Butler's role in the NCAA Tournament is a continued hot topic.
Was Butler a Cinderella team in this year's field? Many in the press made that statement with their stories, columns or broadcast pieces. Many have also cried that the Bulldogs were not a Cinderella team.
I tend to agree with the latter group in this debate.
Butler was a No. 5 seed in the tourney. With the Bulldogs' seed, the selection committee didn't deem them as a Cinderella. They were also consistently rated in the basketball polls during the season. Plus, Butler has a recent history of playing in the Big Dance.
Butler WAS the feel good team of the tournament not the Cinderella. Cinderella needs to move up from the back of the bus maybe as a No. 10, 11 or 12 seed. The Bulldogs were sitting near the front of the bus in plain view. Before the final, they hadn't lost a game since December.
I agree Butler was a great story. Here's a small, mid-major school with talented players but none with eye-popping skills. The Bulldogs defeated some heavyweights in the tournament and played in the Final Four in their hometown.
People also tried to link them with the Hoosiers movie theme. But about the only connection there was both teams hailed from Indiana.
Even if Gordon Hayward's three-point try would have dropped in the bottom of the basket and gave Butler an amazing victory, it would have only capped the feel good story with a perfect ending.
No need to talk slippers here.
No comments:
Post a Comment