Tourney Memories

I am back in the country after over a week off, and I am WAY too far behind in sports. Tiger is coming back at the Masters. Yawn. (Plenty of time to cover this story later, with enough references to balls, shafts, naked runs through hotels, etc.)

NBA. Double yawn, but I am glad to see my hometown Pacers quietly making a run at John Wall in tank town.

But, who are we kidding, it's NCAA Tourney time. Sunday was Christmas. Give me those brackets! Sponsored by our corporate partners, CocaCola, Pontiac and AT&T. Seriously, Greg Gumbel makes me believe that my life is sponsored by those companies for a few weeks. I am tackling my bracket last night, so expect a countdown of story lines tomorrow. How about Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Man, I did NOT see that coming tonight. Makes me totally rethink my bracket now.

But, my friends on the Horizon League Network (check it out; wave of the future) asked me to do a little piece on my favorite Butler basketball Tournament memory. It was too easy and led to a few words (I hope they didn't want one paragraph):

There was something special brewing with the 2000-01 Butler basketball team that season. Why special? Because the team just wasn't together to start the year. The program had been legitimized throughout much of the 90's, winning league titles, but never really making a splash on the national stage. They were the bridesmaid of mid-major basketball.

But by the 2000 NCAA Tournament, Butler's work had paid off. They were a pesky 12 seed. Had a linebacker (Mike Marshall) for a team leader and the middle Graves brother firing daggers from Switz City so effectively that Rivals could have reported a scholarship offer for AJ. He was only 15 at the time, but c'mon, by the time Andrew rolled around, the family's future was assured. That Butler team had Florida beat, both mentally and physically. This is a team that ended up runner up to Mateen "Willis Reed" Cleaves. And then Lavall Jordan missed two FTs, and Scott Robisch jumped 10 inches, when 11 would have done. I still hate Mike Miller.

This is a memory about 2001 though. Why? Because the 2000 performance deserved better. And the 2002 team got royally hosed (that's a different story). 2001, therefore, is all we have before Sweet 16 became the pinnacle (thank you, 2003). Why else? Because replacing Mike Marshall and Andrew Graves was like ripping Vince Vaughn and Will Ferrell out of "Old School" and telling Luke Wilson to make a funny movie about going back to college. Butler had no identity entering that season. Thomas Jackson needed to run the show. Rylan Hainje needed to be the force, the heart, the soul. Jordan needed to make shots like his name would make you imagine. And then there were the sophomores that needed to mature: guys named Cornette, Archey and a transfer from SW Missouri State (Brandon Miller).

The 2001 team took its lumps in the early part of the schedule, but had glimpses of brilliance. They flirted with knocking off Arizona in their own tournament, had some lock-down defensive performances and then the most quiet beatdown (58-44) of a ranked team, knocking off top-10 Wisconsin (IN Wisconsin) on January 30th. If a top 10 team goes down without being on TV, does it make a sound? Not that night, but those around the program knew something special was brewing.

The MCC (The Horizon wasn't on the horizon yet; sorry, couldn't resist) Tournament provided little resistance, evidenced by the defensive masterpiece in the championship, 53-38 over a good Detroit team. Yep, 38 points. Rashad Phillips was a great player. Best PG of the last decade in the league, in my opinion. Lavall Jordan made him look like Bum Phillips. Title, trophy, unsettled business...

I've spent 200+ words talking about a memory and haven't even gotten to the actual game. Because I can't really describe it in detail. Why? It was a blur of perfection and jubilation. It was the perfect display of basketball. Butler (#10) beat Wake Forest (#7). Final score doesn't matter. Halftime score: 43-10

Every player hit 3's. They filled passing lanes. They made the Demon Deacons look uncomfortable everywhere. For all fans of mid-major basketball, it was exactly what we had all been waiting for. I remember high fiving fans during media timeouts (not professional) and I didn't care. It was as if all of Butler Nation finally exhaled and said, "This is what we knew was possible!"

I honestly consider that team, on that court, on that day to be the best assembled Butler basketball team ever. Not the greatest season, but I would take that lineup in the NCAA Tournament against any Butler team, ever. Any other basketball team (other than one littered with 5 future NBA players; Why did they draw Arizona?), I'd take the Dogs. Ironically, Dave Odom left Wake after that game, Skip Prosser stepped in and Thad Matta went to Xavier. 43-10 had a lot to do with that.

43-10. By a team that had never won a modern NCAA Tournament game. A mid-major. Welcome to basketball in the 21st Century.