Running 2010 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament thread

Well, Butler had to drop some of the competition -- particular the weaker in-state schools -- for the stronger OOC schedule that VN2 alluded to in order to guarantee that its RPI would stay high once it entered Horizon play. It's not totally big-timing the other state schools -- after all, it did play at Evansville. But Barry Collier came in as AD with a mandate to keep pushing Butler to the consistent big-time. The big rival really isn't an in-state midmajor anymore. It's more someone such as Xavier, which is much more similar all the way around.

I think where all of us Hoosiers and Hoosier ex-pats can agree is that Butler has long passed the point of sweet little story. It's Gonzaga, which now is SUPPOSED to be doing this every year. Heck, Butler early on was a top 10 team, so being in the Elite Eight was SUPPOSED to happen.

So what is the next program that builds on the Gonzaga/Butler template? St. Mary's? Someone in the southeast or northeast?

 

Who did Vegas have?

 

I think St. Mary's would be a logical pick. They've been hanging around for a few years. Finnally get a chance for the tournament and get two big wins. I'd say Northern Iowa, as I've been impressed with them so far, but they are so senior loaded. I guess a few smaller schools appear that way. Next year should be interesting to see.

 

Butler doesn't really have many options for switching conferences. The MVC doesn't do that much to raise its profile outside the parameters of the conference, though obviously Northern Iowa and Wichita State will give better competition than Youngstown State and Loyola-Illinois. Joining a BCS conference, for obvious reasons, is a non-starter.

Depending on how the Big East shakes out (if the long-assumed football/non-football split takes fruition), you could resurrect the Great Midwest name and create a conference that included Butler, DePaul, Marquette (unlikely, but you never know), St. Louis, Dayton, Xavier and a couple of other schools (Detroit? Valpo? Creighton?)

 

St. Mary's has done beautiful work in this tournament, but they're clearly
largely dependent on the current Australian pipeline. Seton Hall tried that
w/Andrew Gaze, and hasn't been the same, since his departure. Suspect Gaels are hitting the bricks tonight after being compelled to deal with Baylor within Texas state boundaries, in any event.

 

Sheeeeeeeet. There's more to it than that. From all appearances, K-State
has been an utter historical failure in all major revenue sports whenever not
resorting to extreme coaches and below-borderline tramp athletes.
Just one man's opinion. I'll root for virtually ANYBODY vs. Little Manhattan,
in their current state.

 

I get what you guys are saying about Butler, but the fact remains that when a Horizon League team beats a team from the Big East or the Big Ten or the SEC in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament, the David vs. Goliath comparison is going to be pretty apt, no matter how good a Butler or a Gonzaga is in real life. That's just the way it is. And while Butler makes a big deal out of being, "a perennial NCAA Tournament team," they should remember that they are in the Horizon, a league they should and do dominate. Gonzaga is the same deal, although the WCC is a little better overall than the Horizon. But, still, it's not like either team is doing it in a league where they face a steady dose of Syracuse, West Virginia and Pittsburgh.

 

Yeah, I wouldn't jump the gun on that assumption. Butler coaches tend to look much better at Butler than they do afterward (with the sole exception of Thad Matta, who looked good at Butler AND everywhere else).

Everybody thought Barry Collier was one of the best young coaches in the country unitl he took the Nebraska job and did nothing. Everybody thought Todd Lickliter was such a great hoops mind until he took the Iowa job and was terrible.

Butler was consistently winning long before Stevens got the job. They've got a lot of advantages over the other small mid major competion: they get the best Indiana recruits that don't commit to the major conference schools each year, and Indiana is always filthy deep with mid-major talent. They've probably got the coolest arena of any mid-major school in the country, and the school's located in a great part of a major metro area. It's a lot easier to win at a school like Butler or Gonzaga than a middle of the pack major conference program. I wouldn't bet on Stevens looking quite so brilliant at his next stop.

 

Wait, why?

 

I was really jazzed for the Cornell-Kentucky game simply because of the contrasts and the almost home game for Cornell.

I thought that unlike Princeton, Cornell did not take advantage of the overplays by going backdoor. Kentucky did a fantastic job of not giving up the good looks but if they are going to overplay you need to make them pay by cutting backdoor. It looked like all the Princeton players were scared to go inside, they would penetrate halfway and stop. Great run, would have liked to see them pull it off.

 

No talk about the games right now?

Baylor and Ohio State are up early.