Where will Butler finish in first year of A-10 play (men's basketball)

[bbtds]

I have nothing against Butler as a university.  After all, they were my second choice of schools, as I turned down their baseball/academic scholarship money for Valpo's.  I just dislike many of the fans that think they are so much better than anyone they play.  The entitled attitude is what bugged me when I was in school, and has continued to show since then. 

So true!

[dylanrocks]

Has it occurred to anyone here that Butler might finish fifth or sixth in the upgraded A-10 and still qualify for the NCAA tournament.

That's what I think may happen this season in a league with Xavier, Temple, St. Louis, St. Bonaventure, St. Joe's, Dayton and VCU.

[IrishDawg]

Has it occurred to anyone here that Butler might finish fifth or sixth in the upgraded A-10 and still qualify for the NCAA tournament.

That's what I think may happen this season in a league with Xavier, Temple, St. Louis, St. Bonaventure, St. Joe's, Dayton and VCU.

It's certainly occurred to a lot of us on the Butler board.  The fact that it looks like the team will get home games after January 1st against at least Saint Louis and Xavier, along with games against VCU and Temple, all of whom were in the RPI Top 50 last season, January 1st had been pretty much the deadline for Butler to have all of its quality wins in by tourney time in past seasons (unless they got a good bracketbuster opponent).  Now, this year, along with playing 3 games in Maui (Texas, UNC, Marquette, Illinois, USC and Mississippi State are participating), IU in Banker's Life, Gonzaga at home, @ Xavier for a non-con game, @ Vandy, they have those conference games as well.  Simply put, this year's schedule is LOADED.  They could lose half of those games and still be considered pretty darn good.

I'm going to need to see the team in action however before I start crowning them conference champs or even contenders.  Clarke does help with a major deficiency that they had last season, but in order for them to be successful, the other guys they have coming back must make some major leaps, not to mention Dunham is going to have to be very good, very early on in his career.  The encouraging thing about Dunham is that he is a major gym rat, and that's what it takes to get better as a college basketball player, especially considering his limited natural athletic ability.

[staxawax]

We will see Nildogg...your board is blinded just as much with Butler passion.  You get 2 national title game appearances and automatically assume that you have been there forever, and always will be.  You are not Duke, yet a lot of your fans put you in the same league.

Yet ask anyone who is in the Horizon League, and all they know is that Butler is in it.  Why, because of 2 national title game appearances.  What is Valpo known for nationally?  The shot.  We see it every year in March and will continue to see it.  No one outside of Valparaiso even remembers who won the regular season league title last year.  And this will continue until someone in this league wins a couple of games in the dance.  Yeah...... TWO NATIONAL TITLE GAMES IN SUCCESSION...... a feat never before accomplished by any Indiana school.  Duke?  Show me ONE fan that puts Butler in the same league.

[bbtds]

You guys are done with us remember. Go play your games on your own board.

[valpotx]

We will see Nildogg...your board is blinded just as much with Butler passion.  You get 2 national title game appearances and automatically assume that you have been there forever, and always will be.  You are not Duke, yet a lot of your fans put you in the same league.

Yet ask anyone who is in the Horizon League, and all they know is that Butler is in it.  Why, because of 2 national title game appearances.  What is Valpo known for nationally?  The shot.  We see it every year in March and will continue to see it.  No one outside of Valparaiso even remembers who won the regular season league title last year.  And this will continue until someone in this league wins a couple of games in the dance.  Yeah...... TWO NATIONAL TITLE GAMES IN SUCCESSION...... a feat never before accomplished by any Indiana school.  Duke?  Show me ONE fan that puts Butler in the same league.

Since you challenged me to name one fan on your board who puts you in the same league....OhioBulldog 

[blackpantheruwm]

Why is this a thread? You guys are the only board that is obsessing with Butler.

1. You had only 5 years in their league.
2. You have the best team returning and thus have something great to focus on.
3. You're the ones who got the best closure with Butler leaving the conference.

Why do you continue to talk trash?  You guys are basically acting like IUPUI did when you left the Mid-Con. A school found a better home for their athletics program. Get over it.

[vu72]

Why is this a thread? You guys are the only board that is obsessing with Butler.

1. You had only 5 years in their league.
2. You have the best team returning and thus have something great to focus on.
3. You're the ones who got the best closure with Butler leaving the conference.

Why do you continue to talk trash?  You guys are basically acting like IUPUI did when you left the Mid-Con. A school found a better home for their athletics program. Get over it.

Hey! Lighten up.  It's a fan forum and anything is fair game. I just counted 506 posts on your board concerning Butler. My comment is No. 32 on this thead and if you add up all the other Butler related posts it is no where near 500.

Now, as to your comments:  What does the fact that we've only been in THEIR league for five years do with anything?  Second, we spend plenty of time focused on our team and yes, we did provide Butler with a nice send off.

Up until a couple of weeks ago Butler was still in OUR conference. Some of the posters coming over here from the Butler board, and many others on their board were touting their need to leave the Horizon because of their superior product.  That sort of thing causes all sorts of interesting debate.

Our move to the Horizon was based on what was best for the student/athlete and what was best from an expense standpoint.  Butler's move has little to do with either. 

And finally, if what we want to discuss bothers you then...  Are things slow in Milwaukee? 

[valpotx]

I can only imagine how this affects their non-revenue sports and recruiting.  I would think that will benefit us in recruiting against them, as a lot of those athletes don't want to travel to the places they will have to for in-conference play.  Several of the newspapers quoted tweets from Butler athletes not involved in basketball when they found out about the move, and making it next year, and they were not nearly as excited as men's basketball players/fans. 

[valporun]

I feel our main reason for constantly talking about Butler's leaving for the A-10 now is how it takes away our main rival, not only in the conference, but in the state. Valpo knows that Notre Dame will only really face us in the non-revenue sports, or when Muffet McGraw needs another pushover for her women's basketball program, otherwise, men's basketball won't touch us, unless we're ready to lose money renting out the UC again.

VU has had so many rivalries in various sports with Butler over the decades. We don't have that kind of rivalry with any of the other schools in the HL, either due to their weakness in men's basketball, or their weakness in overall promotion of their athletics.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

man, 72, you pwned the Black Panther like...like you were Ryan Broekhoff in Milwaukee... ; )