Butler 83 - Bradley 64 -- postgame thread

[dogsrus]

The officiating was horrible, but it was horrible for both teams.

Yeah but we lost so it HAD to be more horrible for us.....

 

[OrangeandBlack74]

First, if you get a chance, go see a game at Hinkle. It's got such a pure basketball feel to it, it's eerie in a good way. It is a true gem and Butler is lucky to have such a great place to play.

Couldn't agree more.....very reminiscent of the FieldHouse, with the majority of seats parallel to the court. In fact, the Butler campus and surrounding area of homes looked very much like the hilltop. And Butler fans really get into the game.....they were all over the refs (they also thought they were getting some bad calls) and JL.

Anyways, onto the game.

-Butler is every bit as good as Vanderbilt and Michigan St. They are better than any team in the Valley, and I think they could beat any team in America in their building. I don't see them losing more than 2-3 more games all year. IMO they're a top 4 seed in the NCAA's. AJ Graves is an all-american, and would be the best player in the MVC if they played there.

They're not flashy, but Butler is very fundamentally sound and they play solid defense. They were the best team on the floor last night, with or without any help from the officials.

Of the three games BB mentions, this one was the toughest by far.....on the opponent's home court. When we couldn't get either Vandy on a neutral floor or MSU at home, it made this game all the more critical to win. But, it would have taken an even better effort than what we saw in those two previous games, and it simply didn't happen last night.

Let's not get too down on this team just yet.....lots of important MVC games to be played!

 

[thefish7]

I agree with pretty much everything BradleyBrave had to say about this one. I'll make a couple of additional comments of my own...

The small ball is really getting to me... Even against Butler who's game may not be good for a guy like Collins, we just got owned in the paint on offense. Salley has convinced me that I was in the wrong in supporting him, even at the 4 at times. He had some nice moments last night, but for the most part, kinda killed us. We need someone who can score inside, and Collins is our best bet, even though it's an adventure sometimes.

I think Les is a bit over-enamored of the four and five guard sets. I like Theron Wilson a ton, and think he should start... I just don't think he's a forward. Anywhere near the paint and he can do nothing defensively to stop a shot.

Butler proved, especially in the second half, that they are a helluva team, and AJ Graves is a stud. I thought he was going to be Blake Ahearn-y, but he's a lot better than Blake was, and much much quicker.

I do blame the refs for the half-time differential in the score... we were getting bulldogged, and if there's any avenue for complaint by a head coach it should absolutely be travelled down by Les, in this case. On the other hand, I think had we gone into the half tied, Butler would have beat us in the second half. They played a great game. I can't wait to play them in our house next season.