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Butler
Road to the Final Four.............................................................................................
The Bulldogs started the season 3-3, but finished the year by winning nine of 10 games and wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the MCC tournament by beating Illinois-Chicago on a last-second 3-pointer in the final game of the regular season. Included in the late-season run was a win on the road at No. 10 Wisconsin. Butler then cruised through the field in the MCC tournament, winning by an average of 16.3 points and holding Detroit to just 38 points in the championship game to earn their fourth NCAA Tournament bid in five years. The Bulldogs are a dangerous mid-major matchup for any team in the first round. Just ask Florida, which needed a buzzer-beating basket by Mike Miller to beat Butler in the opening round. Thad Matta's team continued its stellar defense in Round 1 of the NCAA Tournament, holding Wake Forest to just 10 points in the first half and earning the Cinderella label. The Bulldogs then played second-seeded Arizona tough in the early part of their second-round matchup, but were eventually ousted by a talented Wildcats squad.Player to Watch Butler has four players averaging at least 10 points, but point guard Thomas Jackson controls the game for the Bulldogs. Jackson leads the team in scoring (13.2 ppg), leds the MCC in steals (1.6) and assist/turnover ratio (1.81). He was also third in the conference in assists (4.4). With the Ball Coach Thad Matta's offense has multiple options as Jackson, guards LaVall Jordan (12.2) and Brandon Miller (11.7), along with forward Rylan Hainje (10.9) all average in double figures. The Bulldogs thrive on the perimeter and get good shots, leading the MCC in 3-point field goal percentage (.411) and finishing second in 3-pointers made per game (7.9). Center Joel Cornette is a legitimate threat inside, converting 58.3 percent of his shots down on the low block. Defending the Ball With Jackson leading the defensive charge, Butler ended up with the best scoring defense in the MCC, giving up only an average of 60.3 points per game. Cornette provided interior defense with his 40 blocks and joined Jackson and Hainje on the MCC All-Defensive team.Seed Analysis Exceeding the Seed None. Playing to Expectations Falling Short None. BRACKETOLOGY SCORE: 0 (1,000 is playing exactly to a team's historical seeding) Bracketology Report The Butler nearly did it to Florida last year, as the Bulldogs were inches away from eliminating the eventual national finalists in the first round. Butler has its best-ever chance to advance this year, with the highest seed in school history. The Bulldogs are making their fourth NCAA trip in five years and could add to past MCC post-season successes. It was only two years ago that No. 12 Detroit sent No. 5 UCLA packing in the first round. Roster
 NCAA Basketball Championship Week It's March, which means the madness has started and invitations are being reserved throughout Championship Week.  Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories |  |
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