Kansas and Florida averaged about 95 points together in their first two games. Their totals for their next game is around 125. What's the rationale for why these totals are where they are?
Question about Totals
- Thread starter KotysDad
- Start date
Look at who they're playing. Both Butler and Southern Illinois are very low scoring teams that will not get caught up in an up-tempo game. Points are always hard to come by when playing Southern Illinois and look for the Saluki's to have trouble scoring against Kansas. Would not be one bit surprised if both go under.
- Mar 19, 2006
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BUTLER
GETTING INSIDE
When it comes to basketball IQ, Butler could start its own Mensa chapter.
The Bulldogs (29-6) are back in the Sweet 16 for the second time in five years despite having a lineup that ? as one NCAA Tournament broadcaster noted ? does not look very impressive in the airport.
"We're challenged a little bit physically," admits junior point guard Mike Green. "But as far as thinking, we might be one of the best-thinking teams in America."
Physical mismatches are nothing new for Butler. At 6-feet, Green is the squad's top rebounder. The tallest starter is 6-7 senior Brian Ligon and junior guard A.J. Graves, the leading scorer, is generously listed at 160 pounds.
They aren't very athletic, either. In the second-round win against Maryland, the Bulldogs had zero blocks and zero dunks and were out-rebounded by a 37-23 margin.
No worries. Their genius-level hoops intelligence more than levels the field and creates a knack for being in the right place at the right time, whether it's senior forward Brandon Crone drawing a charge from Terrapins star D.J. Strawberry with 40 seconds left, or Green corralling an offensive rebound with less than five ticks remaining.
"Our system is set up where you really have to know the game," says Crone. "You definitely have to be able to think at times. We've shown that when 12 players play together, anything can be done."
NOTES, QUOTES
?Butler (29-6) has surpassed both the school record for victories (27-6 in 2003) and the league record established by Xavier (28-5) in 1989-90.
?The Bulldogs are the only team in Division I averaging fewer than 10 turnovers per game this season. They turned it over 12 times against Maryland, but only once in the final nine minutes.
LAST POSTSEASON APPEARANCE: Lost to Florida State 67-63 in first round of 2006 NIT.
MEMORABLE MOMENT FROM PAST TOURNAMENTS: Butler suffered a heartbreaking, 69-68 overtime loss to No. 5 seed Florida in the opener of the 2000 NCAA Tournament. Given new life when LaVall Jordan missed two free throws with 8.1 seconds left, the Gators survived on Mike Miller's leaner in the lane at the buzzer.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We've all got egos. I'm sure it's not 100 percent of the time, but these guys have proven what you can accomplish by giving. There's a great reward to that." ? Butler coach Todd Lickliter.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
PLAYER ROTATION: Usual Starters ? PG Mike Green, G A.J. Graves, G/F Julian Betko, F Brian Ligon, F Brandon Crone. Key Subs ?Pete Campbell, Drew Streicher.
GAME REVIEW:
Butler 57, Old Dominion 46 (NCAA Tournament Midwest Region first round)
Butler 62, Maryland 59 (NCAA Tournament Midwest Region second round)
GAME PREVIEW:
vs. Florida, Friday, March 23, St. Louis, Missouri (NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional semifinal)
KEYS: Patience and poise. Butler must seize control of the clock against top-seeded Florida (30-5), the defending national champions who average better than 80 points per game. The Bulldogs are a perfect 21-0 this season when holding opponents under 60 points. The only counter-attack for the formidable Florida frontcourt ? 6-9 Corey Brewer, 6-10 Al Horford and 6-11 Joakim Noah ? may be the longball. Butler made 10 or more threes in 14 games this season, including a dozen against Maryland.
ROSTER REPORT:
?Junior G A.J. Graves has averaged 20.4 points in Butler's eight neutral court games this season. The Bulldogs are a perfect 8-0 in those contests and Graves has been the leading scorer in seven of them, including the NCAA Tournament games against Maryland (19) and Old Dominion (18).
?Late in the second half against Maryland, senior forward Brandon Crone made one clutch play after another. He drained a 25-footer to give Butler a 54-48 cushion with six minutes remaining and hit a jumper with 3:01 left to put the Bulldogs ahead for good at 58-56. With 40.6 seconds on the clock, he drew a charge from Terrapins guard D.J. Strawberry.
?With a 3-of-5 effort at the foul line against Maryland, junior G Mike Green smashed the school record for free throws in a season with 192. He had shared the previous record of 189 with Darin Archbold (1991-92).
?Senior G-F Julian Betko left Thursday's game against Old Dominion with 17 minutes remaining after injuring his left shoulder in a collision. He did not return and was considered questionable for the Maryland game, but started and collected seven points, two assists and one steal in 29 minutes of action.
_____________________________________________________________
FLORIDA
GETTING INSIDE
Florida won five of its six games by double-digit margins on its way to the 2006 national championship, the lone exception a four-point decision over Georgetown in a regional semifinal.
The Gators now have their second single-digit victory in their last eight NCAA tourney games, and the battle they had with Purdue was even closer than the final 74-67 score tells.
The Gators led by only three points with less than two minutes to play but got some big baskets from Al Horford and key free throws from Taurean Green and Corey Brewer down the stretch to increase their cushion and secure the victory.
They nearly ended up with another double-digit win, but Purdue's Carl Landry converted a three-point play with one second left to account for the final seven-point margin.
The top-seeded Gators also faced a bit of a fight in their opening game, a match against 16th-seeded Jackson State, but jumped on the Tigers late in the first half for a 41-35 lead at the break, and the second half was all-Florida.
You can look at the games two ways:
?The defending national champions look vulnerable at times and have developed a tendency to fall behind early. A patient, savvy team like Butler, their next opponent, could take advantage of that.
?Or, when the Gators turn it on, they are unstoppable.
NOTES, QUOTES
?After going just 14-of-31 from the field in the first half against Jackson State, the Gators ended up shooting 58.9 percent for the game, going 29-of-42 in the second half. It was that way against Purdue, too. The Gators were only 8-of-22 (36.4 percent) and trailing 31-29 at the break, but they warmed up to 13-of-20 in the second half and finished the game shooting an even 50 percent (21-of-42) from the floor.
?The Gators had problems handling Purdue's defensive pressure early and committed 15 turnovers against the Boilermakers. But they didn't have any down the stretch and ended up with a 23-13 advantage in points off turnovers.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "It's kind of fun showing them you're stronger than they think you are." ? Slender junior Corey Brewer, in the Orlando Sentinel, on the perception opponents have of him.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
PLAYER ROTATION: Usual Starters ? F Joakim Noah, F Corey Brewer, C Al Horford, G Taurean Green, G Lee Humphrey. Key Subs ? F Chris Richard, F Dan Werner, F Marreese Speights, G Walter Hodge.
GAME REVIEW:
Florida 112, Jackson State 69
Florida 74, Purdue 67
GAME PREVIEW:
vs. Butler, Friday, March 23, St. Louis.
KEYS: The Gators can't take the Bulldogs lightly. Butler, after all, beat Purdue, a team that gave the Gators fits in the second round, on Purdue's own court in the regular season. Butler does play good defense, so it would behoove the Gators to try to take care of the basketball. Florida probably has too much inside strength for Butler to handle.
ROSTER REPORT:
?Taurean Green had two miserable games shooting, going 1-of-9 against Jackson State and 3-of-9 against Purdue from the field, but he was 6-of-6 from the free throw line against the Boilermakers, including 4-of-4 in the last minute.
?Al Horford just missed registering double-doubles in both tournament games when he grabbed only nine rebounds against Purdue. He scored 17 points against the Boilermakers. He had 15 points and 16 rebounds against Jackson State.
?Joakim Noah, too, had a double-double against Jackson State (17 points, 12 rebounds) and just missed against Purdue with nine points and nine rebounds. Noah had six blocked shots in the two games.
_____________________________________________________________
good luck which ever way you go...personally can't see Butler dictating tempo versus defending National Champions with all their experience..
GETTING INSIDE
When it comes to basketball IQ, Butler could start its own Mensa chapter.
The Bulldogs (29-6) are back in the Sweet 16 for the second time in five years despite having a lineup that ? as one NCAA Tournament broadcaster noted ? does not look very impressive in the airport.
"We're challenged a little bit physically," admits junior point guard Mike Green. "But as far as thinking, we might be one of the best-thinking teams in America."
Physical mismatches are nothing new for Butler. At 6-feet, Green is the squad's top rebounder. The tallest starter is 6-7 senior Brian Ligon and junior guard A.J. Graves, the leading scorer, is generously listed at 160 pounds.
They aren't very athletic, either. In the second-round win against Maryland, the Bulldogs had zero blocks and zero dunks and were out-rebounded by a 37-23 margin.
No worries. Their genius-level hoops intelligence more than levels the field and creates a knack for being in the right place at the right time, whether it's senior forward Brandon Crone drawing a charge from Terrapins star D.J. Strawberry with 40 seconds left, or Green corralling an offensive rebound with less than five ticks remaining.
"Our system is set up where you really have to know the game," says Crone. "You definitely have to be able to think at times. We've shown that when 12 players play together, anything can be done."
NOTES, QUOTES
?Butler (29-6) has surpassed both the school record for victories (27-6 in 2003) and the league record established by Xavier (28-5) in 1989-90.
?The Bulldogs are the only team in Division I averaging fewer than 10 turnovers per game this season. They turned it over 12 times against Maryland, but only once in the final nine minutes.
LAST POSTSEASON APPEARANCE: Lost to Florida State 67-63 in first round of 2006 NIT.
MEMORABLE MOMENT FROM PAST TOURNAMENTS: Butler suffered a heartbreaking, 69-68 overtime loss to No. 5 seed Florida in the opener of the 2000 NCAA Tournament. Given new life when LaVall Jordan missed two free throws with 8.1 seconds left, the Gators survived on Mike Miller's leaner in the lane at the buzzer.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We've all got egos. I'm sure it's not 100 percent of the time, but these guys have proven what you can accomplish by giving. There's a great reward to that." ? Butler coach Todd Lickliter.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
PLAYER ROTATION: Usual Starters ? PG Mike Green, G A.J. Graves, G/F Julian Betko, F Brian Ligon, F Brandon Crone. Key Subs ?Pete Campbell, Drew Streicher.
GAME REVIEW:
Butler 57, Old Dominion 46 (NCAA Tournament Midwest Region first round)
Butler 62, Maryland 59 (NCAA Tournament Midwest Region second round)
GAME PREVIEW:
vs. Florida, Friday, March 23, St. Louis, Missouri (NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional semifinal)
KEYS: Patience and poise. Butler must seize control of the clock against top-seeded Florida (30-5), the defending national champions who average better than 80 points per game. The Bulldogs are a perfect 21-0 this season when holding opponents under 60 points. The only counter-attack for the formidable Florida frontcourt ? 6-9 Corey Brewer, 6-10 Al Horford and 6-11 Joakim Noah ? may be the longball. Butler made 10 or more threes in 14 games this season, including a dozen against Maryland.
ROSTER REPORT:
?Junior G A.J. Graves has averaged 20.4 points in Butler's eight neutral court games this season. The Bulldogs are a perfect 8-0 in those contests and Graves has been the leading scorer in seven of them, including the NCAA Tournament games against Maryland (19) and Old Dominion (18).
?Late in the second half against Maryland, senior forward Brandon Crone made one clutch play after another. He drained a 25-footer to give Butler a 54-48 cushion with six minutes remaining and hit a jumper with 3:01 left to put the Bulldogs ahead for good at 58-56. With 40.6 seconds on the clock, he drew a charge from Terrapins guard D.J. Strawberry.
?With a 3-of-5 effort at the foul line against Maryland, junior G Mike Green smashed the school record for free throws in a season with 192. He had shared the previous record of 189 with Darin Archbold (1991-92).
?Senior G-F Julian Betko left Thursday's game against Old Dominion with 17 minutes remaining after injuring his left shoulder in a collision. He did not return and was considered questionable for the Maryland game, but started and collected seven points, two assists and one steal in 29 minutes of action.
_____________________________________________________________
FLORIDA
GETTING INSIDE
Florida won five of its six games by double-digit margins on its way to the 2006 national championship, the lone exception a four-point decision over Georgetown in a regional semifinal.
The Gators now have their second single-digit victory in their last eight NCAA tourney games, and the battle they had with Purdue was even closer than the final 74-67 score tells.
The Gators led by only three points with less than two minutes to play but got some big baskets from Al Horford and key free throws from Taurean Green and Corey Brewer down the stretch to increase their cushion and secure the victory.
They nearly ended up with another double-digit win, but Purdue's Carl Landry converted a three-point play with one second left to account for the final seven-point margin.
The top-seeded Gators also faced a bit of a fight in their opening game, a match against 16th-seeded Jackson State, but jumped on the Tigers late in the first half for a 41-35 lead at the break, and the second half was all-Florida.
You can look at the games two ways:
?The defending national champions look vulnerable at times and have developed a tendency to fall behind early. A patient, savvy team like Butler, their next opponent, could take advantage of that.
?Or, when the Gators turn it on, they are unstoppable.
NOTES, QUOTES
?After going just 14-of-31 from the field in the first half against Jackson State, the Gators ended up shooting 58.9 percent for the game, going 29-of-42 in the second half. It was that way against Purdue, too. The Gators were only 8-of-22 (36.4 percent) and trailing 31-29 at the break, but they warmed up to 13-of-20 in the second half and finished the game shooting an even 50 percent (21-of-42) from the floor.
?The Gators had problems handling Purdue's defensive pressure early and committed 15 turnovers against the Boilermakers. But they didn't have any down the stretch and ended up with a 23-13 advantage in points off turnovers.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "It's kind of fun showing them you're stronger than they think you are." ? Slender junior Corey Brewer, in the Orlando Sentinel, on the perception opponents have of him.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
PLAYER ROTATION: Usual Starters ? F Joakim Noah, F Corey Brewer, C Al Horford, G Taurean Green, G Lee Humphrey. Key Subs ? F Chris Richard, F Dan Werner, F Marreese Speights, G Walter Hodge.
GAME REVIEW:
Florida 112, Jackson State 69
Florida 74, Purdue 67
GAME PREVIEW:
vs. Butler, Friday, March 23, St. Louis.
KEYS: The Gators can't take the Bulldogs lightly. Butler, after all, beat Purdue, a team that gave the Gators fits in the second round, on Purdue's own court in the regular season. Butler does play good defense, so it would behoove the Gators to try to take care of the basketball. Florida probably has too much inside strength for Butler to handle.
ROSTER REPORT:
?Taurean Green had two miserable games shooting, going 1-of-9 against Jackson State and 3-of-9 against Purdue from the field, but he was 6-of-6 from the free throw line against the Boilermakers, including 4-of-4 in the last minute.
?Al Horford just missed registering double-doubles in both tournament games when he grabbed only nine rebounds against Purdue. He scored 17 points against the Boilermakers. He had 15 points and 16 rebounds against Jackson State.
?Joakim Noah, too, had a double-double against Jackson State (17 points, 12 rebounds) and just missed against Purdue with nine points and nine rebounds. Noah had six blocked shots in the two games.
_____________________________________________________________
good luck which ever way you go...personally can't see Butler dictating tempo versus defending National Champions with all their experience..
Outstanding info Old School.
KotsDad - in addition to all the info given above, I would like to add the fact that IMO nerves start to play a factor in these games as you get closer and closer to the end of the tourney. While most players won't admit it, the media hype and attention these guys get plays a factor in their performance. The end result is more dribbling and passing and less shooting.
(In a nutshell as the tourney goes on it becomes more and more of a half court game)
I think that Butler will dictate the pace and even after Florida has breakout basket, they will set their half court offense up, work the ball around the perimeter and milk the shot clock.
Ineptly trying to get it inside before they have to settle for a contested 3 with the shot clock running down.
In fact, if Butler doesn't shoot a high percentage on their 3's this thing is a blowout.
You have to believe that the Butler coaches only hopes in winning with his undermanned squad is to lul the Gators to sleep, keep it close till the end of the game and try to steal a win with tenasious D.
Ain't gonna happen - Florida is going to pound it inside over and over and over. Foul trouble for Butler.
Horford is a monster.
Final Score
Fla 67
But 52
KotsDad - in addition to all the info given above, I would like to add the fact that IMO nerves start to play a factor in these games as you get closer and closer to the end of the tourney. While most players won't admit it, the media hype and attention these guys get plays a factor in their performance. The end result is more dribbling and passing and less shooting.
(In a nutshell as the tourney goes on it becomes more and more of a half court game)
I think that Butler will dictate the pace and even after Florida has breakout basket, they will set their half court offense up, work the ball around the perimeter and milk the shot clock.
Ineptly trying to get it inside before they have to settle for a contested 3 with the shot clock running down.
In fact, if Butler doesn't shoot a high percentage on their 3's this thing is a blowout.
You have to believe that the Butler coaches only hopes in winning with his undermanned squad is to lul the Gators to sleep, keep it close till the end of the game and try to steal a win with tenasious D.
Ain't gonna happen - Florida is going to pound it inside over and over and over. Foul trouble for Butler.
Horford is a monster.
Final Score
Fla 67
But 52
Last edited:
more like 62-57 POP
You may be right but I think Butler's just to small, and oversized by Florida. Donovan is no dummy. He is going to pound it inside until it hurts. He has 5 days to pick Butler apart and the athlete to do just about whatever he wants against this team. Butler is a smart team but its not enough this time. I think Butler is going to get taken behind the woodshed and pounded.:chairshot Double digit win by FLorida.
