Butler Beasts Again
They were our Cinderella darling last season for much of the year and we sort of forgot about them to start out this season, but even all the way from Alaska, the Butler Bulldogs were able to grab our attention again this weekend.
Now 6-0 and off until Saturday's monster match-up in Indy with Ohio State, Butler is once again a Top 20 team and quickly abandoning the ranks of "Cinderellas" for the ranks of the "College Hoops Elite." Butler won the Great Alaska Shootout with torrid 3-point shooting (setting a Tournament record with 47 treys in three games) and an MVP performance from senior guard Mike Green. First-year head coach Brad Stevens (who took over for new Iowa head man Todd Lickliter) has inherited a Sweet 16 team from a year ago that has a blend of experience (the likes of AJ Graves and Green) and high-major, youthful talent like Matt Howard who came off the bench against Michigan and added 12 points and 12 rebounds.
After beating Bobby Knight and Texas Tech in the title tilt, Stevens told the Indianapolis Star's David Woods:
"(Knight)said he really enjoyed the way we played, and the way we shared the ball," Stevens said. "And I really appreciate it. When it comes from a guy like that, it means something."
Yes, it does.
. . . A very similar program to that of the Bulldogs, the Xavier Musketeers, brought home a huge win on Saturday as Sean Miller's 4-1 team took down No. 8 Indiana at the Chicago Invitational Challenge. Xavier was able to contain super-frosh Eric Gordon, keeping him under 30 points (20) for just his second game.
The Musketeers suffered a two-point loss to Miami (OH) in its second game of the season but as Indiana head coach Kelvin Sampson said after his Hoosiers loss on Saturday, ""Teams have opportunities to get better through losses."
Xavier already has and Indiana very likely will.
