Butler entered the 2009-2010 season with a No. 10 preseason ranking and loads of confidence to compete against the nation's finest. The Bulldogs returned important starters, including Gordon Hayward, who has NBA-potential. But in all reality, most, if not all, the nation didn't think Butler had a chance to get the Elite Eight or Final Four.
Tonight, the Bulldogs take on No. 1 seed Duke for the 2010 National Championship. All weekend, the media has funneled out information about the David vs. Goliath comparison. Despite that top-10 preseason ranking, Butler is relishing the underdog title. For the first time in modern NCAA history, a mid-major team can win the tournament.
According to CNBC sports business reporter Darren Rovell, Duke spent $394,068 per player in 2008-09. Butler spent $347,108 on player expenses for the entire team last season.
Duke's coach Mike Krzyzewski has won an Olympic Gold Medal and is gunning for his fourth National Championship. Butler's Brad Stevens could still be mistaken as a player.
But this is what the NCAA Tournament is about. This is why so many people across the nation fill out brackets and religiously watch the tournament games. This spectacle provides the opportunity for the small schools that are under appreciated, undervalued and poorly funded to take down program's making $4 million a year.
This tournament has been terrible for my bracket and even worse for the Terps (who would've had an "easy" route to the Final Four if it wasn't for Korrie Lucious). But in terms of mid-majors and upsets, the 2009-2010 tournament is an instant classic.
Butler (33-4) vs. Duke (33-5)
Points for per game: Butler (69.0), Duke (77.4)
Points against per game: Butler (59.4), Duke (16-0)
Last loss: Butler at UAB on December 22, 2009 (25 straight wins), Duke at Maryland on March 3, 2010 (9 straight wins)
Butler Head Coach: Brad Stevens
Key Players:
- Gordon Hayward (G-F) 15.6 ppg, 8.3 rpg
- Shelvin Mack (G) 14.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg , 3.1 apg
- Matt Howard (F) 11.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg
Tournament Resume:
First Round - No. 12 UTEP, 77-59
Second Round - No. 13 Murray State, 54-52
Sweet Sixteen - No. 1 Syracuse, 63-59
Elite Eight - No. 2 Kansas State, 63-56
Final Four - No. 5 Michigan State, 52-50.
The Bulldogs survived an upset to Murray State, but since then they have been on fire. They took down National Championship-contenders Syracuse and Kansas State. In the Final Four, Butler dodged a poor shooting performance and beat Michigan State by getting to the free throw line tonight.
It should be a great game to watch. For Duke, this is the time to get back on top in college basketball. But for Butler, it's for so much more - all the mid-majors watching and dreaming that maybe once day they too will play for the title.
Showing posts with label Mid-Majors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mid-Majors. Show all posts
Monday, April 5, 2010
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Monitoring the Mid-Majors: Final Four
We're through the first four rounds of the NCAA Tournament and it sure has been crazy. No. 1 seeds Kansas, Kentucky and Syracuse all lost before reaching the Final Four. Two No. 5 seeds have crept into the Final Four in Michigan State and Butler. No. 2 seed West Virginia is in its first Final Four since the 1950s, while Duke is picking up where it left off in the early 2000s.
While the Sweet Sixteen presented many opportunities for mid-major teams to burst onto the scene, only one (Butler) was able to do so. The rest of the Elite Eight: Kentucky, West Virginia, Duke, Baylor, Tennessee, Michigan State and Kansas State - all hail from a BCS conference.
No. 12 seed Cornell's magically run ended at the hand's of John Wall and Kentucky as the Wildcats were too athletic and fast for the Ivy-Leaguers to keep up. Northern Iowa ran out of gas against Michigan State. St. Mary's (Calif.) was totally outdone by Baylor, losing by 23 points.
But the best contest of them all was Xavier's bout with No. 2 seed Kansas State. The No. 6 seed gave Frank Martin's bunch all it could handle. The result was a 2OT battle. Several Xavier players heated up near the end of the game as they launched crazy-deep 3-pointers. But the Musketeers couldn't muster that late-game magic in the end of the 2OT and fell valiantly.
Which leaves us with Butler - a "Mid-Major" team making a huge impact on the NCAA. It reminds me of Gonzaga years back. This is not a George Mason team that has knocked off major NCAA powers in stunning fashion. This is a team that has been ranked in the top 25 the majority of the season and has several great players. While the Bulldogs' coach (Brad Stevens) looks like he could still be the team manger, this team is well-coached and focused.
Either way, a No. 5 seed that rarely received attention heading into the tournament will have the opportunity to play for the National Championship. For Michigan State, the title would cement coach Tom Izzo's legacy as one of the best ever - overcoming a number of injuries and disappointments this season. But for Butler, the title would change the way we look at the NCAA forever. It would give home to all the mid-major programs out there fighting for recruits. In the modern-NCAA, no mid-major has had the opportunity to do this. And Butler is fully capable. For a in-depth team preview of the Bulldog's, check back at the blog in the coming days.
While the Sweet Sixteen presented many opportunities for mid-major teams to burst onto the scene, only one (Butler) was able to do so. The rest of the Elite Eight: Kentucky, West Virginia, Duke, Baylor, Tennessee, Michigan State and Kansas State - all hail from a BCS conference.
No. 12 seed Cornell's magically run ended at the hand's of John Wall and Kentucky as the Wildcats were too athletic and fast for the Ivy-Leaguers to keep up. Northern Iowa ran out of gas against Michigan State. St. Mary's (Calif.) was totally outdone by Baylor, losing by 23 points.
But the best contest of them all was Xavier's bout with No. 2 seed Kansas State. The No. 6 seed gave Frank Martin's bunch all it could handle. The result was a 2OT battle. Several Xavier players heated up near the end of the game as they launched crazy-deep 3-pointers. But the Musketeers couldn't muster that late-game magic in the end of the 2OT and fell valiantly.
Which leaves us with Butler - a "Mid-Major" team making a huge impact on the NCAA. It reminds me of Gonzaga years back. This is not a George Mason team that has knocked off major NCAA powers in stunning fashion. This is a team that has been ranked in the top 25 the majority of the season and has several great players. While the Bulldogs' coach (Brad Stevens) looks like he could still be the team manger, this team is well-coached and focused.
Either way, a No. 5 seed that rarely received attention heading into the tournament will have the opportunity to play for the National Championship. For Michigan State, the title would cement coach Tom Izzo's legacy as one of the best ever - overcoming a number of injuries and disappointments this season. But for Butler, the title would change the way we look at the NCAA forever. It would give home to all the mid-major programs out there fighting for recruits. In the modern-NCAA, no mid-major has had the opportunity to do this. And Butler is fully capable. For a in-depth team preview of the Bulldog's, check back at the blog in the coming days.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Monitoring the Mid-Majors: Round of 32
I'm still reeling from what happened around 5 p.m. Eastern Time yesterday afternoon, but I will try to get past that right now. The second round provided just as much excitement as the first with mid-majors exerting their presence against some of the biggest names in college basketball
After the first round, which teams like Georgetown fell, there were many mid-major teams alive. The list:
Midwest Region - Northern Iowa, Ohio
West Region - Gonzaga, Butler, Murray State, Xavier, BYU
East Region - Cornell, New Mexico
South Region - Old Dominion, St. Mary's
The biggest upset must be Georgetown falling to Ohio, who only made the tournament because it won it's conference tournament. The Hoyas were a mess against Bobcats throughout and never really made a comeback despite being down by double-digits.
The Bobcats, though, were not able to keep up their streak in the second round as they fell to No. 6 seed Tennessee.
The biggest upset in the entire tournament, and in recent years, came on Saturday night. The overall No. 1 seed Kansas Jayhawks were tabbed by many to be next in line to hoist the National Championship trophy. But standing in the way was No. 9 seed Northern Iowa. The Panthers exhibited everything a mid-major is known to be. The game was never really close as Northern Iowa shot extremely well and confused the Jayhawks. Not until Kansas turned to full-court pressure in the final few minutes was the upset ever in jeopardy.
Leave it to Ali Farokhmanesh. The point guard nailed a gutsy 3-pointer after his team finally got through the full court pressure. Instead of pulling the ball back and wasting time off the clock, or driving and dishing to a teammate for an easy 2-on-1 score, he put up the prayer. When the ball fell through the nets, the chances of a Kansas comeback deflated.
Sweet Sixteen Mid-Majors:
Midwest Region - Northern Iowa
West Region - Butler, Xavier
East Region - Cornell
South Region - St. Mary's
So five of the 16 "best" teams remaining in college basketball are from non-BCS conferences. That just goes to show the parity in the sport right now. Hopefully this week I will be able to provide specific team coverage for some of the remaining teams in the tournament.
For now I leave you with this stat and quote from the weekend:
- For the first time since the NCAA tournament expanded in 1985, three one-bid conferences (the Horizon League, Ivy League and Missouri Valley Conference) had their teams advance to the Sweet 16.
- "Northern Iowa never played KU before, so you can't say it was really a big upset,'' Ohio State's David Lighty said. "It's just what people think.''
After the first round, which teams like Georgetown fell, there were many mid-major teams alive. The list:
Midwest Region - Northern Iowa, Ohio
West Region - Gonzaga, Butler, Murray State, Xavier, BYU
East Region - Cornell, New Mexico
South Region - Old Dominion, St. Mary's
The biggest upset must be Georgetown falling to Ohio, who only made the tournament because it won it's conference tournament. The Hoyas were a mess against Bobcats throughout and never really made a comeback despite being down by double-digits.
The Bobcats, though, were not able to keep up their streak in the second round as they fell to No. 6 seed Tennessee.
The biggest upset in the entire tournament, and in recent years, came on Saturday night. The overall No. 1 seed Kansas Jayhawks were tabbed by many to be next in line to hoist the National Championship trophy. But standing in the way was No. 9 seed Northern Iowa. The Panthers exhibited everything a mid-major is known to be. The game was never really close as Northern Iowa shot extremely well and confused the Jayhawks. Not until Kansas turned to full-court pressure in the final few minutes was the upset ever in jeopardy.
Leave it to Ali Farokhmanesh. The point guard nailed a gutsy 3-pointer after his team finally got through the full court pressure. Instead of pulling the ball back and wasting time off the clock, or driving and dishing to a teammate for an easy 2-on-1 score, he put up the prayer. When the ball fell through the nets, the chances of a Kansas comeback deflated.
Sweet Sixteen Mid-Majors:
Midwest Region - Northern Iowa
West Region - Butler, Xavier
East Region - Cornell
South Region - St. Mary's
So five of the 16 "best" teams remaining in college basketball are from non-BCS conferences. That just goes to show the parity in the sport right now. Hopefully this week I will be able to provide specific team coverage for some of the remaining teams in the tournament.
For now I leave you with this stat and quote from the weekend:
- For the first time since the NCAA tournament expanded in 1985, three one-bid conferences (the Horizon League, Ivy League and Missouri Valley Conference) had their teams advance to the Sweet 16.
- "Northern Iowa never played KU before, so you can't say it was really a big upset,'' Ohio State's David Lighty said. "It's just what people think.''
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