Bluegrassrivals

Butler Advances And Will Face Kansas State/Wisconsin In The Sweet 16

This is awesome. I think Pittsburgh has been overrated all year and I really don't like the team. Good job Butler!

My bracket is busted now. I had Pitt in the Final 4

Another loss for the Big Least, the most overrated conference in the country. Butler almost gave it away in the closing seconds with a stupid foul and then Pitt threw away a sure overtime opportunity with a stupid foul with 0.8 seconds left. Both teams played very well and it was a shame for the game to end with a player blunder.

If Gordon Hayward had returned to play for Butler, the Bulldogs would have had a great shot at winning its first national championship. Brad Stevens may be the best basketball coach in the country. Can any of you John Calipari fans honestly imagine Coach Cal taking the talent that Butler has and taking out a #1 seed?

Where are all the Big East defenders at ? A month ago when I said the Big East was overrated some on here were fighting tooth and toenail that the Big East was head and shoulders above everyone. The lesson here? Just because the media says something, don't make it a fact.:biggrin:

I've never seen an ending quite like that one. Two bone-headed fouls all in the last 1.4 seconds of the game.

On a side note: Brad Stevens is the youngest looking head coach I've ever seen. I know he's only 34, but if he hadn't been wearing the suit and tie, you'd think he was a player. Stevens is a great coach though obviously. He's the the fifth youngest to 100 wins (one of those being Adolph Rupp).

Hoot Gibson Wrote:Can any of you John Calipari fans honestly imagine Coach Cal taking the talent that Butler has and taking out a #1 seed?

Butler has talent though. Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack are very talented players. Gordon Hayward was an extremely talented kid last year. Those Butler kids have a will to win and that goes a long way. That's not putting down Stevens' coaching ability either. He's a great coach like I said in the post above.

I could certainly see Coach Cal winning with that talent. No matter who the coach is, it all starts with talent. The coach has to coach that talent. The argument I'm making is that Butler has talent. If they didn't, they wouldn't have gotten where they did last year and they certainly wouldn't be where they're at in this tournament.

outdoorsman43 Wrote:Butler has talent though. Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack are very talented players. Gordon Hayward was an extremely talented kid last year. Those Butler kids have a will to win and that goes a long way. That's not putting down Stevens' coaching ability either. He's a great coach like I said in the post above.

I could certainly see Coach Cal winning with that talent. No matter who the coach is, it all starts with talent. The argument I'm making is that Butler has talent. If they didn't, they wouldn't have gotten where they did last year and they certainly wouldn't be where they're at in this tournament.

Butler has some talent but they develop talent. Butler recruits and signs players that Calipari (or Billy Gillispie) would not allow to walk on at Kentucky. Shelvin Mack reminds me of how awful a judge of talent Billy Gillispie was everytime I watch him play.

I am convinced that most of the top coaching talent in the country exists in smaller programs where coaches have fewer responsibilities off the court. I doubt that Stevens spends much time endorsing products or preparing for media events.

I enjoy watching teams that are schooled in fundamentals like Butler and Richmond more than I like watching teams that rely more on raw athleticism. However, I was impressed with Pitt's execution and teamwork. They are not a typical Big East team.

Hoot Gibson Wrote:Butler has some talent but they develop talent. I am convinced that most of the top coaching talent in the country exists in smaller programs where coaches have fewer responsibilities off the court. I doubt that Stevens spends much time endorsing products or preparing for media events.

I enjoy watching teams that are schooled in fundamentals like Butler and Richmond more than I like watching teams that rely more on raw athleticism. However, I was impressed with Pitt's execution and teamwork. They are not a typical Big East team.

I can't argue with that. Teams like Butler are very fundamentally sound and use grit, toughness, and effeciency. I enjoy watching those kind of teams as well.

This game has to be the most interesting one of the entire tourney. I swear I can not imagine the emotion in that arena.

congrats to Bulter

I have to hand it to Coach Cal that by tournament time he has all these new players jiving together now, instead of trying to be their own player, not a team player. What does tick me off is that Cousins did not want to leave last year and he pushed him out the door anyway. If our talent doesn't stick around, we will never hang another banner in Rupp. I still don't see a true Center recruited, unless we are relying on Vargas.

Great game for Brandon Knight, high of 30, versus game against Princeton, when he had 2. Different people step up, like Harrelson. Great job, UK!!!!!

Brad Stevens is a fantastic coach!! Two years straight they've been given 0 credit. And they still seem to show people wrong!

mrsportsfan Wrote:I have to hand it to Coach Cal that by tournament time he has all these new players jiving together now, instead of trying to be their own player, not a team player. What does tick me off is that Cousins did not want to leave last year and he pushed him out the door anyway. If our talent doesn't stick around, we will never hang another banner in Rupp. I still don't see a true Center recruited, unless we are relying on Vargas.

mrsportsfan Wrote:Great game for Brandon Knight, high of 30, versus game against Princeton, when he had 2. Different people step up, like Harrelson. Great job, UK!!!!!

Seems someone is in the wrong thread. lol It's all good. We've all done it.

It seems refs no longer allow teams to get away with murder in the waning seconds anymore.
I'm pretty fond of it.
I know in the past you could only draw a foul if you get hammered and even then it wasn't a guarantee.
But the Butler guard rode the Pitt guard all the way up the sideline and they called it.
And the Pitt big man clearly tried to foul to prevent Butler from getting off their last shot.

This way it forces players to play "honest" from start to finish.

I made those comments in response to someone saying that Coach Cal couldn't take that talent and bring them as far as Butler's coach. My response is that he turns them over so fast, that there is so many new players coming in every year. It is a challange with their egos to get them to play as a team. They hardly had any assists, now they pass the ball instead of trying to be the top dog. It isn't easy, doing what Cal does with these players.

Can't trust Pitt in the post season. Sure am glad I didn't have them in the Final Four.

outdoorsman43 Wrote:Butler has talent though. Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack are very talented players. Gordon Hayward was an extremely talented kid last year. Those Butler kids have a will to win and that goes a long way. That's not putting down Stevens' coaching ability either. He's a great coach like I said in the post above.

I could certainly see Coach Cal winning with that talent. No matter who the coach is, it all starts with talent. The coach has to coach that talent. The argument I'm making is that Butler has talent. If they didn't, they wouldn't have gotten where they did last year and they certainly wouldn't be where they're at in this tournament.

You're kidding, right?
I love Cal, but he could not win with Butlers team.

Aslan Wrote:Can't trust Pitt in the post season. Sure am glad I didn't have them in the Final Four.

Pitt & Kansas leave there fans disappointed every year

This Is Pittsburgh's 4th Straight Year Of Losing To A Lower Seed

Strikeout King Wrote:This Is Pittsburgh's 4th Straight Year Of Losing To A Lower Seed

They need to be called ''Chokes''burgh!! They are always given so much credit but they do nothing with it.

MisterPerfect Wrote:They need to be called ''Chokes''burgh!! They are always given so much credit but they do nothing with it.

Exactly.

So has coach cal had the number 1 recruiting class since 1995? Just curios?

BAD MOVE BY PITTS COACH

After pitt made the 1st free throw, the coach should of pulled his players from the line and get them set up on D. WHY leave your players down their to risk a silly foul. and thats what happen.

Congrats Butler, Brad Stevens has done a wonderful job their in the last few seasons. Now take out Wisconsin to, so my bracket will look better lol : )

I never imagined this happening!