Butler now among elite
By Matt Muncy, April 10, 2010
Butler was unable to bring home a championship, but they were able to tear down the mid-major wall that separated them from the rest of the big-time programs.
For as long as I can remember, the Bulldogs have been called a mid-major despite their ability to play with – and win – against the best teams in the country.
Since the 2001-2002 season, however, Butler has had one losing season. The Bulldogs’ highest loss total since that time was 15 in the 2004-2005 season.
They have won 20-plus games in seven seasons and 30-plus in two seasons.
The Sweet Sixteen was the furthest they had reached in the NCAA tournament before this season. Making the Final Four was the only big obstacle left for Butler.
Butler is never given praise for what they accomplish during the regular season because they play in the Horizon League. But what some people may not realize is teams like Memphis and Gonzaga are technically mid-major teams as well.
Both teams are generally in the NCAA Tournament every year after winning their respective conferences, just like Butler, but neither has the stigma of being a mid-major.
Memphis made its championship run in 2008, eventually losing to Kansas, while Gonzaga made it to the Elite Eight in the 1999 tournament.
The amazing run Butler had in this year’s tournament could not even be considered a Cinderella story, given they were a No. 5 seed and most people knew Butler was a good team. For the last couple years, Butler has been noticed as a good team and has been given favorable seeds in the tournament, but are still stuck with the mid-major label.
Defeating quality opponents was another issue Butler overcame this year. They have had trouble beating the elite squads and in the regular season this year they went 1-3 against Top 25 teams, but then proceeded to go 4-1 against them in the tournament.
Coaching and quality players have been the key components of Butler overcoming the mid-major stigma. Despite having changed coaches three times in the last ten years, Butler has maintained its winning ways and its ability to play with the best of the best.
Butler has only sent three players to the NBA, none of which were in the past 10 years, while both Gonzaga and Memphis have sent multiple players to the NBA in that time frame.
But now Butler has two players destined for the NBA – Matt Howard and Gordon Hayward.
Some people will always refer to Butler as a mid-major because the title has been there for so long. Some others may even say their National Championship runner-up finish was just another fluke in what was a crazy tournament.
Butler needs to continue winning and making its way back to the Elite Eight and Final Four to keep the walls down because in a blink of an eye it can all revert back to the old days.
If you look at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, you would think they were just another mid-major team who had their good years and their bad years despite the fact they won the championship in 1990.
Butler has torn down the barrier the media had put up between it and the elite programs in basketball.
They are not some fluke team that just happened to catch a hot streak. Butler has been a championship-caliber team for the better part of a decade.
Now is its time to shine.
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