It started out close enough. Indiana State came right down the floor and took a quick 2-0 lead. They were furiously en route to their fourth straight win over Butler. It would be a devastating upset; Butler is ranked 25th heading into the season—the highest pre-season ranking in the school’s nine million year history.
But with 19 minutes and 53 seconds left to play in the first half, A.J. Graves coolly lifted up his right leg and urinated all over the Sycamore’s budding hopes and dreams of intrastate success.
ISU put up 14 points in the first half—an output reminiscent of my little sister’s fourth grade basketball games. Mike green (Butler’s version of Jamaal Tinsley, but without the drugs, apathy, or turnover ratio) routinely sliced up the Sycamores like a fresh loaf of Wonder bread. He’s arguably Butler’s most exciting player to watch—he has a smooth and controlled speed to his game that draws attention—and allows Graves to run loose and do his thing downtown.
Winning by 33 with two minutes left—Butler has mercifully pulled their starters. Graves leaves the game with 26 points, six three pointers, and eight million steals. It’s a new NCAA record.
But no, what's this?! As the clock ticks down, the Sycamores of applied the full court press! The comeback of the century has begun! They are playing with fire and poise! And----
---technical foul on ISU for hanging on the rim.
Weak. Clearly the referee has never seen the high-octane drama “Blue Chips,” featuring Nick Nolte and Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway. Godspeed, Sycamores.
Final Sore: Butler 76, ISU 48. For you math fans, they did, in fact, double their first half output.
The next home game is against the Buckeyes of Ohio State on December 1—an environmentally natural progression from their date with Sycamores—and the closest they’ll likely come to playing a ranked opponent until March, depending on how the Great Alaskan Shootout bracket plays out. They’re seeded to play Michigan first, and could play any combination or Gonzaga, Texas Tech, or Western Kentucky—all of which are teams with Top-25 potential. With Butler’s lackluster strength of schedule in the Horizon League, a tournament birth in March is wholly dependent on kicking ass at home, and out-playing at least two or three contenders along the way this month. Which means an at-large bid in the tournament could be made or broken on Dec. 1—before conference play even begins.
Or they could just win the Horizon League conference tournament at the end of the season and make the dance that way-- rendering the entire first four months of the season (and the previous 150 words) utterly irrelevant. Sigh.
Next Home Game: December 1, 7 pm vs Ohio State. Televised on ESPNU.
