BUTLER BULLDOGS, 27-9 (11-5, A-10)
Lost in the 3rd Round of the NCAA tournament to Marquette
Head Coach: Brandon Miller - Miller follows a long line of first time coaches at Butler and looks to recapture their magic. Miller was on the 2003 Sweet 16 team and was a special assistant at Illinois under John Groce last season. Miller came back aboard prior to Brad Stevens leaving. Matt Graves probably would have gotten the job had he not taken the South Alabama job.
NCAA History:
Final Four: 2, National Runner-up in 2010 & 2011
Elite 8's: Both those same seasons
Sweet 16's: 5
Butler has 17 NCAA tournament wins since 2001 alone. That encompasses the coaching tenures of Thad Matta, Todd Lickliter & Brad Stevens. Current AD Barry Collier was the coach prior to those 3 and is considered the father of the current successful run by Butler basketball.
2013-14 Glance: The off-season started with a bang for Butler as they began their transition into the new Big East. Just two years ago, they were playing in the competetive but less glamorous Horizon league but were a very attractive program to incorporate into the new conference. Then Brad Stevens left. Stevens had been courted by nearly every opening in the last few seasons but was seemingly waiting for possibly one of the Tobacco Road jobs or maybe Indiana should it ever open. Instead, he jumped to the NBA and the Celtics who could be the worst team in the NBA this season. Following that, Butler's leading returning scorer, rebounder and assist man, Roosevelt Jones was lost for the season to injury. To add insult to injury, beloved Bulldog mascot, Blue II passed away.
Jones was expected to be the Bulldogs all-everything but they still have some pieces to play with. SOPH G Kellen Dunham returns and reports are he looks stronger than he was last year. He scored about 10ppg and hit 34.5% from deep, a number that will need to improve. Also in the backcourt with him wiill be JR. Alex Barlow. Of all the Butler newcomers, Elijah Brown looks the most ready to contribute according to reports and should see time in the backcourt rotation. As was an issue last year, who will run the point needs to be addressed. Butler's biggest issue last season was ball control. If we recall, VCU hounded them when they played taking advantage of that Butler weakness.
Despite losing Andrew Smith, Butler should have decent production out of their frontcourt. JR. Khyle Marshall returns. Marshall scored 9.6 ppg last year and shot 56.6%. You should see his scoring increase this season. Joining him will be seniors Erik Fromm & Kameron Woods. Woods got 4.9 boards per game in 17 minutes per game. More will be expected of him this season.
The Jones loss is big. It's hard to know what they have in Brandon Miller but the Bulldogs have seamlessly transitioned from hot commodity to assistant the last 4 coaching changes. The hire was largely received as a positive move. Their 3 leading scorers are gone and the level of competetion, like for Creighton, will be better but that hasn't bothered the Bulldogs in the past. We just don't know how this group will respond. Even if Jones is healthy, Butler was probably going to finish in the lower half of the conference. Miller will be challenged to recruit at a higher level while he gets his feet wet as a head coach. A challenge awaits Butler this season and in the future. Look for them to likely finish 7th or 8th this season.
Butler Basketball Blogs: butlerhoops.com; victoryfirelight.com
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