina Have Similar Sunday Games, Different Endings originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BracketBusters: Butler at Davidson

Will Brinson — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:10:00 EST

Filed under: Butler, Davidson, Campus, Coaches, Fans, Media Watch

Bracket Busters 2009 matchups have been announced. FanHouse has the skinny.

The Davidson Wildcats and Stephen Curry have been a disappointment this season, relatively speaking. Curry is leading the nation in scoring, which is quite impressive, but the Wildcats don't seem nearly as dangerous this year as they did in 2008.

Part of that could be that they no longer retain "sleeper" status. Or part of it could be that they no longer have the heavily underrated Jason Richards manning point for them. Or maybe they just have three losses to nationally-ranked teams. Either way though, they'll be playing the highly-ranked Butler Bulldogs on February 21 in the headlining game of ESPN's Bracket Busters.

Butler brings a more balanced attack than Davidson, with Matt Howard, Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack each averaging roughly 13 points per game. However, there's still the Curry Factor; meaning, Davidson's star is more than capable of taking over a game and more or less winning it by himself.

Of course, he probably won't have to -- Andrew Lovedale has blossomed this year, averaging over 12 points, nine rebounds and a block per game, making the Wildcats dangerous on the defensive end as well.

Butler's currently 11th in the nation, which should make the spread on this game pretty interesting. It takes place on the Wildcats' home court, and their only losses have been to Duke, Oklahoma and Purdue, none of which is particularly embarrassing. In theory, Butler should be favored (because they're a top 15 team, right?) but based on the matchup, that seems like it would be a mistake.

It'll end up being a good game, and regardless of the outcome, it probably won't affect tournament bids for either team all that much; both Davidson and Butler should be locks to get in with at-large bids.

BracketBusters: Butler at Davidson originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Butler Wants Its Bulldogs Back -- Cheaply

Chas Rich — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 12:26:00 EST

Filed under: Butler, Mid-Majors, Campus, Police Blotter

Mascot costumes aren't cheap. Butler has two anthropomorphic bulldog costumes. The cost of each runs $13,000. So, you can imagine if they were to be lost or stolen, the small Indiana school would really do what it could to recover them rather than shell out the money for new ones. Well, it looks like foul play.

Butler recently sent out an e-mail to students asking for help in recovering the costumes, which cost about $13,000.

The costumes were last seen last month, when a student dropped them off at Hinkle Fieldhouse, said university spokeswoman Courtney Tuell. School officials said they believe the canine costumes were stolen, not just misplaced.

How did they manage to let both be stolen? If they were concerned enough to have two costumes, you would think they would try to keep them in separate locations in case of theft.

They have offered a reward, but at only $100 that seems quite cheap. That's not even 1/100th of the replacement cost. $1000 would seem like a better starting point.

Butler, in fact, seems resigned to not getting the costumes back since they ordered a new one. The problem is that it will take until November before it is ready. That's tolerable for the football season since Blue II -- the live bulldog mascot is still around.

When basketball season comes, however, no one really wants to have a live bulldog on the court. At least not with out some rubber gloves and a mop handy.

Butler Wants Its Bulldogs Back -- Cheaply originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 09 Sep 2008 12:26:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Teams Announced For 2009 'Bracket Busters'

Shiloh Carder — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 01:15:00 EST

Filed under: Butler, Creighton, Davidson, George Mason, Nevada, WCC, Wichita State, Mid-Majors, MVC, Fans, Media Watch

Update 2/2/09: The 2009 BracketBusters matchups have been announced.

The Bracket Busters is a series that began in 2003 and was designed to pit mid-majors in inter-conference battles late in the regular season. With ESPN tied in, it brings national TV audiences to places they may normally not go.

It helps these teams immensely by getting them exposure, pumping up their RPI numbers and answers some of those questions about the strength of these mid-major conferences.

102 teams were named to be in this year's event ... which will take place on February 20-21.

The marquee name will be Davidson College, home of Stephen Curry and a Wildcats team that were a shot away from getting to the Final Four.

Other big time mid-majors include Butler, Drake, San Diego, Nevada, St. Mary's, Bucknell and George Mason.

Matchups will be set on February 9th. After the jump are the teams that are participating.Home teams: Ball State, Boston, Bowling Green, Bucknell, Cal Poly, Central Michigan, Creighton, Davidson, Drake, Drexel, Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Michigan, Evansville, Fairfield, Georgia Southern, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana State, James Madison, Kent State, Long Beach State, Loyola-IL, Marist, Murray State, Nevada, New Mexico State, Niagara, Old Dominion, Portland State, Rider, San Diego, San Jose State, Siena, Southeast Missouri, St. Mary's, Tennessee State, Towsom, UC-Davis, UC-Santa Barbara, UIC, UNC-Wilmington, UT-Martin, UW-Milwaukee, Valpo, Vermont, Western Michigan, Wichita State, William & Mary, Winthrop, Wright State and Youngstown State.

Away teams: Akron, Appalachian State, Austin Peay, Boise State, Bradley, Buffalo, Butler, Canisius, Cleveland State, CS-Fullerton, CS-Northridge, Delaware, Detroit, Eastern Illinois, Elon, FDU, Fresno State, George Mason, Hartford, Hofstra, Illinois State, Iona, Jacksonville State, Loyola-MD, Liberty, Louisiana Tech, Gardner-Webb, Manhattan, Miami-OH, Missouri State, Montana State, Morehead State, Morgan State, North Dakota State, Northeastern, Northern Illinois, Northern Iowa, Ohio, Pacific, South Dakota State, Southern Illinois, St. Peter's, Tennessee Tech, Toledo, UC-Irvine, UC-Riverside, UMBC, Utah State, UW-Green Bay and VCU

Teams Announced For 2009 'Bracket Busters' originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 06 Sep 2008 01:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The 2008 NCAA Tournament Has Been a Low Point in the History of Free Throw Shooting

Josh Alper — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:45:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville Basketball, Texas Basketball, Memphis Basketball, West Virginia Basketball, March Madness, Butler Basketball, Davidson Basketball

Much has been made about Memphis's inability to make free throws consistently. Our own Michael David Smith relayed John Calipari's ridiculous statements about winning yesterday's game with Mississippi State at the free throw line and they deserve to be mocked.

Coaches used to harp on making free throws almost above all else. When teams give you a chance at free points, you best take it or else you'll be going home a loser. This year, though, Memphis was joined by Louisville and Georgetown in making less than 50% from the line but only the Hoyas paid the price. D.J. Augustin of Texas airballed a free throw to set up Miami's last chance to tie their game and the Longhorns only made 12-of-21 overall, but the Canes still fell short. On Saturday, five of the eight winning teams were below 70% from the line.

Can it be that making free throws is no longer a necessary ingredient to winning games? For teams like Memphis and Louisville, talent may indeed trump these shortcomings. But take a look at the two biggest weekend upsets and one near-miss for some evidence about the enduring need to make your foul shots.

West Virginia hit 19-of-22 in beating Duke and Davidson made 80% in yesterday's win. Butler, 42nd in the nation during the year and makers of 12-of-13 in Round One, missed 10 free throws in their OT loss to Tennessee and, young as he looks, Brad Stevens is old enough to know that those failures killed his team's shot at another Sweet 16 trip.

Memphis, then, had better beware of Michigan State. The Spartans were perfect from the line against Pittsburgh and their style certainly suits itself to a low-scoring game that can be decided at the line. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues through the tournament or if a few of these wasteful squads reach their end because of their charity stripe Achilles heels.

The 2008 NCAA Tournament Has Been a Low Point in the History of Free Throw Shooting originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Selection Committee Says They Don't Consider Matchups, Matchups Say Otherwise

Josh Alper — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:45:00 EST

Filed under: Gonzaga Basketball, March Madness, Butler Basketball, UNLV Basketball, Davidson Basketball, East, West, Midwest

The selection committee for the NCAA Tournament says that it doesn't consider specific matchups when they're seeding teams and placing them in the four brackets. It seems hard to believe that when each year brings games with geographical rivals or coaches who have worked together in the past squaring off. This year, you've got O.J. Mayo and Michael Beasley in a freshman fiesta which stretches the credulity of their promise even more.

You've also got the cannibalization of smaller conference schools for the second straight year. Butler drew Old Dominion last year and this time around has to beat South Alabama to get out of the first round. Drake gets the second Sun Belt representative, Western Kentucky, in a 5-12 game and the Midwest region features a pair of matchups between teams outside the BCS conferences. UNLV plays Kent State and Gonzaga faces Davidson in what should be two of the best first round games.

There may seem to be a pejorative connotation to this observation, i.e. the NCAA wants bigger schools to move on and do well, but that's not the point. Four of these teams are guaranteed a second game, after all, and as more teams from outside the big six get to dance, they'll inevitably run into one another. Other than Butler, none of these teams got seeded too low or too high, so there's no problem except for the sneaking suspicion that the committee considers matchups more than they let on.

Read FanHouse previews for these teams (and the other 57 as well) in the NCAA Tournament.

The Selection Committee Says They Don't Consider Matchups, Matchups Say Otherwise originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Selection Committee Did Butler No Favors

Michael David Smith — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 20:31:00 EST

Filed under: March Madness, Butler Basketball

If any team can make a legitimate case that it got hosed by the Selection Committee, it's the Butler Bulldogs.

For starters, how is Butler a No. 7 seed? Butler's RPI is 17. Not only is that significantly better than the other No. 7 seeds (Miami's RPI is 33, West Virginia's is 27 and Gonzaga's is 31), but it's better than any of the No. 6 seeds, too.

And then there's Butler's draw: The Bulldogs are placed in the East region, where they'll play the first-round game against No. 10 seed South Alabama, in Birmingham, Alabama. It's safe to say South Alabama will have a lot more of their fans in attendance than Butler will.

And then, if the Bulldogs beat South Alabama, they have to play, in all likelihood, Tennessee. The Volunteers are the best team among the four No. 2 seeds. Bottom line: Butler may legitimately be one of the top 16 teams in the country, but it has an incredibly difficult road to get to the Sweet 16.

Selection Committee Did Butler No Favors originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 16 Mar 2008 20:31:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NCAA Previews: Recognize the Butler Bulldogs

Josh Alper — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 08:30:00 EST

Filed under: Mid-Majors Basketball, March Madness, Butler Basketball

Conference: Horizon League
Record: 29-3 (16-2 Horizon)
RPI: 18
How They Got In: Automatic Bid
Seed/Bracket: 7/East

Mascot: Bulldogs. Not the most interesting nickname. More interesting is that they play in Hinkle Fieldhouse, home of the final game in "Hoosiers," and that the team MVP in 1957 and 1958 was Bobby Plump, the real-life equivalent of Jimmy Chitwood.

Good Wins: Butler started the year hot by winning the Great Alaska Shootout and further proved their mettle by knocking off Ohio State at home and Southern Illinois on a last-second, nearly half-court heave by A.J. Graves.

Bad Losses: The 71-64 Bracket Buster loss to Drake was significant. Unlike the Wright State and Cleveland State losses, Drake a finesse squad.

Player You Should Know: Graves and Mike Green are well known after last year's Sweet 16 appearance so the guy you will be finding out about is Matt Howard. The freshman has balanced the Bulldog offense by providing an inside option to the endless rain of threes and is their only good rebounder.

Outlook: Butler's last two trips to the Tournament ended in the Sweet 16 and this team is certainly good enough to make a return to that round. Green is adept at controlling pace and runs an offense that doesn't turn the ball over. Howard has added interior oomph to a guard-dominated team, but opponents still outrebound them by a fair margin. When an opponent uses that glass edge to generate a faster paced game, Butler will struggle to keep up and end their tournament run.

NCAA Previews: Recognize the Butler Bulldogs originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 12 Mar 2008 08:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Who The Bubble Teams Are Backing, Part 1

Charles Rich — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 23:51:00 EST

Filed under: Gonzaga Basketball, Mid-Majors Basketball, March Madness, Butler Basketball, UNLV Basketball, MWC Basketball

There seems to be a larger than usual pool of teams across the college basketball landscape from the non-power conferences that could make their own case for an at-large bid. These are some of the conferences that have teams that could pop other teams bubbles if they don't win their conference tournament. Part 2 and Part 3

The conference tournaments kicked off today for the Ohio Valley, Horizon and Big South. Throughout this week and next the automatic bids will be doled out across the 31 conferences. That leaves the precious at-large bids for 34 other teams.

For fans of teams on the bubble -- Arkansas, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Arizona State, Syracuse, Virginia Tech and the assorted other -- the non-power conference tournaments take on greater meaning. Upsets in some of these conference championships can result in a shrinking bubble and more teams in play.
Mountain West:
Hope wins: BYU (#24 Coaches Poll, 23d RPI) or UNLV (27th RPI, 8-2 last 10).
Watch out for: New Mexico. The Lobos are 53d in RPI, 3d in the MWC and 7-3 in their last 10. New Mexico has played well all season. They haven't broken through, but they seem most likely to pull the upset.

MAC:
Hope wins: Kent St. (34th RPI).
Watch out for: Akron. The MAC Tournament is played in Cleveland where both teams will have fan support aplenty. Akron hasn't beaten the best teams they have faced, but they have been very close several times.

WCC:
Hope wins: Gonzaga (regular season WCC Champ, RPI 31) or St. Mary's (RPI 33).
Watch out for: San Diego. The Toreros split with St. Mary's and played very well versus Gonzaga.

Horizon:
Hope wins: Butler (#14 AP Poll, #12 Coaches, 21st RPI).
Watch out for: Cleveland State or Wright St.. Both teams split with Butler. Cleveland St. received a bye to the semi-finals with Butler. Wright St. has to play two extra games, so CSU has a slight edge.

Sun Belt:
Hope wins: South Alabama (29th in RPI, won regular season Sun Belt).
Watch out for: Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers finished second in the conference, have an RPI of 49 and lost to South Alabama in two meetings by a total of 9 points.

Who The Bubble Teams Are Backing, Part 1 originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 04 Mar 2008 23:51:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Butler And Drake Survive and Move Closer to Their Showdown

Josh Alper — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 10:05:00 EST

Filed under: Mid-Majors Basketball, Butler Basketball, MVC Basketball

For the majority of each of their games on Tuesday night it looked like Drake and Butler were looking ahead to their Bracket Buster game. Announced on Monday and scheduled for February 23rd, if both sets of Bulldogs keep winning they will have a combined 48-3 record and could secure the winner a three seed come tournament time. Who knows, maybe even higher given their current rankings and the vagaries of college hoops.

That's a lot of ifs, especially after neither team looked sure to get to this morning without another loss. Butler trailed at Valparaiso for the first 39:45 before Pete Campbell knocked down a three to give them their first lead of the night. Valpo's Jarryd Loyd lost the ball on the ensuing possession and the Bulldogs matched last year's 20-2 start. Campbell might have provided the final heroics but it was A.J. Graves who made it possible. He tied the game three times in the final three minutes and drew a double that led to Campbell's open winner.

Meanwhile, the other Bulldogs had their hands full in Normal. They fell behind Illinois State 38-29 at the half with Josh Young missing every shot he tried in the first 20 minutes and, for a time, looked headed to a loss that would keep the MVC a race. Young scored 17 points after the break, including four three-pointers, and Drake rallied for a 73-70 win. They now lead the Redbirds by four games in conference and have the second longest winning streak in the country behind Memphis.

Butler And Drake Survive and Move Closer to Their Showdown originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 06 Feb 2008 10:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Drake Will Visit Butler in Highlight of Bracket Buster Weekend

Josh Alper — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 18:40:00 EST

Filed under: George Mason Basketball, Mid-Majors Basketball, Butler Basketball, MVC Basketball

When we were took a look at the teams that might benefit the most from their Bracket Buster games this weekend we glossed over Drake and Butler. Unlike most of the other participants, the dueling Bulldogs look like sure bets for a trip to the big dance which makes their matchup, announced today, all the more interesting.

Butler's trip to the Sweet 16 last season made the country familiar with their style but there's probably a fair chunk of people who haven't watched them play with freshman Matt Howard. His inside play balances their always strong three point shooting and, since they rarely turn the ball over, makes them nearly impossible to stop on offense. Stopping Howard will be a key for Drake. They defend the perimeter quite well but aren't loaded with size inside. Offensively, they share a proclivity for the outside shot and the efficient approach with the other Bulldogs.

It isn't every year that two mid-majors appear to be top-four seeds and even rarer that we get to see them square off when they are in full form. While they may be playing the marquee game of the weekend, there will be others worth watching.

Kent State has a decent chance at an at-large bid if they win the MAC East. If they can travel to Saint Mary's and knock off the Gaels, though, they may be okay even if they slip behind Ohio or Akron. It will be a tall order, though. The Golden Flashes don't match up well with the imposing SMC front line and play a bit too loose with the ball to win a grind it out affair.

Those other two MAC East teams drew the pearls of the CAA. VCU will visit Akron and George Mason will head to Athens for a date with Ohio. The latter game will feature a splendid matchup between GMU's Will Thomas and Leon Williams while the former is a contrast in styles. Akron is offensively gifted while the Rams are one of the nation's top defensive sides.

Drake Will Visit Butler in Highlight of Bracket Buster Weekend originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 04 Feb 2008 18:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dre Smith of George Mason Sets NCAA Record for Three Point Shooting

Josh Alper — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: George Mason Basketball, Mid-Majors Basketball, Butler Basketball

George Mason started January as a team looking for its identity. Losses to Georgia State and Delaware had them behind the eight-ball in the CAA and the preseason conference favorites were looking like a team with more flaws than assets. Things changed quickly, though. Will Thomas had a career game to stave off an upset in double overtime at Hofstra on Thursday and then Dre Smith shot his way into the record books during yesterday's 96-75 win at James Madison.

Smith made all 10 of his three-point tries to set a NCAA record for most tries without a miss. He finished with 34 points overall, a career-high which was only part of the reason to believe the Patriots are on the right track. They also outrebounded the Dukes by 14 and shot 65% for the game. Delaware lost for the second straight time yesterday, which leaves GMU in a three-way tie behind VCU in the Colonial.

The Rams won 78-68 at Old Dominion yesterday. They don't have the depth of the Patriots but they have two players in Eric Maynor and Jamal Shuler who can go off any night. They each scored 26 points against ODU and each finished with a double-double to boot. Shuler had 11 boards and Maynor dished 10 assists, an overwhelming two-man band.

Elsewhere in mid-major action, Butler rebounded from their loss to Cleveland State with a win in Youngstown. They led by as many as 20 before holding off the Penguins late for a 78-69 victory but all is not perfect with the Bulldogs.

A.J. Graves has been struggling for a month and had another rough outing on Saturday. Matt Howard and Mike Green are good enough to carry the team to the Horizon title but any March noisemaking has to include deadeye shooting from Graves. He hit a couple of threes to hold off YSU but the Bulldogs need 40 minutes of Graves, not spurts.

They'll remain a game back of Cleveland State, which beat Valparaiso 69-63 at home. The Crusaders died by the three, 9-of-24, while the Vikings continued their inside domination of the Horizon. 30 free throws and a seven-rebound edge helped move them to 7-0.

South Alabama won for the 11th straight time, extending their hold on the Sun Belt. Five Jaguars were in double figures to lead the 72-65 win at Arkansas-Little Rock. As the Jags make their way up the national ladder, they will be passing Sam Houston State. After a brief flirtation with relevance, the Bearkats have lost two of their first four Southland games and look nothing like the hard-nosed team that gained fans early. A 93-90 OT loss at Lamar casts some serious doubt about their fitness over the long haul.

Dre Smith of George Mason Sets NCAA Record for Three Point Shooting originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 20 Jan 2008 10:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cleveland State Beats Butler, Could End Up Torching Someone's Tournament Dreams

Josh Alper — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 09:25:00 EST

Filed under: Mid-Majors Basketball, Butler Basketball

Every year it happens. A team that's guaranteed a spot in the Big Dance gets knocked out in their conference tournament and loses the automatic bid to a team that wouldn't be in otherwise. That creates a ripple effect which knocks out a deserving team and launches a million articles about snubs. It's still a tad early to know just what teams might fit that description this season but if Cleveland State repeats last night's 56-52 win over Butler in March, some team will be left out in the cold.

That's not meant to slight the Vikings. They're having a bang-up season, 6-0 in the Horizon and playing their best basketball in decades. It's just that there's no way they are getting in without winning the conference tournament and they are well positioned to beat Butler. They defend the three-point line like crazy, Horizon foes are hitting but 27% of their tries, and they rebound like crazy. They also don't rely on the three offensively and, taken in total, that spells bad matchup for Butler.

The Bulldogs are poor rebounders who win because they play clean and control the perimeter on each side. They weren't able to do that last night and, frankly, will struggle to do it the next time these teams meet. Pete Campbell made five threes but the rest of the team was 1-of-16 from deep. If that happens again come March, prepare the hankies Big East team #9.

Cleveland State Beats Butler, Could End Up Torching Someone's Tournament Dreams originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 18 Jan 2008 09:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eastern Round Up: On the Horizon

Josh Alper — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 08:15:00 EST

Filed under: Mid-Majors Basketball, Butler Basketball

Butler is off to their best start since 2002-03 after beating Wisconsin-Green Bay 74-65 and the most impressive thing is how they've gotten there. No one is surprised that Butler's a good team but their versatility has been most unexpected. They've won without A.J. Graves shooting the lights out and when he's less than his best. They've won with the expert hand of Mike Green guiding them and by following freshman Matt Howard and via blowout and nailbiter. The one consistent thread has been the way their three-point marksmanship has overcome their rebounding deficiencies.

You can strike that one from the list. The Bulldogs only made 3-of-19 from deep last night but outrebounded the Phoenix 38-30 and dominated the paint for their 14th victory. Howard got 12 of his 22 points from the foul line and Butler shot 41 overall to make up for their errant perimeter shooting. Green Bay's coach Tod Kowalczyk stormed out of the interview room when he was asked if he wanted to comment on the 41-18 difference in foul shots but it was clear that the Bulldogs were too much for his defense to contend with.

Will the same be true of Cleveland State?

The Vikings are 4-0 in Horizon play with last night's 74-64 win against Detroit and have only been giving up 56 points per game in conference. They average eight steals a night and defend the three-point line well but do foul quite often. That could get them in trouble against Howard who has quickly proven to be ready for big-time college ball in his first season.

Before the Vikes get their shot at Butler, Wisconsin-Milwaukee gets their shot. The Panthers are in Indianapolis on Saturday and bring their unlikely 4-2 league record with them. Off-court turmoil has whittled down their roster but that hasn't stopped them thus far. They went into Valparaiso last night and came from behind late to pull out a 71-69 victory. The statistics say that UW-M doesn't do anything well but the wins keep coming. If Butler pulls off wins in each game they will have taken a big step to the regular season crown.

Elsewhere on the mid-major hardcourts:

George Washington 49, Saint Louis 20 - MDS gave you all the particulars last night but if there's a clearer sign that Rick Majerus still has some work to do with the Billikens, I haven't seen it. Bad nights happen, of course, but at least Savannah State had the excuse of playing against Kansas State. GW has been real bad this season and Majerus has his work cut out for him to keep this from dragging the team down as league play progresses.

Savannah State 50, Bethune Cookman 36 - Or maybe they don't. Savannah doubled their 25 from earlier this week and won in Daytona Beach. It's heartwarming to see the Tigers shrug off their bad night and come back with confidence.

Tennessee-Martin 69, Eastern Illinois 63 - In a league as topsy-turvy as the OVC appears to be, having the best player can be a huge plus. UTM has just that with Lester Hudson. He had 29 points and 10 rebounds to bring the Skyhawks to 4-3 in the OVC. Austin Peay and SE Missouri State look good and Murray State beat both this week, but no league team can contend with Hudson's myriad scoring talents.

Chattanooga 78, UNC-Greensboro 73 - Circle 1/19 on your calender. That's when Chattanooga goes to Davidson in a battle for Southern supremacy. Stephen McDowell of the Mocs vs. Stephen Curry of the Wildcats, fun for all and a regular season title on the line.

Eastern Round Up: On the Horizon originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 11 Jan 2008 08:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eastern Round Up: Eagles Get Their Wings Clipped by Robert Morris

Josh Alper — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 09:15:00 EST

Filed under: Boston College Basketball, Mid-Majors Basketball, Butler Basketball

When you are an ACC team and NCAA Tournament hopeful like Boston College, it's got to be frustrating to find yourself down nine points to a team from the Northeast Conference. That might explain why BC's Tyrelle Blair tried to kick a member of the Colonials in the second half of last night's game. Robert Morris led by seven at the half and extended their lead to nine before a B.C. run tied the game at 47 with 5:18 to play. Then the Colonials scored and Blair impersonated Stephen Gostkowski and picked up a technical. Morris hit the free throw, made a stop and scored to extend a lead they wouldn't relinquish in a 57-51 win.

Morris is coached by former Pitt assistant Mike Rice and his team showed the defensive grit that's made the Panthers a force in the Big East. They forced 20 B.C. turnovers, which actually beat their impressive 25% turnover rate overall, and, although they turn it over too much, practice good ball movement. 65% of their baskets come with assists and Tony Lee is a big factor on both sides of the equation. He dishes seven assists and nabs 3.5 steals a game to propel the team.

They underperformed in conference a year ago but Rice has the team playing well enough to finish at the top of the league and, depending on their games with Wagner, could win the regular season.

Elsewhere on the mid major hardcourts:

Murray State 78, Southeast Missouri State 51 - The round up had been a bit chagrined by its failure to notice the excellent league play by Southeast Missouri State. The Redhawks broke alertly and won their first six league games so it's unfair that their first mention comes via a blowout home loss to Murray State. No one said life is fair, though. SEMS made just 25% of their shots on Monday and couldn't stop Murray in the paint. The Racers outscored them 40-20 inside for a huge advantage.

Austin Peay 73, Eastern Illinois 57 - The Governors now sit at the top of the OVC after extending their league start to 6-0. They did it thanks to 20-of-22 free throw shooting and 22 Eastern turnovers which meant a moderate pace controlled by the home side.

Butler 66, Loyola 55 - Mike Green and Matt Howard combined to lead the Bulldogs to an easy victory in Chicago. Green had 15 points and six assists and Howard added 19 inside as Butler ran their record to 14-1 on the year. As always Butler failed to impress on the glass but 9-of-20 three-point shooting made it a moot point.

Eastern Round Up: Eagles Get Their Wings Clipped by Robert Morris originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 08 Jan 2008 09:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Butler Accepts Charity, Beats Valparaiso

Josh Alper — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 17:08:00 EST

Filed under: Mid-Majors Basketball, Butler Basketball

When Butler lost at Wright State last month they shot just five free throws. Whatever Brad Stevens said to them about pressuring defenses in the wake of that loss, their only one of the year, has paid off. The Bulldogs have started taking to the ball to the hoop and forcing defenses into mistakes. It's a smart strategy. Butler makes the fifth most free throws in the country and taking 29 a game has turned into a five game winning streak, including a 73-65 win over Valparaiso today.

The Bulldogs made 33 trips to the line this afternoon which helped them overcome a very game Crusaders team. Butler is known for their ball control and three-point shooting and defense, but in the first half Valpo exploited all three en route to a nine-point lead. They forced six turnovers in the first 10 minutes, Butler made 3-of-11 first-half threes and Valpo made 4-of-9. But then the whistles started and Valpo faded.

Mike Green made the best use of the foul line. He used his speed to get into the paint and create contact, resulting in 11-of-14 foul shooting and 24 points. He also hit three threes, grabbed eight rebounds and nabbed five steals to help win the Horizon home opener. Green picked up the absymal A.J. Graves (2-of-10) and, if it's possible, made the 'Dogs an even bigger league favorite. Valpo has the skills to challenge them in the regular season but if Butler can overcome a poor shooting night and still win by eight, it's hard to see it happening.

Butler Accepts Charity, Beats Valparaiso originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 05 Jan 2008 17:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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