Buying-in, the Butler way
Ian Millette
Issue date: 2/2/09 Section: Sports
Media Credit: APWillie Veasley and the Butler Bulldogs have remained the League's best team despite losing four starters from last year.
Over the past three years, no mid-major division I men's basketball team has made a splash on the national scene like Butler University. Butler has totaled 77 wins over that past three seasons including this year, dropping only 12 total games. With their remarkable team chemistry, outstanding shooting and a strong belief in their coach and their university, they have surmounted many challenges in their path over the past three seasons.
In 2006-07 they won the NIT Season Tip-Off, knocking off Gonzaga and Tennessee. Later in the year they made a run in the tournament eventually losing in the third round to the National Champion, Florida. In 2007-08 Butler made another run in the tournament losing to Tennessee 71-76 in overtime.
In this two-year span UIC has beaten Butler once, and lost by slim margins in the most other meetings. This year UIC hosted Butler, ranked nationally again for the third consecutive year, and had a 13 point lead going into halftime. The Flames, a team that could only wish to have to heart, drive and intensity that Butler has, let the game slip away from them 59-52 on national television.
This year was supposed to be UIC's year in the Horizon League, with Josh Mayo and Scott VanderMeer receiving pre-season accolades. But the Flames have not been able to get over the hump, like a Butler team can and has done.
Unlike UIC, Butler was picked to finish in the middle of the Horizon, after they lost arguably their two best players in university history in Mike Green and A.J. Graves.
At the beginning of the year Butler seemed like the only Indianans who believed that they could compete not only in the league, but the rest of the country. They have and currently hold an outstanding record of 18-1, are ranked 13th in the nation, and are just three points shy of a perfect record up to this point.
What can UIC learn, from a program like Butler?
The Flames need to focus on the basics, and find the open man. "The thing about Butler is that they always find the hot shooting man on their team and feed him the ball and play off of him," said UIC head coach Jimmy Collins, after the January 17 loss to Butler. This is a thing that UIC does not do and their 10-10 record indicates that.
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In 2006-07 they won the NIT Season Tip-Off, knocking off Gonzaga and Tennessee. Later in the year they made a run in the tournament eventually losing in the third round to the National Champion, Florida. In 2007-08 Butler made another run in the tournament losing to Tennessee 71-76 in overtime.
In this two-year span UIC has beaten Butler once, and lost by slim margins in the most other meetings. This year UIC hosted Butler, ranked nationally again for the third consecutive year, and had a 13 point lead going into halftime. The Flames, a team that could only wish to have to heart, drive and intensity that Butler has, let the game slip away from them 59-52 on national television.
This year was supposed to be UIC's year in the Horizon League, with Josh Mayo and Scott VanderMeer receiving pre-season accolades. But the Flames have not been able to get over the hump, like a Butler team can and has done.
Unlike UIC, Butler was picked to finish in the middle of the Horizon, after they lost arguably their two best players in university history in Mike Green and A.J. Graves.
At the beginning of the year Butler seemed like the only Indianans who believed that they could compete not only in the league, but the rest of the country. They have and currently hold an outstanding record of 18-1, are ranked 13th in the nation, and are just three points shy of a perfect record up to this point.
What can UIC learn, from a program like Butler?
The Flames need to focus on the basics, and find the open man. "The thing about Butler is that they always find the hot shooting man on their team and feed him the ball and play off of him," said UIC head coach Jimmy Collins, after the January 17 loss to Butler. This is a thing that UIC does not do and their 10-10 record indicates that.
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James
posted 2/03/09 @ 4:09 PM CST
I could not agree more, I have been one of the few who attends all of the games in the student section and this team has under achevied all year long. (Continued…)
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