It's hard to describe. Butler has just done something that few schools have ever done. With an miniscule athletic budget and a group of unheralded recruits (don't listen to Jim Boeheim) and castoffs from Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Illinois, Alabama, and, of course, Indiana.
You can call Butler's improbable run different than George Mason but it really isn't. They only have one high-major transfer, Alabama transfer Avery Jukes, and their best clutch shooter would have jumped at the opportunity to go to the University of Kentucky but that offer never came. Gordon Hayward was raised in a Purdue household but somehow chose Butler. Ron Nored committed to Western Kentucky until they had a coaching change and Brad Stevens drove to Alabama to secure Nored's commitment.
Willie Veasley is a 6-3 power forward on a Final Four team. That is ridiculous.
It's hard to get any perspective at this point because there isn't any way to encapsulate what Butler's done until years down the road. What effect will this have on recruits? Butler's enrollment? The Horizon League's profile?
Gonzaga has never made a Final Four. Butler's never lost to a higher-seeded team in the tournament. They're MADE for the tournament. The style they play and their demeanor makes for a tough out in the tournament.
This is a tough team. Why is the national media still surprised by this? They've been a tough team for 15 years. All the talk about Kansas State turning this game into a dog fight was exactly what Butler wanted as well. They got on more loose balls, made more saves, and made more tough shots than their opponents for four games.
The crazy thing? Butler really hasn't played a great game yet. They've either turned it over or shot poorly in every game. The margin of error this team has created is incredible.
Check out the site over the next few days for much more on what this victory means for Butler and the Horizon League in general.
Amazing.
