The Butler Bulldogs lost two games in Anaheim and, after a dismantling of in-state rival Ball State, now sit at 5-2. Calling their 76 Classic experience a success would be wrong, but calling it a total failure would also ignore what the Butler program is trying to do.
Butler competed with Minnesota, UCLA, and Clemson in a four-day span. Competed. That's no small feat for a school with a fraction of the athletic budget of the other three. But Butler fans KNEW they were going to compete. For years the Bulldogs have been able to control tempo and shoot the 3 well enough to hang with the big boys. We're talking about a team that hasn't lost by 10+ points since Wright State got them February 10th of the 06-07 season! It wasn't that they competed but HOW they competed.
These aren't your older brother's Butler Bulldogs.
The three point line has always belonged to Butler. In Anaheim, Butler shot 27.5% (19-69) from the 3-point line and allowed Minnesota and Clemson to shoot 55% from 3 in the second half of each loss. Pete Campbell would is somewhere rolling over in his A.J. Grave(s). Their struggles from the 3-point line actually show how different this team is from its predecessors. If the 06-07 team shot 27% from downtown they would have had no chance against a power conference team. This group of Bulldogs is built to survive tough shooting nights and they almost did...twice.
Guess Who's Back. Back Again.
The Green Bay Phoenix make their triumphant return to HLN tonight when they face off against the league-leading Loyola Ramblers (8 ET). Yes, you read that right. I've been dying to get a look at Green Bay since I did their pre-season recruiting profile in late October. Tonight will be my first look at Rian Pearson, Troy Snyder and, one of the surprises of the early season, Seth Evans. Evans, a point guard from Marseilles, IL, has shown a shrewd but effective shooting touch, 11-22 from the field, and excellent decision making, 1.8:1 assist to turnover ratio.
Also worth noting is the season that senior Troy Cotton is having. A pre-season Horizon League second-team selection, Cotton is shooting lights out since his goose egg against UAB. A .481/.473/.778 true-shooting triple slash puts him in elite company shooting-wise. Basically, leave him a clean look and he will destroy you.
For a good read on Bryquis Perine's improvement this year, check out Rob Demovsky's latest article.
