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Post by DunneDeal on Apr 5, 2011 20:53:42 GMT -6
My Butler love fest ended when they couldn't hit a shot in the second half and I walked away from the TV.
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Post by gman2 on Apr 5, 2011 21:32:48 GMT -6
Last time I checked I never said Butler would go undefeated, not conceding anything to anyone and I don't expect any team to fear them. All I'm saying is that the potential exists for Butler to elevate itself at a level higher than the rest of the league. Green Bay Women's Basketball (13 straight Horizon League regular season titles) and Milwaukee Womens Soccer (11 straight regular season titles) are two examples of programs in the Horizon League that have elevated to a level above the rest of the league. Do they win every game, every season, no, though Green Bay Women did go undefeated in Horizon League play two of the last three seasons. They are the standard bearer, the team that must be beaten in order to compete for the league title. I see Butler potentially elevating to that level. But that does not mean I'm conceding anything or fearing them.
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Post by ghostofdylan on Apr 5, 2011 21:41:31 GMT -6
I don't think it'll happen, gman, because men's basketball is a completely different animal.
There's currently just too much parity in the sport both within conferences and without.
In women's basketball, by comparison, the Horizon League was a low-major until this season. The gap between the haves and the have-nots, as in women's soccer, is a vast one.
Hey, Milwaukee defeated this same Butler team by 24 points only three months ago.
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Post by gman2 on Apr 6, 2011 6:35:54 GMT -6
I'm simply expressing an opinion of what could potentially happen and in fact may have already be in progress as:
1. Butler has played in the last six Horizon League tournament championship games.
2. Butler is the only Horizon League team to CONSISTENTLY get non-conference wins against high mid major and major conference opponents.
This may not happen, things could even out. And the same Milwaukee team that beat Butler by 24 points is also the same Milwaukee team that was three plays away from a 3 or 4 seed in the Horizon League. A bounce here, made shot there and anything is possible.
Please to do not equate my opinion as a concession to Butler or a fear of Butler.
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Post by ghostofdylan on Apr 6, 2011 8:45:24 GMT -6
I didn't mistake your opinion as a concession or fear, gman. In fact, I think it's an interesting premise that merits discussion. I guess that I was reacting not so much to your post specificially as to what I had already heard at a Final Four party Saturday with Panther fans cheering both for and against Butler. My response to them is: does it make that big a difference in recruiting whether Butler is the reigning national champions or merely the two-time national runners-up and perennial NCAA tournament qualifiers? In response to your concerns, I would suggest that as long as Barry Collier is the AD and Brad Stevens is the coach at Butler, neither recruiting nor player retention is going to be compromised in the manner in which it is at non-BCS schools like Memphis, Xavier or Gonzaga (OK, that's it for the Butler love  ). Remember when big-time recruits Theo Davis and Josh Heytvelt were re-admitted at Gonzaga after being caught with magic mushrooms? I just don't think that will happen at Butler. There were many questions about the character of Jamal Crawford when he transferred from Indiana to Xavier. It doesn't seem that Butler would admit this kind of player. Yes, the Bulldogs -- especially assistant coach Micah Shrewsberry -- are getting into living rooms they never did before, but Cody Zeller still chose IU and Malcolm Brogdon still chose Virginia. Now, the next question will surely center on whether or not it benefits Butler to leave the H League to boost recruiting. My response to that would be two-fold: 1, That would likely have to wait until the breakup of the Big East and 2, Is it better to be the big fish in a small pond and seemingly have an NCAA berth waiting for you or to be a perennial power in perhaps a five-bid league and leave your tournament invitation up to the fates? After all, you've got to get into the Dance in order to make a run. |
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Post by ghostofdylan on Apr 6, 2011 9:37:17 GMT -6
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Post by PantherU on Apr 6, 2011 9:41:02 GMT -6
I, for one, would be disappointed if Butler finished ahead of us in the conference next season. That is pending the departure of Shelvin Mack for the NBA, where his stock will never be as high as it is right now.
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Post by ghostofdylan on Apr 6, 2011 9:47:05 GMT -6
I really think that we have to wait and see what impact the pending lockout has on Shelvin Mack's status.
Obviously, the Butler lineup looks a lot different without seven-year starter Matt Howard.
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Post by BBFran on Apr 6, 2011 10:12:56 GMT -6
I don't think Shelvin is ready for the NBA, lockout or not. I hope he's back next year. I want every good player possible in the league, including Mack and Wood.
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Post by ghostofdylan on Apr 7, 2011 5:48:14 GMT -6
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Post by Super King on Apr 8, 2011 17:43:47 GMT -6
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Post by skrapheap on Apr 11, 2011 9:09:59 GMT -6
You mean the Onion can actually be funny? i thought they had settled for flippant a long time ago...
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Post by gman2 on Apr 11, 2011 9:16:56 GMT -6
Do you read the Onion consistently?
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Post by Pounce Needs Pals on May 4, 2011 8:34:10 GMT -6
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Post by jayh on May 6, 2011 12:03:39 GMT -6
Anything new about Mack deciding whether or not to keep his name in the draft? For the overall basketball in the Horizon, I'm hoping that he comes back.
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