Butler Basketball: Bulldogs Might be Looking at a Big Year

By Matt Johnson | Dec 22, 2015

It wasn’t long ago the Butler University Bulldogs began comparing favorably to Watty Piper’s beloved lead character from the fabled children’s book “The Little Engine That Could.”

Buoyed by a reliance on fundamentals, a strong team dynamic and a penchant for clutch play, the Bulldogs chugged their way to consecutive NCAA Tournament title games in 2010 and 2011.

Butler came up just short on each occasion, first losing to the Duke Blue Devils before suffering the same fate a year later versus the Connecticut Huskies. Nevertheless, coach Brad Stevens’ Bulldogs proved to be the ultimate example of perseverance and heart.

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Piper himself couldn’t have thought up a more inspirational tale.

Five years have gone by since those glory days of Butler basketball.

Stevens is now coaching the Boston Celtics, Gordon Hayward is plying his trade with the Utah Jazz and the Bulldogs haven’t come close to duplicating the successes of those two fabled teams. As a result, it would be tempting to look at Butler’s current outfit as a mere curiosity rather than a legitimate national contender.

Current coach Chris Holtmann might have a thing or two to say about that however.

His Bulldogs sit at 9-1 with Big East conference action right around the corner. And after posting an impressive run through the non-league campaign, Butler looks ready to challenge Villanova, Xavier and Providence for conference supremacy.

When Stevens was at the helm, Butler always excelled in the sport’s finer points. They didn’t wow anyone with explosive offense or high-flying athleticism. Rather, the Bulldogs played air-tight defense, mistake-free offense and made just enough plays to get the job done .

During their NCAA Tournament run of 2010, Butler didn’t give up more than 60 points until the title game against Duke. Even then, the Blue Devils had to scratch and claw for their 61 before holding on for dear life as Hayward missed two last second shots that would have delivered the Bulldogs a national title.

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In 2011, Stevens and company had to scrape past Old Dominion, Pittsburgh, Wisconsin and Florida by a combined 13 points in the Southeast Regional. After narrowly returning to the Final Four, they edged another up-and-comer in Shaka Smart’s VCU Rams before falling to UConn in the national championship game by 12.

Still, there was little doubt Butler had inspired many believers with their combination of poise and determination.

Fast forward to 2015-16 and these Bulldogs might be made of the same stuff as those celebrated squads of yester-year.

Considering Butler has already knocked off the likes of Cincinnati, Tennessee and most recently Purdue, it’d be fair to say Holtmann and crew are well on their way towards creating a lasting legacy of their own.

Unlike past Bulldogs teams which were content to slow down tempo, Holtmann has Butler running and gunning at a high rate of output and efficiency. As a team, Butler is piling up 89.9 points and shooting 50.2 percent. They’re also grabbing more than 40 rebounds and dishing out 16.5 assists each night.

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But the most impressive aspect of Butler’s game is their balance. Offensively, they aggressively attack the opposition from multiple areas. Four players are averaging double-figures with two more putting in 9.8 and 9.4 points per game.

It all starts with guard Kellen Dunham and his 17.4 scoring average. Throw-in fellow starters Roosevelt Jones, Tyler Lewis, Tyler Wideman and Andrew Chrabascz, and the Bulldogs have offensive weapons at all five positions. With Kelan Martin bringing his 14.0 scoring average off the bench, Butler is both deep and dangerous.

It was a combination that proved too much for Big 10 contender Purdue to handle on Saturday.

The Bulldogs had three players score in double-digits and forced 18 Boilermakers’ turnovers to hand coach Matt Painter’s team their first loss. To top it off, Butler grabbed 15 offensive rebounds and racked up 11 steals. In other words, Holtmann’s team put together a complete performance against one of the Big 10’s very best.

With home games against Indiana State and VMI remaining before heading into Big East play, there’s a very good chance Butler will be 11-1 before Providence visits Hinkle Fieldhouse on New Year’s Eve. If the Bulldogs can knock the Friars down a peg, they might be looking at another big year before the madness of March arrives.

Next: Gonzaga Starts Conference Play With Big Win Over Pepperdine

Can Butler make another magical run once those glittery days of college hoops are upon us? We’ll have to wait and see

Just don’t be surprised if Butler makes a deep push at NCAA Tournament of 2016. After all, they’ve always been that little engine that could.