Butler Basketball

I’m not sure if other college basketball coaches envy Butler coach Brad Stevens or pity him. Probably a little of both.

Stevens has already led his team closer to a National Championship—one missed shot by Gordon Hayward—than any other mid-major coach. That’s definitely something to envy.

The problem is that he now has to do it again, or at least try, and he’ll have to do it with the eyes of every basketball fan in the country resting squarely on his back. Oh yeah, he also lost his best player. It’s not going to be an easy task for Butler to be a nationally relevant team again, but it’s not impossible.

Luckily, Butler will dominate the Horizon League again this year, so they will likely get what any team needs to be a true success: a ticket to the dance.

Butler Bulldogs Basketball Preview: Offseason Changes

Gordon Hayward did more to improve his reputation than any player during last year’s tournament, and he parlayed that into a new gig playing for the Utah Jazz. Needless to say, that’s a big loss.

Willie Veasley is also gone; he graduated and is now playing in Japan. Veasley was the only senior on the team, though, so Stevens doesn’t have a ton of turnover.

There are a couple of very interesting freshmen joining the team, though. Khyle Marshall could find himself starting early on at forward. Eric From is a big man who doesn’t shoot like a big man. He’ll be able to score but will likely see his playing time limited until his defensive play is significantly improved.

Bultler Bulldogs College Basketball Outlook

It would be tempting to write this team off because of the loss of Hayward, but that just isn’t fair. Sure, he was their best player, but he was far from their only player.

Shelvin Mack is the preseason Horizon League Player of the Year, and a star only slightly behind Hayward in play last year. Matt Howard and his horrific mustache played more of a supporting role last year behind the top two, so it’s easy to forget that he was the Horizon League Player of the Year two years ago as a sophomore.

The team needs to rely on the quick development of some help from the forwards, but they have a very nice foundation to build around.

There’s another thing working for them, too—defense.

This team succeeded last year because of its defensive discipline, and it was a team-wide obsession. That attitude wasn’t new last year, and it will still be around this year. If the team can take care of defense, then it can give itself some time to find its offensive stride.

Butler Bulldogs College Basketball Odds

The Bulldogs are at 30/1 to win the National Championship. That positions them behind the elite teams in the country, but still in very respectable company.

They are at +1400 to repeat their performance from last year and at least make the finals. I didn’t come across odds to win the Horizon League, but they would be prohibitive if you could find them.

Butler Bulldogs Basketball Schedule

Butler has regularly scheduled its non-conference games to gain national respect. This year the Bulldogs have gone one step further. In fact, their schedule is brutal.

They open at Louisville. They play Siena. Then they travel to Duke for a championship game rematch. Then to Xavier. Then they will face Stanford and Utah in tournament play in Hawaii.

We will certainly know what kind of a team they are after they play—and try to survive—that run of games.

Butler Bulldogs College Basketball Picks

I don’t see any betting value at all in the future for this team. I’m not saying that I don’t respect them or think they are dangerous, far from it. I just don’t think that the price even comes close to reflecting the challenge they face, something that is true for a lot of teams.

That being said, this is definitely a team I’ll be keeping a close eye on in non-conference play.

The loss of Hayward will register strongly with the betting public, and that could easily create some situations in which they are under-appreciated, especially against strong opponents.

Ultimately, I don’t think this team is heading to the Final Four, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if its tournament run extends past the first weekend, either. This has the look of a potential Sweet 16 team.

It would be easy to pencil in Butler as the Horizon League favourites based solely on last year's near-miraculous run.

But there is one team in (or on) the Horizon that may have some say in this. 

Scoff if you will, but the Detroit Titans are on the radar. Despite the 9-9 finish in conference last year, the Titans impressed and will be improved this season.

Take a look at last season's meetings between the two teams. At Detroit in their first meeting, Butler needed overtime to escape 64-62. Granted road games are tough in any conference, but at home, the Bulldogs won by only five in a game where they committed 21 turnovers.

Obviously, this doesn't mean that Butler shouldn't merit strong consideration for defending the league title. But there are some things that can't be overlooked either.

First, the Dogs lost Gordon Hayward, who was clearly their best player in terms of scoring, rebounding, and general court awareness. Second, they also lost Willie Veasley, a solid scorer and defender in his own right, and they lost Avery Jukes, who was a valuable contributor off of the bench. Jukes had a great final against Duke, but aside from that, was really the only option with size off of Brad Stevens' bench.

Third, the Titans return Chase Simon and Eli Holman, two of their top three scorers, and top rebounder (Holman) from last season. Yes, they lost Thomas Kennedy and the invaluable Woody Payne, but coach Ray McCallum managed to recruit a highly- regarded point guard in four-star prospect Ray McCallum.

I'm guessing that McCalllum (Jr.) already understands what his father wants and needs from him and I'm guessing that he will fit in fairly seamlessly with his new teammates. Whether or not this propels the Titans to the top of the heap remains to be seen. But the potential is certainly there.

And last, it could happen.

Hayward was a Horizon league anomaly. He wasn't dominant athletically but was skilled enough and smart enough to impact every game he played. Not the same can be said for anyone on the Bulldogs' squad this season. As much as I like Matt Howard's skills, he is in foul trouble far too often, usually the result of one (or two) bad fouls per game. Shelvin Mack is a very good player at both ends of the floor and Ronald Nored certainly gained notoriety in the NCAA tourney. But who will fill Hayward's shoes? Who will fill Veasley's shoes? 

It is easy to say "the Butler way" will reign supreme, but too often in the mid-to-low major conferences, teams with a little more experience and continuity will rise up, if only for one season.

Last year, after the close home win against the Titans, Stevens said: “They are a really good basketball team who could beat a lot of people on a given day. They are very, very good.” (Yahoo! Sports)

There's always been Gonzaga, and there's been Memphis recently. However, does Butler now belong in this group because of their Final Four run?

I know, one successful season doesn't make a team a powerhouse, but an 89-15 record over the last three seasons should.

In the last three seasons, since hiring Brad Stevens, the most losses Butler has surrendered in a season is six.

However, I know that I'm going to get a lot of criticism for putting Butler up high, so let me give you some stats.

In the last five years, Butler's record is 138-35. Gonzaga's is 132-36. Say what you want about schedule or anything like that, but the numbers do not lie.

With that said, Butler has something else that Gonzaga doesn't have: a Final Four win.

Even with Adam Morrison and Ronny Turiaf in recent years, the Zags have never achieved that milestone.

On the other hand, there's Memphis. For me, I don't see them being as successful without John Calipari. (I mean, John Wall probably took a pay cut declaring for the NBA draft.)

I know they have a top recruiting class coming in, and they will still be a talented team. With that said, though, I don't think the consistent national success will keep coming to Memphis with Calipari gone and it no longer being the premire point guard school.

Sure, Memphis had talent when they made a championship run with Douglas-Roberts and Dorsey, but wasn't Derrick Rose the straw that stirred the team?

In my opinion, yes.

Don't get me wrong, though, I know Memphis will still dominate Conference USA as long as they're there, but Butler will have more national success in the upcoming years.

With two of their biggest stars in Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack coming back, they have a possibility of another Sweet 16 or Elite 8 finish next season; not to mention another route of the Horizon League.

With Howard being their only Rivals Top 100 recruit on their Final Four roster, it looks as if their success can only continue.

For 2011, the Bulldogs have targeted three to go after; and Brad Stevens is one of the best at finding recruits that fit his system.

Overall, Butler's success will continue and is still growing.

The best is yet to come.

view more articles by Collin O'Connor and others on ( www.sportshaze.com )

I know what you were probably thinking of when you read the headline.

"He coaches in a terrible conference" or "he inherited a good team."

While I realize that those are both true, why shouldn't he be considered an elite college basketball coach? The team that he took to the Final Four in Indianapolis that only had four players that grew up outside of Indiana.

Also, on the Final Four run they defeated powerhouses in Syracuse, Michigan State, and the up-and-coming Kansas State team.

And while doing that, he proved a great point. As a coach in Indiana, if you get the best talent from the state, you will be successful. (Tom Crean, take note of this.)

However, why is he better than Todd Lickliter? The coach went 131-61 during his tenure at Butler, including a Sweet 16 appearance before leaving for Iowa.

For one, a Final Four showing definitely helps, especially with the mid-major roster. That puts him ahead of Mark Few of Gonzaga, who has always had great teams but has never gotten that far in the tournament.

Also, his 89-15 record may have come with some players that he inherited. However, I don't care if you have the best players in the country playing in a mediocre conference, 89 wins opposed to just 15 losses is a great record to have.

The most games he's ever lost in a season is five, so he must be doing something right.

With that said, the reason that I think he'll be an elite coach for years to come is because I think he'll stay at Butler.

After success at Butler, Lickliter decided to leave for Iowa where he went just 38-57 before being fired after his third season.

Stevens learned from that.

He's one of the few men in this profession that seems to value his legacy more than the money he's earning. At 33 years old, he almost has 100 career victories. At this pace, and with this success, he has a chance to pass Bob Knight for the all-time record.

Am I saying he'll be there that long? I don't know, but I can guarantee that as long as he is there he will win. There's no doubt of that.

And he won't just win because of the weak conference, but because he knows how to.

Losing a lottery pick can hurt any team no matter who they are, but Butler losing Gordon Hayward to the draft was even more of a loss.

As a part of the team that shocked the world, Hayward's baby face was the icon behind it.

That will definitely be hard to replace.

However, someone has to do it, and they'll look to incoming freshman as well as players with minimal minutes last season to step up.

Khyle Marshall, a 6-6 power forward from Pembroke Pines, Florida, heads the Bulldogs' recruiting class.

Marshall isn't a huge presence inside, but he's known for his above the rim play and his energy towards rebounding. He is now the fifth player on the roster from somewhere other than Indiana.

After Marshall, comes Eric Fromm, the 6-9 power forward from Bloomington, Indiana. Fromm is a long forward that is very skilled that can get out on the break and play above the rim.

And, finally, the Bulldogs bring in Chrishawn Hopkins from Indianapolis. 

While his size isn't one of the great aspects of him, standing at 6-1, he is a very explosive guard that is very talented in the open court.

While he does need to get a lot stronger, his quickness can be a weapon for Stevens to use on occasion.

However, the recruiting class may not be able to have the huge impact that someone needs to have on this team to replace Hayward.

Look for Shelvin Mack to be the leader of this team at the point guard position and Matt Howard on the low.

But, if the Bulldogs plan to have a magical season like the last one, Howard needs to stay out of foul trouble in the big games.

Butler does have the talent to dig deep into the tournament again if all the pieces to the puzzle fall in place, but it will take the same effort they put into it last season.

They will definitely be at the top of the Horizon League, but nothing is guaranteed in March. 

Written By Collin O'Connor

Everyone remembers George Mason's Final Four run, but does anyone besides their fans know where they are now?

With Brad Stevens at the helm, it's almost a sure fire-bet that this will not happen to the Butler Bulldogs.

I remember watching the Final Four game against Michigan State, when during a timeout the announcers were talking about Stevens and the success he has had since taking over at Butler.

All I could think was that he'd be leaving when the season was over to go somewhere bigger.

Thank goodness for Butler he didn't.

"First and foremost, I'm loyal to Butler," Stevens said. 

His 89-15 record is the best for a coach's first 100 games in Butler history.

Also, Butler is sure to be ranked in the preseason Top 25 with stars Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack returning along with a trio of solid recruits.

Khyle Marshall, the highest rated incoming recruit for the Bulldogs, stands at 6'6" and is known for his play above the rim.

With that said, they obviously have enough talent to compete with the best in the country, not to mention their own conference. 

Butler will always be atop the Horizon League. It seems as if they are a full step ahead of everyone else in the conference.

In Stevens' first three seasons, he is 49-5 in conference play.

It almost seems as if Butler is starting to compete with Memphis and Gonzaga as teams that dominate their conference every season. Well, they have to if they don't want to be the next George Mason.

It's obvious that Butler has the talent to keep having this national success that they enjoyed last season. They just have to keep living up to their potential.

It's going to be great to see if last season's Cinderella can fill the role again next season. It's not that far-fetched of a prediction either.

(Originally written by Collin O'Connor on the College Hoops Blog—your No. 1 stop for college basketball and NBA draft news.)

Just when you thought the Butler Bulldogs' story couldn't get any malt shop-sweeter, the small private Indianapolis school locked up its coach from bigger-name suitors.  Butler signed head coach Brad Stevens to a 12-year contract extension for an undisclosed amount.

The announcement, coming on the heels of Butler's 61-59 loss to Duke in the national championship game, completed a whirlwind week that most mid-major schools wouldn't see in a decade.

Stevens, like Gonzaga coach Mark Few in past years, cited quality of life issues and loyalty to his program in agreeing to the deal, despite overtures from bigger programs that could have made him an instant multi-millionaire. Somebody needs to call the coaches' association and tell them to pull those guys aside for a talk.

In the end, Stevens took the advice of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who told reporters Stevens should stay at Butler. Of course, Krzyzewski quickly added that "they should pay him more money."

Stevens reportedly received overtures from Oregon and a couple of ACC schools. Butler's administration took a long look at a fantastic record of promoting from within—a run of "Butler Way" coaches Barry Collier, Thad Matta, Todd Lickliter, and now Stevens, and maybe figured it was due for a lemon. The previous '70s and '80s era of the immortal Joe Sexson delivered three winning seasons in 12 years.  

Comedian David Letterman even jokingly offered Stevens "a year of (his) salary" to coach Ball State, Letterman's alma mater and frequent comic foil.

Independent boosters courting coaches is just the kind of talk that makes NCAA administrators nervous, but when Oregon alum and Nike chairman Phil Knight dresses and shoes the Ducks, plows millions into new facilities, and alternative energy magnate T. Boone Pickens donates millions to Oklahoma State's football program, well, that's just the business.

Coach Stevens deserves credit for loyalty to a program that took him in from the pharmaceutical industry as a volunteer assistant, but he also would've been nuts to leave Butler for a few reasons:

- He likely returns four starters, two of them academic All-Americans, and his program has an instant infusion of big name-credibility with recruits; Butler doesn't play Division I football, so he doesn't have to compete for resources or attention—his program is the rainmaker on campus.

- Despite an unprecedented run of success, Butler's fan's aren't yet as jaded as those at major powers (most of Butler's games in Hinkle Fieldhouse played to about two-thirds capacity)

- He stands to attract a lot of bandwagoning, Indiana University fans now starved for a winner that "plays the right way." Believe it or not, Butler has a potentially higher ceiling.

It also remains to be seen if Stevens is a great young basketball mind or the product of an outstandingly disciplined "system" that produces national success outside of the Horizon League.  Collier (Nebraska), Matta (Xavier and Ohio State), and Lickliter (Iowa) all bolted for greener pastures and only Matta achieved lasting, or any success for that matter.

For every Stevens, there are other Cinderella-story coaches like Mike Davis and Steve Fisher who failed to get back to the mountaintop. Rather, Stevens is now following the model of Krzyzewski or Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, unknown entities thrust into the spotlight who are now the public face of their schools.

Stevens is now under contract at Butler until he's 45. Heck, most major college coaches are just getting started then.

I cannot cast enough praise on Brad Stevens and his Butler team after their magnificent run in the NCAA tournament. What a fine coach. What a tenacious team. Clearly, Butler was as deserving of the national championship as my own alma mater, Duke.

Butler has arrived at a new level, and my experience tells me they will stay there.  Our two schools share so much in common, I feel I can tell Butler fans what they can expect as they continue to succeed in basketball. Actually, it's a bit of a warning ... a warning about the fleeting nature of popularity.  

First, though, you need to understand Duke's experience with success.  

~~~~~~~~~~

I first saw Duke play in person at the 1963 Final Four in my home town of Louisville. I was 14 and pulled for Duke. I'm not sure why. Eventually, I went to college there. I was the wildest Crazie there was. I have a letter from Coach Bucky Waters saying as much.

One of our wins over #2 North Carolina--an 87-86 triple overtime classic in 1968--left me bleeding and voiceless.  

In 1969, I organized a 100-car caravan to a neutral-site game in Greensboro, actually delivering $2,640 in cash ($15,400 in today's dollars) to Duke's Assistant Athletic Director, Tom Butters, two weeks before the game. I asked him, rather naively, for "440 seats together.” Amazingly, Mr. Butters delivered. They took out two press rows and set up 440 folding chairs on the playing floor. I was a hero.

I helped with on campus recruiting my last two years there. I even hit the recruiting trail for Duke while attending law school at Michigan, doing ground work for Freshman Coach Jack Schalow and Assistant Coach Hubie Brown. 

While I was at Duke, and for many years after I graduated, we were a great deal like Butler. We were a private school with excellent academics that was damn good in basketball. We had true student athletes. Our players had game and they graduated. But we could never break through. Like Butler, we lost in the title game. In fact, we lost four title games in a row before our magic moment came. 

In the 1964 final, we lost to #1 UCLA. The game was played in Pauley Pavilion, their home court. Wonderful.

In the 1978 final, we lost by 6 points to #1 Kentucky, though we earned a measure of respect by forcing Joe Hall to re-insert his starters with a minute to play.

In the 1986 final, we entered the game 37-2 and ranked #1.  We led for 39 minutes and lost when we missed a shot exactly like Hayward's 10-footer on our last possession. I punched a hole in my wall. I'm just thankful I missed the stud.

In the 1990 final, we got blown out by UNLV by 30 points.

The following year, we met undefeated and #1 UNLV--same five players--in the semifinals. We pulled a huge upset by 2 points.  Two nights later, we finally got over that last hurdle. We beat Kansas and won our first title. I floated a foot off the ground for weeks. Finally, I had bragging rights with my Carolina friends--especially pleasing since Carolina had beaten us by 22 points in the ACC final three weeks earlier and had made it to the Final Four as well.

We were media darlings. Everyone loved us.  People said “Duke deserved to win it,” "Duke was overdue,” "Duke did things the right way,” and "It's good to see a clean program with real student-athletes win.”  When you Bulldogs win the title, you'll be media darlings too ... even more than you are today.

But we made a big mistake the next year. We won the 1992 title, too.  And, in 1994, we finished a run of seven Final Fours in nine years. We were clearing too many hurdles. And here's what happens when you do. 

Almost overnight, we became "elitists,” “snobs," and “villains.” A United States Senator from Kentucky told me, to my face, that “all Duke people are arrogant.” Opposing coaches proclaimed Duke a team of "five guys fouling all the time.” "Duke gets all the calls," people said. Every time Duke won a title, I heard the same mantra: "Duke got the easy bracket" and -- my personal favorite -- "college basketball is down this year."

I guess we got the easy bracket again this year too. We only had to beat the Pac-10 champion, the Big Ten champion, the Big East champion, Baylor 160 miles from its campus, and your Bulldogs in your home town. (Our 1991 and 1992 titles featured easy roads too. All we had to do is beat undefeated UNLV and Kansas in '91 and then a Damon Bailey-led Indiana team and Michigan’s Fab Five in '92.)

Amazingly, even when we "failed," the hate continued. After our 2001 title, Duke won only 7 NCAA games in the next five years, never making it past the Sweet Sixteen. Reporters asked Coach K about Duke's “meltdown.” Sports commentators said we were “just a name on a jersey.” Pundits suggested that "Coach K had lost his touch."

To show you how bad it gets with the criticism, consider this. During those five "meltdown" years, Duke averaged 28 wins a season, finished four of the seasons with final AP ranks of #1, #3, #6, and #9, won three ACC championships, and recruited the team that led us to the 2010 national title. 

Then our worst nightmare came true. We were matched with David in the Valley of Elah. Magically, almost overnight, the press converted us from a meltdown team with a meaningless name on our jersey into a big bad Goliath ... this, despite the fact that no player on this Duke team had ever played in a Final Four. 

We were to play Butler for the national championship in front of 70,000 Butler fans in the Bulldogs’ home town in the center of basketball-crazed Indiana.  The game was billed as “Hoosiers, the Sequel,” the original movie (a personal favorite) having been filmed on Butler’s home court.

Butler even had its own Jimmy Chitwood, a handsome young kid named Gordon Hayward whose toughness and phenomenal skill is utterly belied by his boyish looks. Across the land, 70 million television viewers settled in to watch the game … probably 99 percent of them pulling for Butler. If I hadn't been a Dukie, I would have pulled for Butler too.  

In the end, Duke outscored Butler 61-59. I cannot, in all fairness, use the word “beat.” Nobody beat anybody on the first Monday night in April.

Since the game, I have been possessed by seemingly conflicting feelings. 

I am thrilled that Duke won. I love Duke basketball. My first question coming out of cancer surgery when I was 28 years old was, "Did we beat Clemson?" (We had.) I was so nervous when the Butler game ended on Monday night that I was physically shaking.   

At the same time, though, I am disappointed that Butler lost. All of my Duke friends have said the same thing. 

I think the reason for this conflict is that we Dukies see ourselves in Butler. We see a team from a small private school with true student athletes. We see a program that does everything the right way and plays really great basketball. We see a team that had trouble breaking through.

I know the Butler faithful are sick with disappointment over the loss. Even the Duke players felt badly for the Butler players after the game. They said as much in their post-game interviews.

These conflicting feelings arise because of our respect for your program and because we can so easily identify with your disappointment. We lost three national finals by failing to score on our last possession -- in 1986, 1994, and 1999.  We lost a semifinal by 1 point to eventual champion Connecticut in 2004. It hurts like heck to lose one-possession games in Final Fours. We know. We've been there. 

~~~~~~~~~~ 

I understand that Duke is trying to schedule a game with Butler in the Meadowlands this fall. You may know that Duke plays a neutral site game in Chicago or at the Meadowlands each year. The game is an opportunity for Duke to play a top-level non-conference opponent in an NCAA setting. I cannot think of a better opponent, or a greater test, than Butler. I hope the game comes to pass.

And couldn't you imagine a home-and-away series someday? Envision Duke taking the floor at Hinkle Fieldhouse or Butler at Cameron. How would that go? I think I know.

Ten years ago, I was invited to give a talk at the Holcomb Observatory on the Butler campus. I was received with a frankly humbling level of Hoosier hospitality, the kind I have come to expect everywhere I go in Indiana. If Duke took the floor at Hinkle Fieldhouse, I think that Duke, the same Duke that everyone loves to hate, would be greeted with an unusual degree of appreciation and respect. That's how Hoosiers are. And if Butler took the floor at Cameron, I think you would be surprised by the welcome there too. In fact, I know you would.

You have Duke's respect ... respect forged in a titanic game on a Monday night in Indianapolis. You sure have mine. 

Wherever we may play, Duke and Butler share common bonds--two smaller private schools that play in old traditional gyms, recruit honestly, value education, and play the game the right way.

As for that national championship that eluded you by inches, just tell Jimmy Chitwood, whoever he may be, to keep shooting. I know the script. I know how the story ends.

Eventually, that last shot goes in.

Imagine this: 65 teams battling for a shot to call themselves national champions. Not to mention, the fanfare that couples with nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat watching, wall-to-wall entertainment that is the "big dance".

Now, take a deep breath and ask yourself, "Is there any need to change a traveling month long festival that entertains an entire nation?"

Believe it or not, while Northern Iowa was upsetting top seeded Kansas in the second round of the tournament, NCAA Athletic Directors, school presidents, and media members across the country were buzzing about one word: expansion.

Is there really a dire need for expansion? No, absolutely not. Then again, if your hands are reaching for the revenue that March Madness brings, your opinion might differ.

Tournament expansion from 65 teams, to 96, would not only widen the talent gap between the haves and have not’s, but also water down the overall product of the NCAA tournament.

Sure, everyone of us likes the big time upset, such as Northern Iowa beating No. 1 seed Kansas, but with expansion in mind, the opening round games will feature middle-of-the-road matchups like Murray State and Wofford, or St. John's versus Northwestern. Not to mention—the top eight seeds will receive a first round bye.

Then again, a counter argument could be, "Expansion will lead to more Cinderella stories, and fans will be more inclined to follow the dramatic road to the final four." However, one can just look at this year’s "big dance," and see what a true underdog can do.

While sports talk radio shows across the country built up the buzz about the potential expansion for 2011, basketball fans were taking in a true sight to see. Upsets and overtime thrillers bombarded the opening rounds of the tournament.

Perennial powerhouse Georgetown fell to the Ohio Bobcats, a squad that won only seven conference games and finished the regular season ninth in the MAC conference. 

Old Dominion tossed aside the unlucky Notre Dame Irish, despite numerous last-second prayers.

To find the beauty in the NCAA tournament, look no further than St. Mary's and Cornell. Both schools won their conference championships to earn an automatic bid; however, neither team was given much accreditation for surviving past the opening round. Cornell and St. Mary's not only lived to fight another day, but both squads made it to the sweet 16. Although, once the going got tough, the top-tier programs flexed their muscles and booted both sleepers out of the "madness."

The "Big Dance" separates the haves from the have nots. By expanding the tournament, more and more lower level schools will earn a bid. The results on the court will determine who the biggest dog on the block is.

In the end, the NCAA Tournament produces quality entertainment that is easy on the eyes and heartwarming to the soul. Tell me, how many of you were thinking about Butler and comparing the Bulldogs run this March to the movie "Hoosiers"? Ya, okay so it was not just me.

With 65 teams in the tournament already, the excitement is at its' peak, and the entertainment from a viewers perspective is off the charts. So, why do so many feel the need to expand? Let this story play out, and sit back and enjoy the madness, year after year.