Tag Archives: Butler Bulldogs

Apr 6 2011

Daily Noontime – April 6, 2011

Yes, it is indeed Wednesday, which means that it is officially “hump day,” so sit back, relax and enjoy today’s Daily Noontime for April 6, 2011.

* The NCAA watched yet another intriguing Division I matchup on Tuesday, as Texas A&M knocked off Notre Dame, 76-70.

* How bad have the Boston Red Sox been? It isn’t fair to say that they have indeed been good, as they lost their fourth straight on Tuesday in Cleveland, 3-1.

* It remains up to the courts on Wednesday to decide the next step for the NFL, but still a lot remains in order to get the players back on the field.

* Certainly the Los Angles Lakers appeared dumbfounded on Tuesday against the Utah Jazz, but also, didn’t have an answer for Gordon Hayward.

* Pittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby continues to show signs of improvement, as he participated in a morning skate with the team.

* The Barry Bonds trial continues and certainly things are getting rather interesting.

Games to Watch:

* New York Knicks at Philadelphia (NBA) – 7:00pm eastern

* Detroit at Carolina (NHL) – 7:00pm eastern

* Minnesota at New York Yankees (MLB) – 7:10pm eastern

Video of the Day:

Does anyone find it strange that LeBron James has a cartoon show?



Apr 5 2011

The Lessons Learned from Butler’s March Madness Experiences

By Matt Noonan

It wasn’t meant to be, let’s leave it like that. Butler University is not a school of champions, but instead, a college that defines the true meaning of the “student athlete.”

One would certainly not rank the Bulldogs as a school that is equal to Texas, LSU, University of North Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan, Duke, Florida or Alabama, but instead, they are the Division I equivalent to an Amherst College or Williams College, (Yes, I just compared Butler to two well-recognized New England institutions).

The college alone has watched their 19 intercollegiate teams earn 26 conference titles over the years, as well as witnessed their men’s and women’s basketball, soccer and volleyball teams compete in the NCAA tournament.

Yet, while they may not be known for their championships or banners that hang in their athletic department’s gymnasium, instead, they are and will always be recognized as the true underdog.

You have to wonder what the term “underdog” means to head coach Brad Stevens, who has led his young team of rag tag college students to the past two NCAA Division I men’s basketball finals, which resulted in two back-to-back loses. Stevens has watched Gordon Hayward’s desperation three bounce off the front rim against Duke, as well as endured a heartbreaking loss to Jim Calhoun’s UConn Huskies on Monday.

Although, is “heartbreaking” the right word to describe one of the sloppiest college basketball games ever? Probably not, but hey, I tried.

The Bulldogs game plan against the Huskies was dreadful, as they decided to forgo shots in the paint and only converted 12 of their 64 shots. They even finished the game, [9-33] from beyond the arc, which is something no coach would be pleased about, especially after that particular contest.

Let’s face it, that particular championship was ugly and downright boring. Did anyone truly stay awake to see if Butler could pull off the upset? I know I did, but again, who agrees that it was truly painful to watch?

The Bulldogs are indeed underdogs because no one expects them to succeed, but going toe-to-toe with two of the top basketball schools in the nation is certainly an achievement that they can be proud of, despite losing both times.

What Stevens and his team have proved is that anything is indeed possible, as long as you put your mind and effort to it.

Sure, they may have returned home to the great state of Indiana on Tuesday with no championship trophy in their hands, but the young men certainly have a lot of reasons to keep their chins up, especially after the past two seasons.

The may have finished their 2010-2011 campaign with a [28-10] record, but who truly predicted that the Bulldogs would once again make it back to the title game in Houston? Did anyone you know pick Butler to have another successful season and then dominate the March Madness tournament? If you did, congratulations, but I am sure that you jumped on their bandwagon just like the rest of the country did this past March.

Who would have imagined that head coach Brad Stevens would have led the Bulldogs to two NCAA Championships?

Butler earned some impressive wins in the tournament, as they defeated Old Dominion at the buzzer, thanks to Matt Howard, as well as busted everyone’s bracket when they knocked off top seeded Pittsburgh, 71-70.

In New Orleans, their magic continued as they defeated Wisconsin and then rallied to beat Florida in the NCAA Regional Final.

After arriving to Houston and getting settled, the excitement continued, as they beat another surprise team, Virginia Commonwealth in the Final Four, but after their exciting win against the Rams, their luck ran out and the clock struck midnight, once again.

Sure, they played awful against Connecticut and looked like a Division III team at time that couldn’t play defense, but once again, they defied the odds and showed the nation that hard work does pay off.

The Huskies may have talented players, such as Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb, but seriously, has their hard work measured up to the Bulldogs? I’d say, no, but again, what do I know? Walker and Lamb could be shooting around in an empty gymnasium, while I sit here and digest the March Madness final.

Butler has proved that once again the underdog still matters, especially in sports and life. Whether one wins or loses, it’s not about the scoreboard at the end of the game, but instead, it’s about giving it your absolute best effort.

Why not root for the Bulldogs? Why wouldn’t you not want to root for a team that goes to class, studies the same in the same library and eats at the same table in the cafeteria. These are student athletes that want to be your friends, but also, represent the true meaning of their school and if one can read between the lines, they’ll understand that Butler is truly a school of champions and students that will never back down from a challenge.

Apr 5 2011

The Lessons Learned from Butler's March Madness Experiences

By Matt Noonan

It wasn’t meant to be, let’s leave it like that. Butler University is not a school of champions, but instead, a college that defines the true meaning of the “student athlete.”

One would certainly not rank the Bulldogs as a school that is equal to Texas, LSU, University of North Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan, Duke, Florida or Alabama, but instead, they are the Division I equivalent to an Amherst College or Williams College, (Yes, I just compared Butler to two well-recognized New England institutions).

The college alone has watched their 19 intercollegiate teams earn 26 conference titles over the years, as well as witnessed their men’s and women’s basketball, soccer and volleyball teams compete in the NCAA tournament.

Yet, while they may not be known for their championships or banners that hang in their athletic department’s gymnasium, instead, they are and will always be recognized as the true underdog.

You have to wonder what the term “underdog” means to head coach Brad Stevens, who has led his young team of rag tag college students to the past two NCAA Division I men’s basketball finals, which resulted in two back-to-back loses. Stevens has watched Gordon Hayward’s desperation three bounce off the front rim against Duke, as well as endured a heartbreaking loss to Jim Calhoun’s UConn Huskies on Monday.

Although, is “heartbreaking” the right word to describe one of the sloppiest college basketball games ever? Probably not, but hey, I tried.

The Bulldogs game plan against the Huskies was dreadful, as they decided to forgo shots in the paint and only converted 12 of their 64 shots. They even finished the game, [9-33] from beyond the arc, which is something no coach would be pleased about, especially after that particular contest.

Let’s face it, that particular championship was ugly and downright boring. Did anyone truly stay awake to see if Butler could pull off the upset? I know I did, but again, who agrees that it was truly painful to watch?

The Bulldogs are indeed underdogs because no one expects them to succeed, but going toe-to-toe with two of the top basketball schools in the nation is certainly an achievement that they can be proud of, despite losing both times.

What Stevens and his team have proved is that anything is indeed possible, as long as you put your mind and effort to it.

Sure, they may have returned home to the great state of Indiana on Tuesday with no championship trophy in their hands, but the young men certainly have a lot of reasons to keep their chins up, especially after the past two seasons.

The may have finished their 2010-2011 campaign with a [28-10] record, but who truly predicted that the Bulldogs would once again make it back to the title game in Houston? Did anyone you know pick Butler to have another successful season and then dominate the March Madness tournament? If you did, congratulations, but I am sure that you jumped on their bandwagon just like the rest of the country did this past March.

Who would have imagined that head coach Brad Stevens would have led the Bulldogs to two NCAA Championships?

Butler earned some impressive wins in the tournament, as they defeated Old Dominion at the buzzer, thanks to Matt Howard, as well as busted everyone’s bracket when they knocked off top seeded Pittsburgh, 71-70.

In New Orleans, their magic continued as they defeated Wisconsin and then rallied to beat Florida in the NCAA Regional Final.

After arriving to Houston and getting settled, the excitement continued, as they beat another surprise team, Virginia Commonwealth in the Final Four, but after their exciting win against the Rams, their luck ran out and the clock struck midnight, once again.

Sure, they played awful against Connecticut and looked like a Division III team at time that couldn’t play defense, but once again, they defied the odds and showed the nation that hard work does pay off.

The Huskies may have talented players, such as Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb, but seriously, has their hard work measured up to the Bulldogs? I’d say, no, but again, what do I know? Walker and Lamb could be shooting around in an empty gymnasium, while I sit here and digest the March Madness final.

Butler has proved that once again the underdog still matters, especially in sports and life. Whether one wins or loses, it’s not about the scoreboard at the end of the game, but instead, it’s about giving it your absolute best effort.

Why not root for the Bulldogs? Why wouldn’t you not want to root for a team that goes to class, studies the same in the same library and eats at the same table in the cafeteria. These are student athletes that want to be your friends, but also, represent the true meaning of their school and if one can read between the lines, they’ll understand that Butler is truly a school of champions and students that will never back down from a challenge.

Apr 5 2011

Willwerth: Calhoun Ends Tumultuous Year On Top

By Brian Willwerth

Jim Calhoun has seen a lot of college basketball in his 39 years as a head coach – the last 25 coming at the University of Connecticut.

It’s safe to say, he’s probably never experienced a season quite like this.

With Connecticut’s 53-41 victory over Butler Monday night, Calhoun won his third national championship, all of them coming in the past 12 years.  UConn was also the last team standing in 1999 and 2004.  This year’s title matchup was a game that will be remembered more for Butler’s inability to put the ball in the basket than anything else. But for Calhoun, a win is a win. And he has over 800 of them in his career.

But this season may have been his best coaching job ever.  Sure, the Huskies got off to a 10-0 start, highlighted by an impressive run in the Maui Invitational Tournament in which they knocked off the likes of Michigan State and Kentucky.  UConn rose in the polls, and rightfully so.

But then came February. The NCAA came down hard on Calhoun for failing to create an atmosphere of compliance within the program.  As a result, he will be suspended for the first three games of the conference play in 2012. The program was also hit with scholarship reductions.  UConn went on to lose seven of its last eleven regular-season games. The Huskies were the #9 seed in the Big East Tournament. How much of a distraction would it be heading into Madison Square Garden?

The answer would be a resounding “not at all.”

After losing the regular season finale to Notre Dame, Calhoun did not taste defeat the rest of the way.  Five Big East Tournament games, five wins.  Would they feel the effects of winning five games in five days?  The answer: six NCAA tournament games later, Calhoun and his players were cutting down the nets at Reliant Stadium in Houston.  It didn’t matter how many obstacles he had to overcome.  Hall of Fame coaches know how to do that.

At the age of 68, Calhoun is the oldest coach ever to win the national championship.  Don’t be surprised if he has another one left in him.

Apr 5 2011

Daily Noontime – April 5, 2011

It is certainly hard to believe that the men’s college basketball season has come to a close and the women’s will end on Tuesday. Well, I guess that means winter is over! Any who, here is the Daily Noontime for Tuesday April 5, 2011, have a terrific day!

Headlines:

* The UConn Huskies have won another NCAA championship, as they knocked off the Butler Bulldogs, 53-41.

* It has been two years in a row that Butler has ended their season with a loss in the National Championship game and certainly, the second time around hurts a little more.

* The NFL is now a day away from walking into a court room and figuring out their fate of the 2011 season.

* University of North Carolina Tar Heels freshman basketball player Harrison Barnes is contemplating going to the NBA, but isn’t there a lockout looming?

* Dennis Rodman is one of the marque leaders to represent the 2011 NBA Hall of Fame class, but another name that was also included on this list was Chris Mullin.

* Former New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza has now forgiven Roger Clemens for throw the ball behind him during Game 2 of the World Series in 2000.

Games to Watch:

* San Antonio at Atlanta (NBA) – 7:00pm eastern

* Boston at Cleveland (MLB) – 7:05pm eastern

* New York Mets at Philadelphia (MLB) – 7:05pm eastern

* Philadelphia at Boston (NBA) – 7:30pm eastern

* Chicago at Montreal (NHL) – 7:30pm eastern

* Los Angles Dodgers at Colorado (MLB) – 8:40pm eastern

* Utah at Los Angles Lakers (NBA) – 10:30pm eastern

Video of the Day:

Yes, we had to do it! Here is the 2011 version of “One Shining Moment.”


 

Apr 5 2011

UConn Ends Butler Run, Capture NCAA Div. I Title

By Matt Noonan

This was not your storybook ending for Butler, who finished yet another season on the losing end, as the University of Connecticut’s men’s basketball team celebrated a NCAA Division I basketball championship in Houston, Texas on Monday with a 53-41 win over the Bulldogs.

Butler, the team that truly represents the meaning of “student athletes” was forced to watch an elated Huskies bench celebrate a victory that clearly wasn’t too impressive.

In fact, the Bulldogs contained the Huskies two stars, Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb, who finished the game with 28 points and 16 rebounds combined.

Butler’s Matt Howard was extremely quiet and ended his final game with seven points, six rebounds and one steal, which may have not been what he had expected, but Shelvin Mack led the team with 13 points.

The game began at an incredibly slow pace, as fans watched the heavily favored Huskies struggle to maintain momentum, but also, connect on their shots. The Bulldogs sloppy play held UConn to just 19 points during the first half, but once the final 20 minutes of regulation began, the Huskies executed their offense, flexed their muscles and tacked on an additional 34 points to secure the win.

UConn Leaders:

Kemba Walker – 16 points/9 rebounds/1 assist/ 1 block

Jeremy Lamb – 12 points/ 7 rebounds/ 2 assists

Alex Oriakhi – 11 points/ 11 rebounds/ 4 blocks

 

Butler Leaders:

Shelvin Mack – 13 points/9 rebounds/1 assist/ 1 block

Matt Howard – 7 points/6 rebounds/ 1 steal

Chase Stigall – 9 points/2 rebounds/1 assist/ 1 steal

 

Apr 4 2011

Kevin Tuve Podcast (4/4/11)

Kevin Tuve returned to the Noontime Sports airwaves Monday, when he, as well as Matt Noonan discussed and previewed the Butler-UConn March Madness championship, as well as discussed the first MLB weekend.



Apr 3 2011

NCAA March Madness: Final Four Wrap Up

By Brian Willwerth

We started with 68 teams.We are down to two.

Gone are the Jayhawks, Patriots, Terriers, Sycamores and Orange.  All that remain are two groups of dogs: a burly bunch of bulldogs from Butler, and a hungry group of huskies from Connecticut. Butler and UConn clinched their spots in the title game Saturday night by defeating VCU and Kentucky, respectively.

We’ll start with the nightcap: a coaching matchup between Jim Calhoun and John Calipari.  The Huskies held on for a 56-55 win. Both teams struggled from the floor. The Wildcats shot just [33%] for the game, while Connecticut was just [1-for-12] from behind the arc.

Still, you can’t talk about a UConn victory without mentioning Kemba Walker. He led both teams in scoring with 18 points, while adding six rebounds and seven assists. Still, the Huskies had to hold their breath as a three-point attempt by Kentucky’s DeAndre Liggins in the closing seconds fell short. Shabazz Napier iced the game with two free-throws at the other end.  Brandon Knight led the Wildcats with 17 points.

This is Connecticut’s third trip to the final.  The last two times the Huskies were there [1999 and 2004] they won the national championship.

Their opponent will be the team that nearly won it all last year. Butler ended VCU’s “Cinderella run” with a 70-62 victory over the Rams. After weathering an early barrage of three-pointers, the Bulldogs were able to cool off the Rams’ hot outside shooters with the type of defense Butler has become known for.  Butler also controlled the glass, out-rebounding VCU, 48-32.

Offensively, the Bulldogs relied heavily on Shelvin Mack, who finished with a team-high, 24 points.  VCU’s Jamie Skeen led all scorers with 27. Butler took a six-point lead into the locker room. The game would stay tight for much of the second half. It wasn’t until the three-minute mark that Butler was able to open up a 7-point lead, a deficit the Rams could not recover from.

Butler returns to the title game for the second straight year. Who could forget the Bulldogs’ appearance in last year’s title game: that last-second heave that bounced off the rim that would’ve beaten Duke.

So it all comes down to Monday night: Bulldogs and Huskies for the national championship.  It should be one heck of a dogfight.

Mar 27 2011

NCAA March Madness Day Eight Wrap Up

The Rams have surprised many, but how much father can they go?

By Matt Noonan

All right, let’s all admit it, excluding Connecticut, who truly had Virginia Commonwealth, Kentucky or Butler advancing to Final Four?

Clearly, I did not, but really, did anyone choose these three squads?

Of course, there were those who said, “I was rooting for North Carolina and UConn,” as well as other fans that stated, “I knew all along that Butler and VCU were going to meet for a date with destiny in Houston, Texas,” which is totally false.

However, the second to last weekend of men’s college basketball, which featured 16 teams has now been narrowed down to just four and once again, who could have predicted that these four schools would have earned this opportunity?

Virginia Commonwealth 71 – Kansas 61:

Virginia Commonwealth tallied 41 first half points and then added an additional 30 points during the second half en route to yet another tournament victory.

Not only did the Rams outplay the Jayhawks, but also had a member of their team that scored 26 points and his name is Jamie Skeen. Skeen made sure Kansas knew which number he was wearing, as the senior pulled down 10 rebounds, (four on offense and six on defense) and recorded two steals. Skeen also didn’t record a single foul through forty minutes of basketball, which in all honesty is quite impressive, right?

Although, despite Skeen’s impressive performance, Kansas maintained the momentum in the second half, as they limited the Rams offensive series, but also, came within striking distance to retain the lead. The Jayhawks led the Rams during the opening minutes of the first half, but Virginia Commonwealth slowly took their time and eventually stole the lead away from Kansas for good.

Kansas finished the game with three players who recorded 13 points or more, but again, their first half effort was clearly what slowed them down and allowed the Rams to easily escape with a victory.

Marcus Morris finished with 20 points and 16 rebounds, while Tyshawn Taylor added an additional 14 points, three assists and two rebounds.

The Rams run toward a NCAA championship has been exciting, but next Saturday, April 2, they’ll face a team that similar to them, still continues to struggle for respect. The Butler Bulldogs are gritty, tough, physical, as well as play true team basketball, but that can also be said about the Rams, who similar to them, have upset some impressive teams too.

Kentucky 76 – North Carolina 69:

The Tar Heels led once during the entire contest, but that was just 4-2. After falling behind by only two points, John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats took off and never surrendered the lead.

Brandon Knight scored a team high 22 points, as well as recorded seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Clearly, North Carolina had no idea of how to defend the freshman guard, but despite heading into halftime with an eight point deficit, the Tar Heels rallied in the second half, as well as came within one point of earning their second lead of the game.

Harrison Barnes played tremendous, especially down the stretch when North Carolina was attempting to do everything in their power to either tie the game or force overtime, but Kentucky’s free throw shooting proved to also be the difference during the closing minutes. As a team, the Wildcats converted [10-16] free throws, but North Carolina won the battle at the line, as they sank [12-15].

The Tar Heels clearly seemed to be baffled by the Wildcats fast break offense, yet, North Carolina’s defense played extremely well at times, as well as limited Kentucky to just seven offensive rebounds.

If one were to have looked at the box score, clearly, the single piece of paper doesn’t measure up to the actual performance, but similar to the style of Butler, Kentucky maneuvered themselves past another admirable opponent in order to reach their 13th Final Four in school history.

The Wildcats have won seven national championships and will look to earn banner number eight on April 4, but first, they’ll have to take down another top team, University of Connecticut, which certainly will be the game to watch on April 2, but in the meantime, Kentucky can celebrate like champions because they did indeed win their portion of the Eastern bracket.

Mar 20 2011

NCAA March Madness Day Three Wrap Up

The Butler Bulldogs beat Pittsburgh, but it wasn't pretty!

By Andy Lindberg

Day one of round two of the NCAA College Basketball Championship Tournament began on Saturday with much fanfare and hullabaloo.  When was the last time you saw someone use the word hullabaloo?  Probably the last time you saw Pittsburgh play as expected in the NCAA tournament.

Also, doesn’t “round one” or “round two” remind you of Mortal Kombat?  I just picture #12 Richmond as Sub Zero kicking the butt of Vandy (Reptile) and Morehead State (the oft maligned Johnny Cage).  Sorry for the side note, but if you’re like me, the same old same old gets boring very quickly.  I’ll try to make this re-cap as painless and as inappropriate as possible.

I’m going to get the game of the day and the upset of the day over with in one fell swoop.  8th seeded Butler beat #1 Pittsburgh in the single most bizarre final seconds I have ever witnessed in a college basketball game.  All right, fair is fair, it was the crappiest basketball I’ve ever watched.  Butler’s Shelvin Mack shouldn’t have been anywhere near Pitt’s Gilbert Brown with 2.2 left on the clock.  Brown was streaking down the sideline and the shot would have been damn near impossible to sink at that speed and from that angle.  Then, Brown missed the second of two free throws with the score tied at 70, and Butler’s Matt Howard snagged the rebound and alertly threw up a prayer in hopes of drawing a foul.

Yes, he drew the foul.  Apparently Pitt’s Nassir Robinson thought it would be a good idea to try to block the shot.  A shot, which was thrown up with one hand from the opposite end of the court.  In short, it proved to be a poor life decision and Howard won the game at the free throw line.

I feel bad for Robinson, to be honest.  Just as I felt bad for Mack for the first foul and Brown for missing the free throw that would have won it for Pitt.  But just because there’s no crying in baseball doesn’t mean there’s no crying in basketball.  Weep away, thy bracket-busted brethren.

All right, what else do I have to do?  Oh, stat of the day.  Well, I’m not going to do that because honestly, the most important stat is the score at the end of the game.

Nah I’m just kidding and that didn’t even make any sense.  The score isn’t an individual statistic.

Unless you score all of the points for your team, then it is an individual statistic.

I’ll go with Jimmer Fredette from BYU having 34 points against Gonzaga and there’s still 2 minutes left in the game.  That’s right, I just did the stat of the day and the game isn’t even over yet.  Do you know that that means?  Jimmer’s stats could actually be higher by the time you read this.  Or, they could not.  The anticipation of viewing the box score should be killing you at this point.

Truth be told, I just picked Fredette because I fricking love his name.  Jimmer.  There’s no much you can do with that.  The Jimmer Man, a Jimmering candle, winner, winner, chicken Jimmer.  The possibilities are as endless as they are annoying.  This is a rare honor from me to the Jimmer.  See, every year I pick out who I hate more between Duke and UNC (I hate both passionately) by whichever team has the large, dingy white dude rolling around like a stud.  A few years ago I hated UNC more because of Tyler Hansbrough.  Now I hate Duke because of Kyle Singler.  Is that a logical reason to hate a team?  Many would say no.  I would say yes.  Jimmer fits the profile!  Why I do not house the ultimate disdain for him or BYU is unknown.  Maybe one day I will learn to hate him as well.  Only time will teach me how…

Looking ahead to Sunday (or today, for those of you who are reading this when it is published), shockingly, there will be more basketball!  Who knew?  Notable matchups will be 8 George Mason vs. 1 Ohio St., 5 Arizona vs. 4 Texas, 1 Duke vs. 8 Michigan, and 1 Road Runner vs. 16 Wile E. Coyote.  Does Coyote have what it takes to finally put that effing bird on a platter with all the trimmings?  Not if he still shops at ACME.  Runner has the speed, and Coyote, although he tries, has yet to compensate.  However tomorrow I predict a different outcome.  Best matchup of the day, in my opinion, which should most assuredly not account for much at all if you knew my history of picking the NCAA tourney.

That all being said, I don’t tweet or have Facebook, so if you hate my daily recap, I invite you to comment on it!  Odds are if you hate it you’re the type of person who thinks dunking is a better facet of the game than the 3-pointer and the home run trumps gunning a runner down at the plate.  Or you’re a person who enjoys the serious recap of tournament play, in which case you stopped reading this very, very early on.  If those first two points apply to you, you shouldn’t be reading a sports blog, much less reading one written by me in about 7 minutes whilst simultaneously frying up a chicken breast.  Oh yeah, I type and cook.

Are you not entertained?