Listen to My Call of the Aces Thrilling Win at Butler

It was a privilege and a thrill to call the Aces victory at #23 Butler on 91.5 FM WUEV.  I am so happy for the players and staff who have worked so hard.  It is one of UE's greatest wins this decade.

Here are some of the highlights as I called them courtside at Hinkle Fieldhouse.  If you listen closely I think you might be able to tell which team I grew up following since I was a little kid.

Congrats Aces!

Highlights of Aces at Butler 11.27.10

Rematch is on: Duke vs. Butler v2.0

It will be one of the most anticipated regular season games of the season next year.  Duke and Butler will play a rematch of one of the greatest National Championship games ever played.

The Devils and Dogs will play December 4th at the Izod Center in New Jersey.  Duke survived 61-59 against Butler in the title game up in Indianapolis on April 5th.

The Devils have played very well in the arena that his normally home to the New Jersey Nets.  Duke is 18-1 overall winning five regional titles there.  Butler has never played at the Meadowlands.

The game will be broadcasted by ESPN

Butler's Hayward Entering NBA Draft -- No Agent

Butler standout forward Gordon Hayward joins the growing list of underclassmen to test the NBA waters.  Hayward announces he will not sign an agent, but he will file the papers to enter the 2010 NBA draft.

Hayward has flourished at butler in just two seasons.  The sophomore averaged almost 16 points a game and help lead the Bulldogs to one of the most memorable NCAA championship runs ever.  He was also the Horizon League player of the year.  He was also the MVP of the West Regional.

He would become the first Butler player to ever go in the first round.  Some draft services have projected him into the top 15 picks.

Recap and Pictures from One of the Greatest Title Games Ever

Just a few hours later, I am still in disbelief over what might have been.  I bet I relived that halfcourt shot by Gordon Hayward a thousand times last night in my sleep.  At no point did I ever think that Butler was going to lose.  Everyone I talked to yesterday that asked…I confidently said the Bulldogs would beat Duke.

The final minute of play was so incredible.  The Bulldogs get the stop they desperately needed and only trailed by one with seemingly the final possession.  Timeout on the court and Lucas Oil Stadium was just in a frenzy.  The possibility of a real life Hoosier movie was about to unfold right in front of our eyes.  I tried to take it all in during that timeout.  Butler fans were out of their minds jumping up and down, clinching their hands.  Some were praying.  Some were holding their breath.  Duke fans were screaming “One more stop!!!”  Police officers were cheering and excitingly talking to each other.  The camera operator on the crane camera for CBS was pumping his fists.  Even the normally jaded media members knew we were all about to have a story of a lifetime.

When Hayward took the baseline jumper with :04 left I watched the ball arc through the air.  I was doing my best geometric analysis .  “Is it high enough, does the distance add up…the angle looks right…OHH it looks good….YE….NOOOOOOOOOO”

The entire building just deflated as the Bulldogs quickly fouled.  The much smaller group of Duke fans scream in ecstasy.

That sets up what looked to be an even more incredible finish.  I knew Butler didn’t have timeouts and the Dogs had to get it down the court quickly.  The free throw is missed and Hayward has the ball.  When it left his hand I thought of Washington’s Luke Zeller who won a state title for the Hatchets in Indy with a halfcourt shot.  Again, my geometry classes come into play.  I kept thinking, I think it could bounce in.  I was in the far corner so my angle was pretty spot on.  It was so close.  70,000 fans gasped at the same time.  The shot just missed and Duke survived what would have been the greatest ending to a sporting event of all-time.

I was up in Indy with my cousin Jared, and my good buddies Jason and Bo.  I am so fortunate to be able to witness such a remarkable Final Four.  Here are a few pics from last night’s game:

 

 

Pictures from 2010 Final Four Saturday -- Go Butler!

As a long supporter of the “little guy”…I was so excited to see Butler knock out Michigan State to advance to the championship!!  What an incredible story for the hometown Indy team from the small Horizon League to be playing for the National Championship.

The final 12 minutes of the game were so hard to watch as Butler just could not score.  However, the Bulldogs defense is what separates them from other mid-major schools that have made deep runs in the Tourney.  This Butler team can get critical stops when it needs to, and the Dogs needed every great defensive stand to hold off the Spartans.

I took my little cousin Jared Nishida to the Final Four with me.  We had a great time.  We were able to be together down on the court.  I wasn’t sure what the rules were to take pictures during the Butler game, so I didn’t take very many.  

However, for the second game Duke and West Virginia I took a lot of pictures.  My buddy Richard Morris let me borrow his professional camera, and I got some great pics with that.  However, I cannot open his card from up here, so I will have to wait till I get home on Tuesday to upload those. 

Here are pics from my camera.  I hope you enjoy!  I cannot wait for Monday’s game.  I hope the Dawgs have one more win in them.

CLICK HERE FOR ALL OF THE PICS

This is my favorite:

Butler Fans Watch Final Four at Stockwell's

One of my favorite hangouts is fthe official viewing home in Evansville for Butler in the Final Four.  Stockwell's Inn will be decked in in Bulldog Blue on Saturday and hopefully Monday.  They are great people over there, and you can't beat the prices! Here is more information from their official release:

The Stockwell Inn, 4001 East Eichel Avenue, one block south of Morgan Avenue on Stockwell Road, has been named by Butler University as an official viewing site for fans to watch the teams run through the mens NCAA basketball final four this weekend, April 3^rd through the 5^th.

The popular eastside neighborhood tavern will be showing Butlers 5:07 PM Saturday game against Michigan State in the semi-finals of the tournament on its eight high-definition televisions. Drink and food specials, as well as, commemorative final four Butler items will be available throughout the game as Butler attempts to recreate Hoosiers and make college basketball history with a win in Monday nights championship game.

Butler Universitys official viewing party link: http://www.butler.edu/alumni/events/athletics/men%27s-basketball-post-season-play

For more information contact The Stockwell Inn at 812.476.2384

Vegas Sets Odds on Final Four

In what has been a wide-open NCAA Tournament, Las Vegas is now predicting Duke as the odd on favorite to win it all.  Oddsmakers in Sin City say that Duke is the 7:5 favorite to win it all.  Those are horrible odds to make any money. 

Ironically, little ole Butler is not the underdog.  Michigan State is.  The Spartans are 17:5.  Butler is 5:2 and West Virginia is 2:1.

Currently Butler is a 1.5 point favorite over Michigan State, and Duke is 2.5 over West Virginia.

I do not bet on sports at all, however, it is interesting to see how Vegas sets the lines.  Las Vegas oddsmakers goal is to set the line so all of the money bet will be equal to each team. 

NCAA Tournament Eve -- My Thoughts on the Tournament

With so many different projects with work, I haven’t really gotten around to writing down my thoughts on the NCAA Tournament.  As we are now on the eve of the madness, I am pretty pumped up for the games to start.  I will be in Indy for the Final Four and I can’t wait for all of the drama to unfold.

I am a one bracket guy.  I don’t understand people who fill out multiple brackets.  As I filled out mine I was looking for some upsets.  In a tournament that is so wide open, it was hard for me to find that Cinderella.  It seemed most of the time I took the favorite in most matchups.  Last year that worked well for me.  I picked all the number one seeds to the final four (caught hell for it!), and I won some nice change in three of the contests I entered.

One of the reasons I think it is hard to find a great upset story is that six of the mid-majors are paired against each other.  I think that is a real travesty.  We see teams like Oklahoma State and Georgia Tech, or Texas and Wake Forest play each other all season long.  It is impossible for mid-majors to schedule a home game against a big boy, so the Tournament is the small school’s chance to shine.  So what happen…Northern Iowa gets UNLV, Butler is against UTEP, and Richmond has St. Mary’s.  What a joke.  How about Butler versus Florida? (wait a minute we’ve seen that…and the Dogs won!)  Or maybe Northern Iowa against Louisville?  That would make much more sense.  I grew up an Aces and Ball State fan so I am always cheering for the little guys. 

As for the bluebloods, I completely agree with most that Kentucky and Kansas just got hosed on their draw.  It is amazing the difference between Duke’s run and Kentucky’s.  Heck, West Virginia is the #2 seed in the East and the Mountaineers have an easier road to the region finals than top seeded UK. 

How about Tournament expansion?  I have my theory that I have talked about in the podcasts with Sean Bartel as well as on a radio show that I am on in North Carolina.  It is this (and tell me your thoughts). I do think there is some merit to expansion.  I think the NCAA made a mistake by letting in so many schools into Division I the past 15 years…so the field is much larger and you can justify a small increase.  96?  No way. 

This is what I would do.  Expand the team by 7 to 72.  Have 8 teams in the play-in round.  However, the 8 teams must be the final 8 teams to receive an at-large bid.  Those four games are staggered on Tuesday so you can watch them all.  It would make Tuesday so much more exciting.  This year it would be Florida, Minnesota, Utah State, Wake Forest, Mississippi State, Rhode Island, etc etc.  The main 64 team bracket stays intact, and you get a bump in expansion but not too much.  Plus, you add another day of excitement with four play-in games. 

I always thought the two play-in teams got shafted.  They made their dream a reality.  They won their conference tournament and earned a ticket to the Big Dance.  Instead, they get swept aside to Dayton for a game that few care about. 

The first two days of the Tournament are the best.  I really hope for some buzzer beaters and bracket busters!

Here is to hoping your bracket doesn’t have too many red X’s and for a tournament to remember!