INDIANAPOLIS -- Here are some stats and notes from Butler's 73-65 win over Valparaiso.

I mentioned this in the live blog, but it bears repeating. The most surprising stat of the year so far: Butler sharpshooter AJ Graves is now 0-16 from beyond the three point line in Horizon League play after missing all of his five attempts today. He's 48-104 in non-conference games.

Mike Green had a huge day, leading Butler with 24 points on 5-9 shooting from the floor, including 3-4 on threes, 11-14 from the line. Valpo could do nothing to stop his penetration.

Jarryd Loyd led the Crusaders in scoring with 15, many of which came during their furious comeback attempt at the end of the game. Brandon McPherson, Samuel Haanpaa and Jake Diebler each scored ten.

Valpo outshot and outrebounded Butler today, but lost the game with turnovers (16 to 10 for BU) and free throws (10-17 vs 28-33 for Butler).

Even though two players fouled out, Valpo only played seven guys more than two minutes. One got about 5 seconds at the end of the game.

We found out from Green after the game that around his hometown of Zionsville, 31-year-old Bulldog coach Brad Stevens is still referred to as, "LIttle Brad." That was before coach entered the room. Green fessed up before we had a chance to ask the coach about it. I think there's a few extra laps in Green's immediate future.

Green also told us that his second half spark was partially brought on by the encouragement of teammate Shawn Vanzant. Chuckling, he said, "he still thinks I can do no wrong, so he pulled me aside and told me to shoot more."

During the Valparaiso part of the press briefing, we got to see the unique style of coach Drew. He sat at the press conference with Loyd and Diebler and would occasionally deflect questions their way with, "What do you guys think? You were on the floor?" He was also impressed with the "gallantry" of his team.

He also displayed the typical short term memory of a coach, which extends one game. He pointed out how tough it is to win on the road in this league, saying, "no road team had won a game yet." That was almost right. The only team to win on the road in HL play so far is his, which was 2-0 on the road coming into today.

I've had a few occasions to chat with coach Drew in the past (I know his son Scott better), and I think I can say without fear of contradiction that he's the nicest guy in college basketball. That sentiment was shared in the press room after the game.

After they left, we (the press) were chuckling at the thought of Bobby Knight turning to his players and saying, "What do you think, boys?" And none of us could remember the last time we heard a coach refer to his team's "gallantry."

I've said this before, so I apologize if you have read it, but if every team was coached by a guy like Homer Drew, we wouldn't need an NCAA enforcement staff or encyclopedia-thick rule book. The game needs more Homer Drews.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 04:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

INDIANAPOLIS -- Below is the live blog for today's game, but first, a few more pre-game notes.

Everybody knows about Butler. They have been on the national scene for a few years now, so here's a few things you may not have known about Valparaiso.

Coach Dr. Homer Drew is the ninth-winningest active coach.

Valpo fields a squad fit for the UN. They have five foreign players from four different countries, including two starters from Finland. The others are from Germany, Jamaica and New Zealand.
However, the guy with the most foreign-looking name on the team, Urule Igbavboa, is from Minnesota, which unlike Texas, is not a whole 'nother country.

G Brandon McPherson is from Indianapolis Lawrence North HS, and played alongside former Ohio St stars Michael Conley and Greg Oden. McPherson is a year older than those guys.

Probably the most famous guy in the house is Homer's son Bryce, who is the associate head coach. Bryce hit "the shot" to beat Mississippi in the 1998 NCAA tournament. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then you have never watched the tournament.

Let the blogging begin!

Posted by Jerry Palm at 02:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

INDIANAPOLIS -- There is a big early-season tilt in the Horizon league tomorrow at 2 PM ET between league newbie Valparaiso, and the conference's "old money," Butler.

The upstart Crusaders lead the league in the early going after wins at Detroit and defending champ Wright St a month ago. That was part of a 10-1 start, which was a record in the 19-year Valpo career of coach Homer Drew. The Crusaders have come back to earth a bit since then, losing a hard-fought game at Wisconsin and then getting their doors blown off at #1 Carolina.

Butler is sitting at 1-1 in league play, with its lone loss coming at its usual nemesis, Wright St. The Bulldogs are 12-1 overall, including wins over Texas Tech, Ohio St and Florida St. They are coming off a win at Southern Illinois, which ended on an AJ Graves game-winning 30-footer at the buzzer.

While this is the first time that these two are meeting as Horizon foes, it is not the first time they have played each other in a conference game. Butler and Valpo used to be members of the Indiana Collegiate Conference thirty years ago.

For more bits and bobs about this game, you can check out the teams' game notes below, but first one more bit of Trivia. Valpo coach Drew's son Scott, the current head coach at Baylor, is a Butler grad. He was the team manager in 1992.