That Sounds About Right

There's a reason why the people in Vegas are the people in Vegas. There's a reason why the coaches are coaches. There's a reason why bloggers are bloggers.

The line for Butler's game was what, 12? The final was 73-62. And never mind how it got there (we'll get to that in a second). The line was 12. The final margin was 11.

No matter what the team, coaches get paid (sometimes nicely) to know what's best for their team. This is very true for Butler. It's their full-time job to know what will work to beat Davidson. Opinions about who to start, what lineup to use and who should shoot matter less than zero. The coaches know what's best. Always.

With that said, Saturday's final against Davidson made perfect sense. The Bulldogs took Davidson's best shot. DC was a solid, hungry team on the road, trying to prove it could be successful without YouKnowWho. And that's what Butler is going to see every night now. Every team's best shot. Not just Detroit or UW-Parkside's, I mean UW-Milwaukee's best shot. Playing Butler was arguably Davidson's top game this year (maybe Gonzaga), and that says a lot. Good teams like Davidson (and you can bet Georgetown, Northwestern and Minnesota will be too) are now "up" for Butler.

Some thoughts on the game:

• Butler didn't play poorly in the opening minutes. Every team in the nation looks like that in the first 5-10 minutes of the season. It didn't help that Davidson made some shots. And remember, they were facing a pretty good team.

• Davidson will win 20 games this season. People who thought Butler would rout them really don't understand what chemically goes into a basketball program. Teams don't just lose one player and forget how to win. Davidson has been good for a long time; they're well-coached and will remain a prestigious mid-major program.

• Teams that make shots against Butler tend to fare well. That's easier said than done. Butler is normally strong nationally in FG% defense. Early on, Davidson made shots. That's why it went up 10. Once shots stopped going in, things evened out and returned to normal.

• This year appears to begin similarly to last year regarding how teams guard Matt Howard. Last year, Howard was the team's only known commodity, meaning opponents doubled down on him immediately. Davidson did the same thing. Count on Northwestern, Ball State and Evansville doing the same thing. How will Butler (and Matt) make them pay?

• The VanZant/Nored combo at point guard is genius. Two strong defenders, two kids who like to push the ball in transition. VanZant has been hitting the 3 a little more, and if that continues, opposing point guards won't be able to help off. That'll give Butler pretty much any shot they want.

• Davidson looked a lot like teams of Butler past, didn't they? Well-coached, tough, shot well at times, made free throws. The present day Bulldogs just had more athleticism. Exhibit A: Butler forced multiple shot clock violations. That means Butler had better athletes.

KEY POINT IN THE GAME
Well, it's more of a sequence. A 9-0 run over 74 seconds. Late first half. Butler down 10 with 2:18 remaining. Here's how it went down:

• VanZant hits a 3 at 2:18 to make it 33-26...Davidson bricks a quick 3.
• Mack crosses over and scores on the drive...Davidson takes a bad, contested shot. Brick.
• Mack then drives baseline and and gets fouled going for a dunk. He makes the first FT, then misses the second. Garrett Butcher makes a hustle play for the offensive rebound.
• Willie Veasley hits a 3 at 1:04.

9-0 run. Davidson controlled play for 18 minutes only to see Butler sprint past them like it was this.

DID YOU KNOW THIS?

When a defensive player makes a strip and his momentum carries him out of bounds, it's not enough to re-establish position in bounds. That same defender can't be the first one to touch the ball. Not many people know this. See Gordon Hayward's near steal at 16:49 in the first half.

SAY WHAT?

I was able to pick up the TV broadcast on DirecTV. Jim Barbar, a well-known play-by-play man, made some interesting comments:

• "Shelvin Mack is 15 pounds heavier." Um, no. Not accurate.
• "Butler is ranked in the top 10, primarily because of the play of their guys in the World University Games." Again, not quite right. Mack and Hayward played in the U-19 games in New Zealand. The World University Games are for older players and was held in Serbia.
• "McKillop has been dangerous so far for Butler." Maybe not entirely inaccurate. I think I know where he was going with this, but it was strangely worded.
• "Matt Howard inside...and he got blocked!" The call was a foul, not a block. (Howard missed the FTs)
• "A new rule in college basketball this year, if you bring over a secondary defender, that defender has to be set." Actually, to take a charge, being set has always been part of it. It has to do with WHERE the defender is. The rule can be found here.

IRONHEAD HAYWARD

You can always tell a great basketball player by how quiet he scores and produces. I would wager many Butler fans went home thinking Gordon had a so-so game. Nothing YouTube-like. Didn't make any treys. He didn't score for nearly 13 minutes to begin the game.

But he had 17 points and 8 rebounds. Blocked shots, got steals. He's going to be a truly great player. The ones who score 17 without anyone noticing usually are.

GIVE IT TO HIM!

I thought I saw this more often the first time I saw the tape, but maybe not. I still think it's important, though, and Butler didn't do a great job on Saturday.

There were multiple times (see first half, 17:05 and 10:36) when Matt Howard had pinned his guy deep in the paint and NEEDED to get the ball. Both times he didn't; and both times Butler didn't score. Even if teams bring the quick double team - and they will - Howard works too hard down low not to see the ball. Give it to him!

I CLIMB UP ON MY FAITHFUL STEED...

Zelton Steed needs to consult an officials' manual. In the first half, 2:36 remaining, Nored hammered Davidson's Bryant Barr. Clearly a foul. Steed, standing three steps away from the play, signaled a blocked shot with his hands. He then proceeded to administer a foul.

About five minutes into the second half, Avery Jukes went up for a shot and was mugged. Steed blew his whistle and charged in, thumbs high in the air. Jump ball. He then turned to the table and signaled a foul on Davidson. Mechanics, anyone?

NEXT POST

In the next day or so, we'll talk Northwestern. A tough team, would be top 50 or so, but they've been hit by the injury bug. Still, will be a tough game. We'll preview it here as well as give a prediction.

GOOD FOR A LAUGH