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Post by wh on Dec 6, 2010 15:50:52 GMT -5
After the way Butler laid an egg against Louisville and Evansville, I had some doubts about how good this team really is. I had serious doubts after watching them play Loyola, a game in which they looked very "ordinary" IMO. Then came the Duke game. They looked sharp at both ends of the court and looked far more like last year's version than the team that played Evansville and Loyola. No doubt in my mind that they played Duke tougher than anyone else in the HL could have - or would have. It will be interesting to see where they go from here...
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nil
Bench Warmer
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Post by nil on Dec 7, 2010 0:04:09 GMT -5
You do realize that there was a missing element in two of the games you were referencing, right?
Ron Nored... Leader of this team, last year's (co)Defensive player of the year, and returning starting point guard...
Louisville - we were ambushed. I've come to grips with that game. Duke - I think we saw what to expect down the stretch from this game (hopefully minus Mack's cramps...)
Don't get me wrong - we were all saying the same thing going into the Duke game - but I woke up when it clicked in, what a difference Ron makes.
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Post by fwalum on Dec 7, 2010 0:56:27 GMT -5
You do realize that there was a missing element in two of the games you were referencing, right? Ron Nored... Leader of this team, last year's (co)Defensive player of the year, and returning starting point guard... Louisville - we were ambushed. I've come to grips with that game. Duke - I think we saw what to expect down the stretch from this game (hopefully minus Mack's cramps...) Don't get me wrong - we were all saying the same thing going into the Duke game - but I woke up when it clicked in, what a difference Ron makes. Congrats on the Duke game, despite the loss you guys did look MUCH sharper especially with Mack on the court. I think you have shown the country that the tournament game was not a fluke. Your tournament outcome has given the entire league confidence that we can play with the BCS conferences and that shows in our early conference RPI numbers. I think wh and the rest of us understand that Butler is still the team to beat in the league, but I think you would also agree that at this point in the season there is a tremendous amount of pressure on Mack to make this team work. Wouldn't you also agree that defensively this team has a fair amount of adjustments to make in order to get close to last years standard?
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Post by zvillehaze on Dec 7, 2010 7:55:18 GMT -5
You do realize that there was a missing element in two of the games you were referencing, right? Ron Nored... Leader of this team, last year's (co)Defensive player of the year, and returning starting point guard... Louisville - we were ambushed. I've come to grips with that game. Duke - I think we saw what to expect down the stretch from this game (hopefully minus Mack's cramps...) Don't get me wrong - we were all saying the same thing going into the Duke game - but I woke up when it clicked in, what a difference Ron makes. Congrats on the Duke game, despite the loss you guys did look MUCH sharper especially with Mack on the court. I think you have shown the country that the tournament game was not a fluke. Your tournament outcome has given the entire league confidence that we can play with the BCS conferences and that shows in our early conference RPI numbers. I think wh and the rest of us understand that Butler is still the team to beat in the league, but I think you would also agree that at this point in the season there is a tremendous amount of pressure on Mack to make this team work. Wouldn't you also agree that defensively this team has a fair amount of adjustments to make in order to get close to last years standard? Portions of the Duke game provided a glimpse of what the team could do, but there is still a lot of work to be done. Having Nored back helps and being able to keep Howard and Mack on the court would also help. In any case, the margin for error for this team is very small. I think that CSU is probably playing the best of any team right now.
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Post by dylanrocks on Dec 7, 2010 10:14:20 GMT -5
Cleveland State (RPI 17) will undoubtedly be a factor in the conference race. But Butler is the undefeated defending champion and remains the team to beat. Ronald Nored, who was obviously sorely missed against Evansville, is among the league's most valuable players for his leadership and tenacity. We'd love to have him at Milwaukee; his free-throw shooting would fit in perfectly.
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Post by wh on Dec 9, 2010 23:32:20 GMT -5
Butler just lost to Xavier 51-49 in a very exciting game on ESPN2. Shooting percentages were pretty poor on both sides, but both teams played with great energy and intensity throughout. Xavier seemed to be running out of gas at the end, but they had just enough to hang on. Too bad for the Bulldogs. I thought they were going to pull it out.
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Post by zvillehaze on Dec 9, 2010 23:48:04 GMT -5
Butler just lost to Xavier 51-49 in a very exciting game on ESPN2. Shooting percentages were pretty poor on both sides, but both teams played with great energy and intensity throughout. Xavier seemed to be running out of gas at the end, but they had just enough to hang on. Too bad for the Bulldogs. I thought they were going to pull it out. Wasn't very confident at halftime, but they fought back to make it close. Would have been nice to be the bookends on Xavier's homecourt win streak, but it wasn't to be. Hopes for an at-large resume are quickly slipping away.
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Post by dylanrocks on Dec 10, 2010 0:21:33 GMT -5
... and the H League is quickly slipping behind the A-10 in the RPI rankings.
One more chance for the Bullldogs: beat Baylor at the Diamond Head Classic.
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Post by agibson on Dec 10, 2010 5:58:04 GMT -5
At this point beating Stanford and Utah would be very positive steps. Not sure about Florida State.
But, yeah, beating Baylor would be a nice feather in your cap. And a sign that you're back on the map. But, even then, probably on the bubble at best?
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Post by wh on Dec 10, 2010 15:35:25 GMT -5
One positive about Butler having 4 losses is the children over on the Butler board are looking introspectively for a change. No criticism of the rest of the league, no discussion about moving to the Big East or A-10 - just bickering back and forth about their own woes, trashing their coach and players, calling each other out, etc. Amazing what a dose of humility can do...
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nil
Bench Warmer
Posts: 106
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Post by nil on Dec 11, 2010 21:21:30 GMT -5
At least you keep it real by losing to a winless team. ouch.
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Post by valporun on Dec 11, 2010 21:40:55 GMT -5
At least you keep it real by losing to a winless team. ouch. After a loss like tonight, we need another IUN or PNC game to get our confidence back. IPFW is going to have us for dinner next Saturday.
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Post by wh on Dec 11, 2010 23:57:37 GMT -5
At least you keep it real by losing to a winless team. ouch. What can I say except this is and will remain the most shameful performance by any HL team this season.
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Post by agibson on Dec 13, 2010 4:54:08 GMT -5
Your statement seemed extreme when I first read it, wh. But, scanning through the HL results so far... you might be right! I mean, part of me says that it was a competitive game, and we at least took it to overtime, etc. But, to squander a big second half lead against such a weak opponent... Not good. Not good at all.
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Post by agibson on Dec 13, 2010 7:59:27 GMT -5
... and the H League is quickly slipping behind the A-10 in the RPI rankings. One more chance for the Bullldogs: beat Baylor at the Diamond Head Classic. It's amazing how many people (e.g. bloggers) miss this tournament completely. Saying things like Butler has no chances remaining for a quality win. Or Stanford at best.
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