Busting Brackets
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Butler Basketball: Resume breakdown for the bubblicious Bulldogs

By Lukas Harkins

PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 10: Head coach Jordan of the Butler Bulldogs looks on against the Villanova Wildcats at the Wells Fargo Center on February 10, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 10: Head coach Jordan of the Butler Bulldogs looks on against the Villanova Wildcats at the Wells Fargo Center on February 10, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – FEBRUARY 10: McDermott, Baldwin, and Fowler celebrate.
PHILADELPHIA, PA – FEBRUARY 10: McDermott, Baldwin, and Fowler celebrate. /

What do the Dawgs need to do?

As I have stated throughout this piece, Butler remains in a precarious place on the bubble. With only one Q1 win to date, the Dawgs have a bit of work to do in order to make the NCAA Tournament. For those of you who regularly tune into my Hinkle Heat Check podcast (along with Jared Grubbs), I have stated time and time again that 10 total conference wins, including the Big East Tournament, should do the trick. With that said, let’s take a look at Butler’s remaining schedule:

  • Wed, Nov. 20: at Marquette (21-4, 10-2 BE)
  • Tue, Feb. 26: vs. Providence (14-12, 4-9 BE)
  • Sat, Mar. 2: at Villanova (20-5, 11-1 BE)
  • Tue, Mar. 5: vs. Xavier (13-13, 5-8 BE)
  • Sat, Mar. 9: at Providence (14-12, 4-9 BE)

On the whole, this *might* be the perfect closing schedule given how Butler’s current resume looks. For starters, the team needs more wins to make their record appear better for the committee. With both matchups against Providence and a rematch chance with Xavier left on the schedule, the Dawgs should be able to notch 2-3 victories there. Then, their resume also lacks quality wins and the road opportunities versus Marquette and Villanova would certainly qualify. In my opinion, Butler has about a 35% chance to win just one of those two games and that would greatly impact their tournament hopes.

On the whole, I think Butler fans should be hoping for their team to win three of their remaining five regular-season games and win one in the Big East Tournament. If they are able to do that, the Dawgs would likely be on the right side of the bubble but there would also be plenty of perspiration on Selection Sunday. In order to feel a bit more confident in making the tournament, five (or more) wins from here on out would be preferred.

Next. Complete Bubble Watch. dark

Butler basketball might be playing quite well at this point in time but nothing is easy on the bubble. These next few weeks will involve plenty of tight games and it is probably time to start stocking up on extra deodorant for Selection Sunday. Nonetheless, this has been a fun season to follow and hopefully the Dawgs will be able to finish the year strong and hear their name called on March 17.