Bulldogs' dominance past 4 years makes them 'gold standard'
It is the tradition. The system. The players. The coaches.
Butler's four-year dominance of Horizon League basketball is a combination of things, according to coaches in the league.
"As I told our guys, they're the gold standard of the league," Loyola coach Jim Whitesell said. "Butler, to be undefeated at this point, I think is an incredible feat."
The No. 23-ranked Bulldogs, with a 12-0 league record, could clinch a share of a fourth consecutive regular-season title tonight. To do so, they would have to beat second-place Wright State (8-4) at Hinkle Fieldhouse and Cleveland State (7-4) would have to lose at Loyola.
Butler has produced the fourth-best record (104-21) in NCAA Division I over the past four seasons. Only three teams -- Gonzaga (nine), Kansas (five) and Memphis (four) -- have longer active streaks of regular-season conference championships.
The Bulldogs' run can be traced to the NIT Season Tip-Off in November 2006 under coach Todd Lickliter. It has continued in three years under Brad Stevens, and shows no sign of ending soon. Butler's lineup features three sophomores, and there are only two scholarship seniors on the roster.
"Their guys are better; they're bigger," Wright State coach Brad Brownell said. "The scary thing is, they're back again next year."
Skeptics allege Butler wins because the Horizon is a weak league, an assertion Stevens disputes. In Ratings Percentage Index, a computer formula, the Horizon is 14th out of 32 conferences.
However, coaches said the depth is better than ever, with seemingly little difference between second and eighth places.
For instance, eighth-place Loyola nearly upset Butler, losing 48-47. The Ramblers defeated San Francisco (which last week beat No. 13 Gonzaga) and won at Bradley. Fifth-place Wisconsin-Green Bay defeated No. 16 Wisconsin.
The Horizon has a strong NCAA Tournament record aside from Butler's success. Milwaukee reached the 2005 Sweet Sixteen and Cleveland State upset Wake Forest last year. It is one of eight leagues with tournament wins in each of the past five years.
It is the tradition. The system. The players. The coaches.
Butler's four-year dominance of Horizon League basketball is a combination of things, according to coaches in the league.
"As I told our guys, they're the gold standard of the league," Loyola coach Jim Whitesell said. "Butler, to be undefeated at this point, I think is an incredible feat."
The No. 23-ranked Bulldogs, with a 12-0 league record, could clinch a share of a fourth consecutive regular-season title tonight. To do so, they would have to beat second-place Wright State (8-4) at Hinkle Fieldhouse and Cleveland State (7-4) would have to lose at Loyola.
Butler has produced the fourth-best record (104-21) in NCAA Division I over the past four seasons. Only three teams -- Gonzaga (nine), Kansas (five) and Memphis (four) -- have longer active streaks of regular-season conference championships.
The Bulldogs' run can be traced to the NIT Season Tip-Off in November 2006 under coach Todd Lickliter. It has continued in three years under Brad Stevens, and shows no sign of ending soon. Butler's lineup features three sophomores, and there are only two scholarship seniors on the roster.
"Their guys are better; they're bigger," Wright State coach Brad Brownell said. "The scary thing is, they're back again next year."
Skeptics allege Butler wins because the Horizon is a weak league, an assertion Stevens disputes. In Ratings Percentage Index, a computer formula, the Horizon is 14th out of 32 conferences.
However, coaches said the depth is better than ever, with seemingly little difference between second and eighth places.
For instance, eighth-place Loyola nearly upset Butler, losing 48-47. The Ramblers defeated San Francisco (which last week beat No. 13 Gonzaga) and won at Bradley. Fifth-place Wisconsin-Green Bay defeated No. 16 Wisconsin.
The Horizon has a strong NCAA Tournament record aside from Butler's success. Milwaukee reached the 2005 Sweet Sixteen and Cleveland State upset Wake Forest last year. It is one of eight leagues with tournament wins in each of the past five years.
