Stranger things have happened, huh? The 5th seeded Butler Bulldogs out of the West Regional are going home to Indiana to play in the first Final Four in school history.
The Bulldogs currently play in the so-called mid-major conference of the Horizon League which drew little attention from most experts in the regular season. Sure they had a record of 28-4 and held the nation's longest winning streak but that wasn't enough to garner attention from most people. (To note for the ESPN Tournament Challenge, less than 0.3% of people predicted Butler to even make to Final Four.)
The story seems to write itself, the team from the small conference with the former Eli Lilly Marketing Consultant as head coach has become the media darlings of the Final Four. The entire vibe of "Hoosiers" seems to permeate this story as I write it. (Ironically enough, Butler's home gym of Hinkle Fieldhouse was the shooting location for the basketball shots in the movie)
The real question that everyone seems to be asking is, does Butler have enough in their tank to pull off one of the greatest upset title wins in the history of the NCAA? On the outset, they have conquered top-seeded Syracuse, 2nd-seeded Kansas State, and survived an upset bid by Murray State. So it appears at least they can handle athletic teams that can score points in bunches which pretty much is the microcosm of their first Final Four opponent, Michigan State.
In the historical perspective, if Butler pulls out the National Championship it might be the first of it's kind. The Mid-Majors of the world were already given some much needed respect by George Mason's run to the Final Four in 2006 but a Butler title might finally break the notion that non-power conferences cannot compete with the more traditional power conferences. To even look back in the annals of NCAA history, we have to go back as far as the 50's/60's to find teams not from the traditional power-houses to win National Championships. The win might mean more to all the non-power conferences than to Butler itself, respect is a thing that is earned and if Butler earns it, the notion of inferiority is dropped from the slate of the NCAA/fan perception of mid-major conferences.
Butler's team-oriented ball-movement and the play of guard Shelvin Mack and forward Matt Howard have been one of the most enjoyable things to watch during this NCAA tournament. In the end, the Butler Bulldogs control their own destiny for the National Championship but I can't stop thinking that they've done enough already.
What If Butler Ends the Madness With A National Championship?
