If Butler's defense doesn't garner the headlines this week, it probably never will. The Bulldogs' physical defense has always taken a backseat to their three-point shooting but anyone who has watched Butler in this NCAA tournament knows the reason they're still alive. Defense.
Both Murray State and Syracuse are in the top 13 in the country in points scored. Neither scored 60 against Butler. In the first 6:30 of last night's game Syracuse lit up the scoreboard to the tune of one point. If Butler would have hit a few of their open three-point looks they may have led wire to wire or perhaps could have blown out the Orange.
They are 10th in the NATION in adjusted defensive according to Pomeroy.
Syracuse thought they could simply shoot over the top of Butler defenders. They ran no real inbounds plays other than lobbing it to Wesley Johnson, with some success, but it was Johnson's (or Boeheim's) insistence on posting up Johnson on Willie Veasley that seemed foolish. To think a forward weighing in at 205 lbs. is going to post up Willie Veasley with continued success is just dumbfounding. It's so dumbfounding it's borderline arrogance.
Veasley is the epitome of Butler's defensive success and its ability to be exceptional yet overlooked. He should have been Horizon League defensive player of the year LAST season. He took the ‘do everything defender' role from Drew Streicher and ran with it. He was on a lot of people's first or second all-league team this season but didn't make the cut. He plays with that chip on his shoulder.
Ron Nored is the premier mid-major on-ball defender in the nation. I've never seen the combination of skill, smarts, and desire that Ron Nored shows consistently on the defensive end. He reads screens and gets under shooters so well it's a joy to watch. He has mastered toeing the line of physical defense and fouling. He has every trait you want in a good defender. Add Andy Rautins to the long list of offensive stars that Nored has ground to a halt.
With two elite individual defenders and a team that has a top-ten statistical defensive profile why is Butler still considered a group of shooters that does just enough defensively?
One explanation could be the ‘no thrills' style that discourages players getting out of position and results in more charges taken than blocked shots. Coaches are the only people that track charges. No publicity there.
Another explanation that nobody wants to talk about could be that they don't ‘look' like a great defensive team. In the world of sports there are many stereotypes and one of them is that white players aren't great defenders. The aforementioned Streicher and Julian Betko were great defenders and Gordon Hayward is one of the most improved defenders in the Horizon League.
For whatever reason, Butler's defense has been grossly underrated. The '09-10 team is doing their best to change that.
