Who watched the Men's basketball championship game last night? I was absolutely enthralled by Butler's tenacity as they stayed with one of the best college basketball programs of all time. The only way the game could have been better is if Gordon Hayward had made his desperation halfcourt shot as time expired. The problem with that scenario is that I wouldn't have believed it. I would have been absolutely certain I was watching a video game or movie.
Hayward's half court heave will go down along with Jim Harbaugh's hail mary at the end of the Indianapolis-Pittsburgh AFC Championship game in 1995 as two of the most exciting "just-missed" attempts in sports history.
The real question is how did Butler get this good? After beating Syracuse, Kansas State and Michigan State and having every opportunity to beat Duke you can't say the Bulldogs were cinderellas or lucky. They were the second best team in the country. How does a small school from the Horizon League find one of the best college basketball coaches today in Brad Stevens? How does this same small school find a player like Gordon Hayward and convince him to play at Butler? And most importantly does this mean that college basketball has become the equivalent of college football where the better mid-major schools can compete and win at the top level? Because that didn't use to be the case. In the past a team like Butler (or George Mason a few years ago when they went to the final four) would win a game or two, become the national story, and than get wiped out by a better team from a big conference.
But that didn't happen, again Butler proved They were the better team in every game except Duke, where they met their equal.
So congratulations to Butler, as a fan of the University at Buffalo Bulls, a small school in the Mid-American Conference, you have given me hope that my team can one day compete with the big boys.
Until next time,
Alex
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