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NCAA BB FINAL 1ST 2ND TOTAL --- --- ----- BUTLER 35 40 75 BALL ST (21) 26 40 66 FINAL
HIGH SCORERS: BUTLER - RYLAN HAINJE 23, THOMAS JACKSON 14, DARNELL ARCHEY 12 BALL ST - THERON SMITH 27, PATRICK JACKSON 14, LONNIE JONES 10
HIGH REBOUND: BUTLER - RYLAN HAINJE 9, THOMAS JACKSON 7 BALL ST - THERON SMITH 9, ROBERT OWENS 8
HIGH ASSISTS: BUTLER - THOMAS JACKSON 5, DARNELL ARCHEY 4 BALL ST - MATT MCCOLLOM 4, PATRICK JACKSON 3
ATT: 11,500
Box ScoreBUTLER (75) fg ft rb min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp Cornette 18 2-3 0-1 2-3 1 4 4 Hainje 36 9-15 2-2 1-9 2 3 23 Robisch 31 4-8 0-0 2-4 0 2 9 Miller 38 3-9 3-4 1-4 1 3 11 Jackson 39 4-7 4-4 1-7 5 1 14 Archey 22 4-9 0-0 0-1 4 3 12 Monserez 15 1-7 0-0 2-3 3 1 2 Walls 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 _______________________________________________ TOTALS 200 27-58 9-11 9-31 16 17 75 _______________________________________________
Percentages: FG-.466, FT-.818. 3-Point Goals: 12-26, .462 (Hainje 3-4, Robisch 1-1, Miller 2-7, Jackson 2-4, Archey 4-6, Monserez 0-4). Team rebounds: 1. Blocked shots: 5 (Cornette 3, Hainje, Robisch). Turnovers: 9 (Jackson 3, Robisch 2, Cornette, Hainje, Miller, Monserez). Steals: 4 (Hainje 2, Cornette, Miller).
BALL ST (66) fg ft rb min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp Smith 31 10-16 5-8 4-9 1 4 27 Jones 30 5-8 0-1 1-4 0 1 10 Jackson 35 4-10 4-6 0-3 3 2 14 Williams 32 3-14 0-0 2-2 1 3 7 Mccollum 23 0-2 0-0 0-2 4 0 0 Robbins 5 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 Bennett 8 0-0 0-0 0-1 1 1 0 Z Willingham 17 1-2 0-0 1-3 0 2 2 Owens 15 2-4 2-2 2-8 1 1 6 Burns 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Bushong 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 _______________________________________________ TOTALS 200 25-56 11-17 10-32 12 15 66 _______________________________________________
Percentages: FG-.446, FT-.647. 3-Point Goals: 5-13, .385 (Smith 2-2, Jackson 2-3, Williams 1-7, Owens 0-1). Team rebounds: 3. Blocked shots: 1 (Owens). Turnovers: 11 (Smith 5, Mccollum 2, Williams 2, Jackson, Z Willingham). Steals: 4 (Jackson, Mccollum, Smith, Williams). __________________________________ Butler 35 40 - 75 Ball St 26 40 - 66 __________________________________ Technical fouls: None. A: 11,500. Officials: Tim Fogarty, Jerry Sauder, Jd Collins.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Rylan Hainje. The senior was huge in the first half, scoring 19 of his 23 points in the opening 20 minutes. Often guarded by a smaller defender and then double-teamed, he did a good job of taking what was available but not forcing up bad shots. He was effective from both inside and beyond the 3-point arc, going 9-of-15 from the field and 3-of-4 from downtown. He also hauled down 9 rebounds.
It certainly wasn't a one-man show for Butler by any means. As is the case with most Bulldog victories, everyone had a hand in the win. Thomas Jackson won the battle of the point guards named Jackson, finishing with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. Brandon Miller added 11 points and 4 rebounds. Scott Robisch had 9 points and 4 rebounds, and Joel Cornette added 4 points and 3 blocked shots. Darnell Archey once again provided a spark off the bench, drilling four 3-pointers for 12 points, and dished out 4 assists for good measure. He was also as emotional on the court as I've ever seen him. For the Cardinals, Theron Smith led the way with a game-high 27 points and 9 rebounds.
In a way it's a shame that someone had to lose this game. In a state dominated by IU and Purdue, it was nice that a game between Butler and Ball State got as much coverage and meant as much as it did. Contrary to the chants of "over-rated" emanating from the Butler crowd, I feel that it was more a case of Butler being under-rated. Ball State earned its ranking, and in my opinion deserves to stay in the top 25. Perhaps if the "Ball" on their jerseys was replaced with "Michigan" or "Oklahoma", they would stay in the rankings. Who knows, maybe the pollsters will show more respect to Ball State than I expect them to, but in my mind, both Butler and BSU should appear in next week's top 25. I wish nothing but the best of luck to the Cardinals for the rest of the season, and fully expect to see them in the field of 64/65 in March with a single-digit seed.
Coach Lickliter and the 2001-02 Dawgs continue to make history. Tony Hinkle's 1930-31 Bulldogs started 10-0 before losing to Notre Dame, 27-19, marking the best start in school history prior to this season. That distinction now belongs to this year's squad. Coach Lick also extends his record of best start by a first-year Butler head coach. I'm the eternal optimist when it comes to this team, but an 11-0 record and a potential top 25 ranking were beyond my wildest preseason expectations. Congratulations to the players and coaches on all they've accomplished thus far. It's been quite a ride, and we're not even to January yet.
The Bulldogs get a chance to enjoy the big win and spend some time with family over the holidays. Butler's next game isn't until Friday, December 28th, when they meet Samford in the opening round of the Hoosier Classic at Conseco Fieldhouse. Game time is at 8 p.m. EST, following the Eastern Washington/IU contest earlier that evening. Hope to see you there.
HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON!
One hell of a game, a sold out arena, rowdy fans, two good teams on a chilly December evening, that was some classic Hoosier hoop action. Dave's point is well taken, it's a shame that either team had to lose this game because of what it means nationally. Mid majors aren't allowed to lose to each other, and I think that BSU will slide out of the Top 25, where BU will remain. I can't see us leapfrogging enough, and even though it's a crime, I fear we will end up #26. If we can grab two victoies in Conseco next week, we will get the ranking, but probably not until then. This game was hard fought, the kind which will stand us in good stead when we invade Detroit, UIC, CSU, etc. later this year. Wins in those hostile venues will be just as important, and we'll be wearing a target on our backs for the rest of the season. Let's face it, Butler will be the biggest scalp that any Sunset team can claim this year, so we are going to have to approach every game the same way as we did BSU. We faced a sold out crowd and an athletic squad and defeated them by playing our game. While BU will most likely never attract the premier athletes that gravitate to Big 10 schools, we have proven that our formula works. Stingy defense without fouling and crisp ball movement that leads to good shot opportunities has turned into a lot of victories for the Bulldogs over the last 10 years, and a big win at Worthen Arena. We stayed within ourselves, and weathered the storms, and played as a team to earn the victory. On a night when we needed senior leadership, Hainje put the team on his back during a stretch in the first half and really took over the game for a while. With Cornette's minutes limited by fouls, Jackson stepped in with 7 rebounds and Miller grabbed 4. When the lane was clogged with Smith and Jones, we ran the weave to perfection and got huge jump shots from Archey. By the way, if he had made that 25 footer, I think he might have high stepped it all the way back to Hinkle. He was really juiced up, and I was reminded of something that Collier said when Darnell was a freshman. He said that everyone knows that Arch can shoot the lights out, but ultimately his playing time will be determined by his defense. Against BSU he was very active, picking up his man in backcourt, pressuring the ball, overall playing a whale of a game. TJ again proved that he is the best point guard in the state, something which will be even more evident if we get the chance to play IU. He took care of the ball all night, and executed his own personal version of the four corners to seal the victory. What more can I say, he rules. Overall, we took what they gave us without forcing too much, and even though they hurt us inside, we got back pretty well all night and took away some of their fast break opportunities. Three games in five days, all solid victories, the Bulldogs have earned a holiday rest, although you know what is on their minds. We sat up in the thick of the students and had a blast. It was so much fun to watch those kids going crazy the whole game. I'm sure that we'll have a good contingent down at Conseco, I hope we are as loud there as we were at Worthen. If the Dogs bring the same intensity next week, we'll be undeniably the best in the state (don't even mention Valpo's Croatian Olympic team) and will have the ranking we desire and deserve. War Dogs !Walters from Chicago, IL:
Let's just say "Who let the Dogs Out"! It's about time that our school got some respect that we all know they deserve. Let's pack Conseco with Blue and White next weekend and show all those IU fans that are living in the glory days that Indianapolis is a one team city! Go DOGS!!!Arch01 from Chicago, IL:
I, too, like to think of myself as the eternal Butler optimist. But, like you said, never in my wildest dreams would I think 11-0 and a top 25 ranking by Christmas! I do think they'll get ranked when both polls are out on Monday. I can't see us getting snubbed at #26. I think you'll see us basically swap places with Ball State. We should be no less than #21!!!Jack Eaton from Indianapolis, IN:
Due to other committments I did not see the beginning of the game either. The last 10 minutes of the first half was fantastic. Second half, slow start, but our guys really pulled it out. Great Job BULLDOGSGary Nash from New Castle, IN:
This team is really special! I've been working Butler games since 1964 in some form or other & this club just has a certain chemistry that no other club has possessed. Some of my first Butler broadcasts on WAJC included an upset of Southern Cal for Hinkle's 499th win & then his 500th against ISU. There was also a major upset of Michigan when Cazzie Russell was a senior. In those days you always knew that Hink's squad would come up with at least one upset of a major power. However, the mindset seemed to be...get to Christmas break with a .500 record & let the conference season take care of itself. This team is different...these guys HATE to lose & it shows in their on-court performance. Hainje has come up so BIG this season in the BIG games. Thomas Jackson is probably the best ball-handler that I've witnessed in 35+ seasons of BU basketball. No one in my memory had so much skill in handling the ball & could do so much off the dribble. Archey & Miller (our New Castle connection) provide so much spark from the perimeter. When he's finally been able to play for any extended time, Robisch provides rebounding & can also move outside to shoot an occasional trey. And then there is Cornette...I thought that Mike Marshall could SKY but Joel seems to go higher & can intimidate people inside. I really feel old when I think that I kept stats for the Dawgs when Mike Monserez's dad (Marty) was a player. Mike has contributed quite a bit once he seemed to find the scoring touch in the Purdue game. The Butler system has never been performed any better...on a game by game basis than it has by this club. LET'S GO DAWGS!!!
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