Butler not living up to preseason hype

December, 8, 2009
Dec 811:59PM By Andy KatzNEW YORK – Butler coach Brad Stevens said that the Bulldogs are essentially the same team that was picked fifth in the Horizon League prior to last season.

That same team won the league, highlighted by beating Xavier on the road when the Musketeers were No. 13 in the country. But the next ranked team Butler played was in the first round of the NCAA tournament –- a loss to No. 20 LSU.

Throughout the summer, the buzz on the Bulldogs was on Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack after they helped the USA win the Under-19 FIBA World Championship gold for the first time since 1991. Pitt's Jamie Dixon, who coached the team, said that what he learned about Mack and Hayward is that he didn’t want to play Butler.

Well, John Thompson III's Georgetown team played Butler on Tuesday and the Hoyas played them well, winning 72-65 in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden. Afterward, JT3 wanted to make sure that everyone knew that the core of the Bulldog players could play on any high-level team.

He’s right, but the Big Three -- Hayward, Mack and center Matt Howard -- were a combined 13-of-43 (30.2 percent) against the Hoyas, who held the Bulldogs to 31 percent shooting on the night . By and large, it's fair to say that Butler still hasn’t elevated itself since last season.

The schedule has certainly been tough, playing and winning at Northwestern, (the Wildcats haven't lost since), but losing to Clemson and Minnesota and squeezing out a last-second win over a down UCLA at the 76 Classic in Anaheim two weeks ago.

Ohio State, sans all-American Evan Turner (fracture in his back), is on tap Saturday at Hinkle Fieldhouse and then Xavier pays Butler a visit after that. Then a road trip to 8-1 UAB awaits.

“My point about our schedule is we want to play people,’’ Stevens said. “Let’s live. Let’s go out and challenge ourselves and see how good we can be.’’

Still, these Bulldogs are 1-8 against ranked teams since the start of the 2007-08 season.

“I know we’re pretty young and naïve on this whole deal,’’ Stevens said. “We’ve lived this on every side, won the conference tournament, been an at-large and not gotten in. We’re just committed to playing the way we need to play.’’

Stevens said the Bulldogs have to focus on themselves and can’t feel sorry for their current state. They have to go back to being a proficient offensive team and defend better.

Howard must stay on the court, too. He fouled out in 25 minutes, the fifth time this season he’s been gone too early. Howard missed his first eight shots and finished 1-of-9, which was made more difficult by the play of Georgetown’s Greg Monroe.

“If he’s out, he’s out and we just have to deal with it,’’ said Butler guard Shelvin Mack, who had his right shoulder taped in the hallway at Madison Square Garden after tweaking it during the game. “We’ve got to get back to playing Butler basketball and playing defense. That’s the main thing. We can’t allow teams to shoot over 50 percent against us.’’

Minnesota shot 50 percent against the Bulldogs. Even Valparaiso shot over 50 percent.

Starting with the Turner-less Buckeyes this weekend, all that Butler needs to do now is win games. It's possible the Bulldogs may need to win the Horizon League tournament to get a bid, but the Bulldogs will likely find a way into the field. Once there, if Howard stays out of foul trouble, they’ll have a chance to advance. But there is still plenty of work to do.

The coaches and players say they weren’t caught up in the preseason No. 10 ranking. Butler had never been ranked in the preseason, let alone at No. 10. Now the hype will die down a bit. Once Butler is back to being relevant, the Bulldogs will likely be more prepared for the exposure.

“A ranking doesn’t win any games,’’ Mack said. “You’ve got to play defense. It doesn’t matter where we were picked.’’