A year removed from two consecutive trips to the national championship game, Butler head coach Brad Stevens saw his opening after the Boston Celtics decided to go in a different direction.
Stevens took his coaching style and accolades he surmounted at Butler and ventured off the the NBA, leaving many wondering where the Bulldogs would go from there.
Brandon Miller, a pupil of Stevens’, took the helm and returned a majority of their 27-9 team from 2012-13. Things didn’t seem to be too bleak, as some would’ve like to have thought. The 2013-14 season saw the Bulldogs move to the new Big East, and with the limited talent the conference had, Butler had a chance to retain its success.
After a 10-2 start to the 2013-14, even without Roosevelt Jones, who suffered a wrist injury in the summer and was ruled out for the entire season, the wheels quickly began to fall off the wagon. The offense couldn’t click, leadership was lacking and there wasn’t a go-to scorer that could come up when they needed him to.
Butler went 4-15 the rest of the season, finishing second-to-last in the Big East and failing to make a postseason tournament for the first time since 2005.
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It was a great run, but all runs must come to an end at some point. Butler’s dominance in the mid-major circuit had changed in more ways than one. Not only did they have a losing season, they moved up to the major conference ranks by joining the Big East.
Some had questions if this would be their downfall, but with so much changeover, it was hard to pinpoint one problem over another as the reason for the Bulldogs’ struggles during the 2013-14 season.
Before the 2014-15 season could even begin in what was supposed to be the redemption year for Butler, Miller took a medical leave of absence, leaving the Bulldogs with their third coach in three years. Before the season could begin, many found Butler to be headed for another downswing year.
There was plenty of talent, but there was only so much interim head coach Chris Holtmann could do to turn things around.
Here we are, just over a full month into the season and Butler is back to where we’re accustomed to seeing them: near the top of their conference and in the rankings weekly.
Now, this start is eerily similar to the start they had last year, so it may be a bit premature to say this is permanent, though the signs point to this being the real deal.
Last year’s Bulldogs got off to a 10-2 start before their collapse. This year’s squad is off to an 8-2 start with wins over North Carolina and Georgetown to boot. Butler is succeeding by doing just enough on offense and playing stingy defense.
Their offensive averages are middle of the pack (104th in the country in points per game, 102nd in field goal percentage) but their defense is another story, ranking 15th in points allowed per game (55.5) and 43rd in steals per game (8.5).
In their latest game, Tennessee shot 50 percent for the game and used a 42-point second half to gain the win. It was just Butler’s second loss of the season and a true road game in non-conference play never looks terrible.
Lucky for the Bulldogs, they held the Volunteers to less than 70 points in the game, something they have done to each of their first 10 opponents to open the season.
Defense is something that’s drastically overlooked in college basketball, mostly because the pro counterparts spend so little time working on it. Playing great defense at the college level can be the difference between being mediocre and being great.
Thus far, Butler has been great on defense, and it starts with the return of Roosevelt Jones.
Now a junior, Jones was expected to be the biggest piece to the Bulldogs’ offensive and defensive attacks last season. His absence was felt in a big way, but his return is being felt in an even greater way.
A bit of an old-school baller, Jones is top three in points, rebounds and assists for the Bulldogs, leading the team in the final category.
Jones is the heart and soul of Butler, both on the court through his and play through his leadership and toughness. He’s been the biggest difference so far this season, and it has shown in more ways than one.
The non-conference season has been good to Butler the last two years, but it was the conference schedule that did in the Bulldogs last year.
While the Big East has name recognition, the power is not as it used to be. Villanova is clearly the cream of the crop, but after that, it may just be the Bulldogs who will be the team to challenge the Wildcats.
However, don’t think of this as an easy conference. Its collective success in the non-conference slate says that this will be a tough one for all involved. St. John’s, Xavier, Providence, Creighton and Georgetown all have key wins to elevate the conference’s standing as the season goes along.
Butler is just one of many under-valued teams in college basketball this season.
The wins have been coming and it’s not hard to see why. Returning Jones was the biggest acquisition the team could’ve asked for this season, and the team as a whole has rallied around Holtmann. So far, things are looking up, and the sport is a lot more fun because of it.
Whether they can keep this up or not remains as the key question moving forward. As stated earlier, last year’s team began 10-2 before heading into conference play. As of now, Butler is 8-2 with three non-conference games left, starting Saturday in Indianapolis against rival Indiana, who is also 8-2.
Winning that game would be a big momentum changer, though the Hoosiers don’t have the same firepower as they did when Butler beat them in their last meeting in 2012.
After the Indiana contest, the Bulldogs play host to Tennessee-Martin followed by a good Belmont squad. This preludes the Big East opener on New Year’s Eve when Butler travels to play Villanova, who will likely still be ranked in the top 10 entering that contest. Things won’t get any easier, and the Bulldogs must be aware of that.
Defense has carried Butler to this nice start, and it was their calling card under Stevens. The talent is there to keep it going, it’ll just take some poise and consistency to get to where they want to go: back to the NCAA tournament.