I guess it is time I started believing what is happening. For weeks I have said I did not think Butler could return to the Final Four. It just seemed too daunting of a task for a team that is not real physical, and not especially athletic.
While I am still not totally convinced they are going to win the whole ball of wax, I must commend the Bulldogs as they have shown great resolve in their quest to the Final Four and possibly beyond. Sure, I said no way they would beat Pittsburgh and they did. I really thought Florida with their post presence would be the end of the Bulldogs. and it certainly looked that way for a good portion of the game.
While Florida somewhat self destructed in the waning moments of both regulation and overtime, Butler made the plays necessary to advance and secure what many thought was unlikely; a Final Four berth.
From their coach Brad Stevens (dubbed Cool Hand Luke by Louisville’s Rick Pitino) to the steady play of Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack (who may indeed play in the NBA), Butler has defied the odds and will now look to punch their ticket to the championship game by defeating an upstart group from Virginia Commonwealth, who has displayed a few of the tendencies of last year’s Butler squad. In similar fashion VCU has destroyed everyone’s brackets from coast to coast and crashed the party to Houston along the way. They too are no longer “The Little Engine That Could” as they dismantled a far superior team in terms of athleticism when they thrashed Kansas to win their region.
Butler cannot look past VCU and assume their destiny is to be in the title game for the second year in a row, as this team is certainly capable of sending the Bulldogs home. While the other side of the bracket contains traditional marquee names such as Connecticut and Kentucky, only one of those can advance and that bodes well for the winner of the Butler/VCU match up.
The question remains, can a clear underdog, be it Butler or VCU, defeat a more talented and athletic opponent for the title? After all, this is not the movie “Hoosiers,” with some scripted ending. This is about playing well for 40 minutes, and slaying a dragon a la David and Goliath. Chances are they will not, but even so, it does not diminish the joy that those who support Butler have experienced. Naysayers like myself are clearly outnumbered in this matter, but for the record, I would be fine saluting a Butler Championship.
I just do not think it is in the cards for this brilliant group of young men to win the title. So go ahead Bulldogs, shock the world and pull it off. I would be amazed if you do, but I will stand corrected and in awe at the same time.
Danny Bridges, who would love to be wrong about Butler, can be reached at (317) 578-1780 or at Bridgeshd@aol.com.
