The Bracket Big Board takes into consideration past returns,
current performance and expected future gains in determining who should
be included among the field of 65 (31 automatic and 34 at-large bids).
Essentially, the Bracket Big Board is a cheat sheet designed for
amateur bracketologists if they were filling out a Tourney Pick ‘Em ’10
entry today. The Bracket Big Board is updated every Monday until the
dance card is officially unveiled March 14.
When outwardly muscular mid-majors look in the mirror a
reflection of skinny-armed girly men often conveys. Small conference Cinderella
hopefuls with hunky records can be very deceiving.
However, Brad Stevens’ Butler Bulldogs are absolutely
shredded.
Playing home games in a building immortalized by
"Hoosiers," historic Hinkle Fieldhouse, the perennial darling is once again blazing a trail to
another Horizon conference championship. Unblemished in league play, the
Bulldogs have ripped off 17 straight wins, a school record. More impressively,
they’ve upended Big Ten titan Ohio
St. – sans Evan Turner – Xavier and dismantled a
quality Siena
squad in non-conference action. A top five seed is sure
to follow. Though Temple, New Mexico and Gonzaga have an argument, the
25-win mighty mite has earned the reputation of being college basketball’s deadliest
"little guy." Renaming
them the "Fighting Pescis" seems appropriate.
Despite playing second fiddle to intrastate powerhouse
Purdue, Butler
deserves every accolade. The small liberal arts school has cranked out more
wins than any other Indiana
basketball franchise over the past decade. With two Sweet Sixteen appearances
and an average of 23.4 wins per year since 2000, its amazing how the program
has maintained a fair level of consistency considering Stevens is its fourth different
head coach in 10 years.
Since the Final Four will be held in their backyard in a
little over a month, the Bulldogs are thinking big.
Balanced, experienced and battle-tested, Butler is a team to be feared. Interior
stalwart Matt Howard, though occasionally plagued by foul trouble, is an
outstanding post player. Meanwhile, versatile guards Gordon Hayward and Shelvin
Mack routinely stuff stat sheets with their excellent all-around play. Glue
guys Willie Veasley and Ronald Nored also play critical roles. In terms of
chemistry, the Bulldogs are a well-oiled machine. As Siena sideline suit Fran McCaffery remarked
after Saturday’s defeat at Hinkle:
"They’re different than some of the teams we
played," said McCaffery, whose team previously lost to
Temple, Georgia
Tech and Northern Iowa. "They may very
well be the best in the sense that they really don’t make mistakes. If you’re
going to beat them you almost have to play the perfect game."
From a KenPom perspective, Butler has made dramatic strides throughout
the season. The tenacious Canines, ranked 27th in defensive efficiency
nationally, have yielded just 0.83 points per possession in their past six contests.
Since January 21 only one opponent, Wright St.,
has recorded an effective field goal percentage above 44 against them. In a
halfcourt setting, they are no pushover.
Offensively, the Bulldogs are equally lethal. They do
contribute minimally from distance, but, due to their attacking nature, they’ve
drawn numerous fouls (BU ranks 17th in FTA/FGA), netting nearly 75.1 percent of
their opportunities, the 11th-best conversion rate in the country. Teams that defend,
rebound, which Butler
also does well (11th in defensive rebound percentage), and successfully convert at
the line typically are difficult outs in tournament play.
Based on Butler’s
glowing characteristics, the mid-major macho men could flex plenty of muscle in
March.
Here are this week’s movers and shakers on the Bracket Big Board:
*For games played through Sunday, February 21
*RPI data provided
by Rivals
*Efficiency
stats from kenpom.com
On
the Bubble: Connecticut (16-11), Charlotte (18-8), Mississippi St. (19-8), Memphis (20-7), Mississippi (17-9), Minnesota (16-10), South Florida (16-10), Washington (18-9), St. Louis (18-8), Arizona St. (19-8), Notre Dame (17-10)
Dropped
Out: Mississippi St., Mississippi, Charlotte, Western Carolina, Pacific, Arkansas St., Belmont
Conference Breakdown: American
East
(1), ACC (7), Atlantic Sun (1), Atlantic 10 (5), Big 12 (7), Big
East (7), Big Sky (1), Big South (1), Big Ten (5), Big West (1),
Colonial (1), Conference USA (2), Horizon (1), Ivy (1), Metro (1),
Mid-American (1), Mid-Eastern (1), Missouri Valley (1), Mountain West
(4), Northeast (1), Ohio Valley (1), Pac-10 (1), Patriot (1), SEC (3),
Southern (1), Southland (1), SWAC (1), Summit (1), Sun Belt (1), West
Coast (2), WAC
(1)