Butler brings 20 straight wins to NCAAs
March 18, 2010
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—Every time Brad Stevens walks into Hinkle Fieldhouse, hepeers into the rafters.
There he sees the overflowing banners listing conference titles and NCAAtournament appearances and quickly realizes what Butler has become: A nationalmodel for mid-major schools.
But even with all the attention and success, the third-year coachunderstands this NCAA tourney will be different for the blue-collar Bulldogs.His team is no longer a surprise, seeded fifth in the West Region, and takes thenation’s longest winning streak, 20 games, into Thursday’s first-round contestagainst UTEP.
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“I’ve never been a part of anything like that, and I’ve been a part of somepretty special things here,” Stevens said after win No. 20 brought his secondHorizon League tourney title in three years.
Stevens and his players admit they’re not thinking about ‘The Streak’because there’s so much work still to do.
They’re motivated to make amends after last year’s first-round exit—a75-71 loss to LSU—despite playing with three freshmen starters and strugglinglate in the season.
Now, a year older, a year wiser and with a far stronger finish, Butler wantsto recreate some of its postseason magic.
In 2003, the Bulldogs became the tournament darling after upsettingLouisville in the second round. They were also the biggest impediment toFlorida’s Final Four run in 2000 and the Gators’ second national championshiprun in 2007.
And this year, the Bulldogs (28-4) have a resume that would make thenation’s biggest programs proud.
— They are the only Division I team with a perfect conference record, lastlosing Dec. 22 at Alabama-Birmingham.
— They won a fourth straight league title by a record six games and nearlyset a new record for victory margin in the conference title game. Second-seededWright State made its final basket to trim the margin to 25, the record is 26.
— Butler won eight of its last nine games by at least nine points, the onlyexception coming at Valparaiso when conference player of the year Gordon Haywardsat out with a sore back.
— Three of their four losses came to NCAA tourney teams—Clemson,Georgetown and Minnesota—none of them at home.
— Plus, the Bulldogs defeated three NCAA teams—Big Ten champion OhioState, Metro Atlantic Athletic champ Siena and Xavier—and beat UCLA on itslast trip to California.
But it’s the final sprint that may go down as the Bulldogs’ biggestachievement, thanks to an unwavering desire to keep improving.
“It’s hard to even think about that (20 straight wins),” junior centerMatt Howard said. “It’s nowhere near where the Connecticut women are. Twentygames, that’s a lot, but if you start dwelling on that, it can end real quick.We’ve just got to keep that focus to keep it going.”
At Butler, that’s how you play basketball.
Glamourous titles and individual successes always take a backseat to what’sbest for the program.
Perhaps it’s the reason Butler has never produced an NBA player.
Or why one of the nation’s oldest gyms, which has hosted stars ranging fromOscar Robertson to Greg Oden, is best known for its Hollywood role in the movie“Hoosiers.”
Or why all but the most avid basketball fans would struggle to name Howardand Hayward as the last two Horizon League players of the year.
If the Bulldogs have learned anything this season, it’s this: Follow theblueprint.
“We’ve been through a lot, through wins, through losses,” sophomore pointguard Ronald Nored said. “Everything hasn’t been perfect, but we’ve beenpersistent and fought through everything.”
Whether it was the brutal nonconference schedule that took the Bulldogs fromCalifornia to New York City, the early-season foul trouble that plagued Howardor all those conference teams that know how to defend Butler’s offense, theBulldogs figured out how to win with only one senior starter and one of thenation’s youngest coaches.
The 33-year-old Stevens has rewritten the book on success. He has won 84games, the most ever in his first three seasons breaking the previous record of82 which was shared by Gonzaga’s Mark Few and Nevada’s Mark Fox, and he’s doneit the Butler Way.
Yet after making seven NCAA appearances since 2000, reaching the regionalsemifinals twice, winning the NIT Preseason Tip-Off title in November 2006, thisyear’s winning streak may go down as Butler’s biggest achievement of the decade.
Unless, of course, they win four more, make it back home to Indianapolis andget to hoist a Final Four banner.
“One of the things that’s neat about this run is they’ve brought it everysingle night and in games where, quite frankly, people would really get on themif they lost, from the outside,” Stevens said. “They don’t care. These guysjust believe in doing the right things. I know this, when we get in the huddleand we’re meeting at media timeouts and we’re together, we believe in each otherand we’re going to try to put our best foot forward.”
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