Hoosier Hysteria!!

Defense, Defense, Defense! The Butler Bulldogs were the first team to get into this years Final Four thanks in majority to their great defense this week. Now they're going to the big games downtown in our territory, the only better would be playing the games at Hinkle! :)

Conratulations Butler. Go Dawgs!

Elite Eight is GREAT!....

no...make that FANTASTIC, AMAZING, THRILLING for my alma mater Butler University!
Last night the men's Butler Basketball team made history making it to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament. What a ride it has been to follow the basketball program for years (even before I went to Butler as a student) and get to enjoy this accomplishment with the rest of my alumni. The text messages were flying like CRAZY last night between all the BU grads. Lots of "HE** yahs" or even less PG were said. I have to admit I was impressed with the defense in the first minutes of the game and actually made the statement that if they can keep this up then they can upset the #1 seed Syracuse. AND THEY DID..great defense, great penetration by Mack that led to good shot choices, Haywood stepping up in the second half, and many more things by the whole team that really elevated them above for the win. The key to Butler Basketball is that it is a team effort, they might not have the first or second pick of the NBA draft, but they have built a great program around having a team executed win for years that started with Berry Collier, whom is now back at BU as the athletic director.
As you can see even though I've never met these boys personally, I'm very proud of the program that they are representing and think that they can continue this longest winning streak they are currently holding in the nation. Taking from Sullidad's blog (which you can access at right) do you think it's a coincidence about the actual floor for the Final Four being at Hinkle? Is it Karma? Is it all about the underdog dream, best represented by the story of Milan (or Hickory as name in the movie) that all of us Hoosiers have grown to love in the history of basketball? Butler wants to win this in our place, in our home.
Lots of people have asked...will I be taking the trip home for the final four, that is TBD. I am coming home the following weekend, so I'm not sure if two in a row is doable. But not out of the question quite yet....
Stay tuned on Saturday as they take on K-State. It will be a good matchup and as Sullidad said, the basketball nation has yet to see Butler play at it's best. They will be cranking it up for Saturday.