Colts Draft

 

    Going into the 2023 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts were coming off a disastrous 2022 season. They had failed to live up to off season expectations and faltered to a dismal 4-12-1 record. The Colts knew they had to make a splash in the draft to give themselves and their fanbase the hope of building up a foundation that will set the stage for a promising future moving forward.

     The Colts had several key needs to address in this year's draft, most notably the quarterback position. Other areas of focus for this franchise included the positions of cornerback and wide receiver. They wanted players who they believe can make an immediate impact. Those needs were covered early with the additions of players such as quarterback Anthony Richardson from Florida, cornerback Julius Brents from Kansas State and wide receiver Josh Downs from North Carolina. In the later rounds, the Colts were looking to add some much needed depth to their roster. 

     Since taking over the general manager role in 2018, Chris Ballard has had his fair share of NFL Draft success with the Colts. He has had the reputation over the last few years for trading back to acquire more picks and this draft was no different. In total, the Colts accumulated 12 picks in total, a new record under Chris Ballard and the most for the Colts since 1992. 

    The Colts most glaring need going into the 2023 NFL Draft was the quarterback. Since the sudden retirement of Andrew Luck just before the 2019 season, the Colts quarterback situation has been nothing but a revolving carousel to say the least. In the four years since Luck retired, the Colts have had seven different quarterbacks start atleast one game. After signing veterans such as Phillip Rivers, Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan and not having quite the success that was hoped for, the Colts knew the time had come to draft a quarterback and build around him for the future. The question that was surrounding the Colts wasn't necessarily if they would take a quarterback but which one. That answer came in the form of Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson. 

    With the fourth pick in the 2023 draft, the Colts selected Richardson with the hope that he will be the key piece to take the Colts into the future. In drafting the Florida quarterback, the Colts are getting one of the most athletic players ever to come out of college. So much intrigue with this young prospect. Some of the physical attributes are astonishing. The size at 6'4 and 236 pounds. The speed in which he ran a 4.43 40 yard dash at the NFL Combine back in March. He has arm strength to reach every part of the field with relative ease. Richardson has the qualities and skillset that make people say wow. 

    He does however have some qualities that will make him a project that will have to learn under Colts coach Shane Steichen. Richardson is only 20 years old, leaving Florida after his sophomore year to enter the NFL Draft. His experience in which he only played a total of 13 career games for the Gators has had some questioning if he will be ready right away with such little experience in college. He completed just 53 percent of his passes in those 13 games. This is a high risk, high reward potential player for the Colts. 

    Richardson will learn under first year Colts head coach Shane Steichen who the franchise is banking on to improve his new quarterback so he is prepared for the future. Steichen is a quarterback guru who previously worked with and had success with Phillip Rivers, Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts. Rivers was a three time pro bowler under Steichen from 2016-2018, Herbert won Rookie Of The Year in 2020 when Steichen was the Chargers offensive coordinator and Jalen Hurts was second in MVP voting and he and Steichen helped the Philadelphia Eagles reach the Super Bowl last season. Steichen has the resume to prove he can help Anthony Richardson find success in the NFL. 

    The Colts have their quarterback and the coach with the potential to make Anthony Richardson a franchise game changer for years to come. The question will be when will they be ready to send Richardson into the spotlight on the field? The roster currently contains three other quarterbacks. Will the Colts be ready to hand the keys to Richardson on day one or will they want to take their time with him and bring him along in the process at a slower pace? Those answers will become more clear as the season gets closer. For now, the Colts have their quarterback and are very excited about what the future holds for them with Anthony Richardson. 

    Another position of need the Colts looked to focus on in the draft was the cornerback spot. This position going into the draft was thin. The Colts had traded away arguably their best corner in Stephon Gilmore when they delt him to the Dallas Cowboys for a fifth round pick a month ago. While the move did clear up 9 million dollars in cap space, it did leave the Colts with a gaping hole at the cornerback spot. In recent years, the Colts have been able to usually find a veteran cornerback in the free agency market. So far in 2023 that hasn't been the case. The Colts addressed their cornerback need in the second round at pick 44 with Julius Brents from Kansas State. 

    This was a typical Chris Ballard move when it comes to the NFL Draft. It was mentioned earlier how he has been notorious for trading back over the years to add more draft picks in later rounds. You never know what Ballard will pull off. There are seven rounds in the NFL Draft and Chris Ballard takes full advantage of those seven rounds. The Colts second round pick started at number 35, was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders to become pick number 38 and the Colts also acquired the 141st overall pick which would be in the fifth round. Then the Colts were on the clock again in the second round with the 38th pick, they traded back yet again. This time trading the 38th overall pick to the Atlanta Falcons to move down six more spots to the 44th overall pick and also acquiring the 110th selection in the draft which would be in the fourth round. 

    Brents is a 6-3, 198 pound outside cornerback with a long range wingspan and not blazing speed but quick bursts at the line of scrimmage and a well timed jumping ability that made him a first team All Big 12 selection in 2022. With his range of quickness and jumping incentives, it makes him potentially a strong fixture in defensive coordinator Gus Bradley's system. He is a well round tackler, totaling 111 tackles in his college career. His instincts to the ball helped him intercept six passes and break up 12 passes over his Wildcat career. He did have a few injuries in college to note and is currently recovering from a wrist injury that will keep him sidelined until training camp this summer. 

    Brents is a local player. Born and raised in Indianapolis, he played his high school football at Warren Central, where he was a three time all state selection for the Warriors. His favorite team growing up was his hometown Colts and his favorite player was former pro bowler and 2007 Defensive Player of The Year Bob Sanders. Brents becomes just the fourth player from Indianapolis to be drafted by the hometown franchise, joining Jeff George in 1990 as the only Warren Central players to be drafted by the Indianapolis Colts. 

    In the third round at pick number 79, the Colts selected wide receiver Josh Downs from North Carolina. Downs doesn't exactly fit the description of a typical wide receiver that a general manager like Chris Ballard would take in the draft. Standing at only 5'9, the speedy slot receiver is the shortest player drafted by the Colts since T.Y. Hilton in 2012. Josh Downs was on the Colts radar from the start, thanks in large part to the advocation from Colts wide receivers coach and future hall of famer Reggie Wayne. After the NFL Scouting Combine, Wayne was convinced that Josh Downs needed to be on the Colts draft board. The Colts listened to their former pro bowler's advice and selected Downs with the 79th overall pick in the third round. 

    Downs had his share of success in college, scoring 22 touchdowns and amassing over 2,483 receiving yards in the process. He has great route running abilities and ran a 4.48 in the 40 yard dash. He will most likely line up in the slot. With bigger wide receivers on the outside such as Michael Pittman and Alec Pierce, Downs can become the slot receiver the Colts have been looking for the past few years. There could also be the possibility that he could be able to return some punts as a special teams player in the role that Nyheim Hines had done the last few seasons. The Colts are getting a potential dynamic receiver for their offense. Josh Downs could be the connection to Anthony Richardson that T.Y. Hilton was to Andrew Luck. 

Lukosius Clutch Three Propels Bulldogs Past DePaul

 

        Simas Lukosius, the Freshman from Lithuania hit a clutch three pointer with five seconds to go in the game to lift Butler past DePaul 72-71 on Tuesday night at Wintrust Arena in downtown Chicago. 

        On a team full of Seniors and upperclassmen, it was the underclassmen who led the charge for the Bulldogs. Of Butler's 73 points scored, 51 of them came from underclassmen. Butler was led in scoring  by Lukosius who had a game high and career high of 19 points. Also scoring in double figures for the Bulldogs were Sophomore Chuck Harris who scored 18 points, Freshman Jayden Taylor with 12 and Senior Aaron Thompson who added 11. In the closing nine minutes of the game, Lukosius scored 15 points including outscoring the Blue Demons 10-8 in the final three minutes by himself. 

         Butler started the game on a very sloppy note in the first half, committing seven turnovers in their first 17 possessions. The second half they were much sharper, only having three turnovers for the rest of the game. 

         In a season where the Bulldogs have ranked near the bottom of the Big East in free throw percentage, they had one of their best games from the charity stripe, going 18 for 21 from the line. 

         DePaul led 59-50 with seven minutes left in the game. Butler had a win percentage according to the analytics of just 5.1 percent at that stage in the basketball game. 

          The Blue Demons were led in scoring by David Jones who had 17 points. Javon Freeman who was leading the Big East in scoring before missing the last 7 games with a groin injury, returned to the lineup for DePaul and scored 13. 

            It's no secret to anybody who follows Butler basketball knows this team has been ravaged with injuries. That was the case once again on Tuesday night. Butler was without two starters. Seniors Bo Hodges and Bryce Nze. Hodges was out with a muscle strain and Nze was unavailable due to a knee injury. Both suffered their injuries late in the win over Creighton last Saturday. These two are key pieces to Butler's lineup. Hodges missed the first 14 games of the season with a tibial plateau fracture and Nze has missed seven games this season with knee soreness. 

            Butler was employing some different lineups in this game to combat with the injuries to Hodges and Nze. Several players who have seen very limited time this season got their time and they provided some spirited minutes. Freshman DJ Hughes, Junior John Michael Malloy, Sophomore Myles Wilmoth and Senior Ty Groce all came off the bench and provided double figure minutes for the Bulldogs. 

           The Bulldogs were able to withstand several runs by DePaul in the second half and held the Blue Demons without a three point field goal in the final eight minutes of the game. 

            Butler has dominated DePaul since joining the Big East. The Bulldogs are now 16-1 against the Blue Demons in their last 17 games. 

            No rest for the Bulldogs after this one. They have to travel to St. John's on Friday and then come home to face Big East conference leader Providence on Sunday. Three games in six days isn't easy for any team. Butler will need to find their resilience to combat these next two tough games. 

            Butler won their second game in a row to climb their record back to .500 at 13-13 on the season and 6-9 in conference play. The Blue Demons lost their second game in a row and also saw their record fall back to .500 on the season at 12-12. Butler has swept the season series against DePaul for the second year in a row. 

            Butler has had so many close Big East games in the last few weeks of the season it was no surprise this one against DePaul would be any different. Butler's last six games in the Big East have been decided by a total of 18 points. Butler found a way this time to reverse their Big East road woes and escape Chicago with a two point victory. Butler was without two starters, only shot 26 percent from three, down by nine with seven minutes to go, had a miracle three banked in by a Freshman to win the game, sounds like Butler basketball. Gritty, not pretty. 

Butler defeats Troy 70-59

 

            Butler used a strong second half to pull away from visiting Troy on Saturday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse to earn their 3rd win of the season 70-59 to improve their record to 3-0 on the young season. 

            The hometown Bulldogs started out in a funk in the first half. Early on, Butler had more turnovers than points. The Bulldogs had 12 turnovers and only seven points at the ten minute mark of the first half and found themselves down 17-7 to the visitors from Troy, Alabama. Near the end of the first half, Butler's shooting percentage was an abysmal 30 percent. Butler fought their way back to close the half within three points at 20-23. Then the heave happened. 

            Bryce Nze took a missed three pointer by Troy's Christyon Eugene and heaved the ball 80 feet down the other end as the clock expired. The ball banked off the backboard and went in. The 7,227 fans inside Hinkle were sent into a frenzy. After a long discussion at the scorers table, the refs counted the basket. Game tied at 23 going into halftime. Crazy things always seem to happen at Hinkle Fieldhouse don't they? Another magic moment to add to the list in the 93 year history of Indiana's basketball cathedral. 

            Butler began to pull away in the 2nd half with an 9-0 run to stretch the lead to 55-44 with 6 minutes to go. Troy never got any closer. Butler ended the game shooting 69 percent in the second half, a much needed improvement after a sloppy shooting performance in the first half. 

            The Bulldogs were led in scoring by sophomore Chuck Harris who had 23 points and four rebounds. Also scoring in double figures for the Bulldogs were senior Jair Bolden who had 21 points and freshman Jayden Taylor who had 10 points. Of the Bulldogs 12 three pointers on the night, 8 of them came from Harris and Bolden who each hit 4 from beyond the arc. Taylor had his third straight double digit game to start his Butler career. That is significant due to the fact that no other Butler freshman in the last 30 years has accomplished that feat. 

            Troy was led in scoring by Efe Odigie who has 13 points and also scoring in double figures for the Trojans was Duke Deen who also led them in rebounds with 6 on the night. Troy shot 42 percent for the game but struggled from beyond the three point line, only making 4 out of 19 attempts. 

            Through the first three games of the season, Butler has done well defensively to keep their opponents at bay by half despite struggling offensively themselves. Butler hasn't allowed more than 30 points in a half so far in this early season. They also have done well to keep their three opponents under 60 points for the game. Pretty good accomplishment despite missing their best defensive player in Aaron Thompson. Thompson will return to the Bulldog lineup on Wednesday evening. 

            Butler is now 62-1 in their last 63 non conference home games. The Bulldogs will face a big challenge on Wednesday night when Michigan State arrives at Hinkle Fieldhouse for the annual Gavitt Games Tipoff. 

Butler defeats IUPUI 56-47 in season opener

 

    Butler started out their 2021-22 season by defeating IUPUI 56-47 before a crowd of 7,134 fans at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Tuesday night. 

    The Bulldogs mantra has always been gritty, not pretty and that was the case against the Jaguars. Butler's offense was in a rut for most of the game but it's defense stifled the Jaguars and in the end that was enough to secure the nine point win. 

    Butler lead by as many as 15 points during the contest and never trailed for the majority of the game. IUPUI had a 9-7 lead early in the first half but after that the Bulldogs never trailed again. Butler's defense held the Jaguars to 3 of 23 shooting from behind the three point line. Butler also forced several shot clock violations in the first half. The Jaguars were led in scoring by B.J. Maxwell who scored 14 points. No other Jaguar scored in double figures. 

    Butler's offense on the other hand was just as sloppy. The Bulldogs shot only 25 percent on three pointers in the second half and 34 percent overall. Butler was a collective 7-25 on three pointers. Butler struggled against the IUPUI zone defense. Butler countered this by attacking the basket, drawing fouls and getting to the free throw line. Butler made 19 out of 23 from the foul line. That should be a refreshing sign for Bulldogs fans as Butler struggled from the free throw line much of last season. 

    The Bulldogs were led in scoring by sophomore Chuck Harris who had a game high 16 points and freshman Jayden Taylor who had 12 points. They are both known to be effective three point shooters but due to the Jaguars match up zone, they went a combined 1-9 from three. This was made up for in the case that was just mentioned above as Taylor and Harris both took the ball to the basket on drives and were able to draw contact and get to the free throw line. Combined they went 15 out of 18 from the charity stripe. 

    By not having starting point guard Aaron Thompson who was out due to being suspended the first three games of the season, Butler needed that next man up mentality. That next man up turned out to be someone who has only been in the United States for a few weeks. Freshman guard Simas Lukosius from Lithuania. The 19 year old showed promise in his first ever collegiate game. Playing point guard and shooting guard, Lukosius scored eight points, grabbed seven rebounds and had two assists. 

    Butler looked dysfunctional at times, the offense stalled here and there but the defense was on point after a few shaky exhibitions the last few weeks. However it's a win to start the season so that's the positive. Aaron Thompson is the glue that holds the team together and no matter what year it has been, when he's not in the game for Butler, they struggle on both sides of the ball. Butler was also missing three other players that will see significant minutes of playing time when they return from their injuries so with all of that in effect, Butler should be happy with this victory. As they say at Butler, gritty not pretty. 

     Senior Bo Hodges is out with a leg injury and his timetable should be around the start of Big East play. Grad transfer from Eastern Michigan Ty Groce should be back on Friday against Central Arkansas and could start soon. Sophomore Myles Tate suffered a torn ACL last march in the Big East Tournament. Thompson will return to the starting lineup next week against Michigan State. 

    Butler is now 7-0 all time against IUPUI in their history. Butler has now won 23 consecutive home openers and is 60-1 in their last 61 non conference home games. 

    The Bulldogs next game will be on Friday night as they take on the Bears of Central Arkansas. IUPUI is set to travel to Evansville on Thursday night to take on the Purple Aces. 

Indiana Senior All Stars Defeat Junior All Stars 127-106

 

    Make no mistake about it, the abundance of talent in the state of Indiana when it comes to high school basketball is unbelievable. It was on full display Wednesday night inside the Varsity Fieldhouse at Brownsburg High School. 

    The j=Junior All Stars gave the bigger Senior All Star squad all they could handle on Wednesday night, going bucket for bucket with their older counterparts but in the end, the bigger and stronger seniors were too much as they pulled away for a 127-106 victory. 

    Perhaps the strongest showing during the game was by none other than Mr. Basketball himself. Caleb Furst of Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian. The Purdue recruit was dominant in all phases of the game on Wednesday night when he was on the floor. Scoring 22 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, dishing out five assists. Furst went 9-14 from the floor and showcased flashes of his game that will have Purdue fans very excited. Furst is everything and then some. Well deserving of the title Mr. Basketball.

    Fellow senior teammate and Purdue recruit Trey Kauffman of Silver Creek was also a strong force on the inside for the seniors. He scored 22 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and had a pair of blocks. Kauffman went 9-13 from the floor. The size of these two future Boilermakers were just too much to handle on the inside for the smaller Junior All Stars. 

    Another Senior standout was Blake Wesley. The 6-5 guard from Riley High School in South Bend, finsished with 24 points, six rebounds and four assists. The Notre Dame recruit displayed an all around game by scoring from both inside and outside. His athleticism was top notch. He is a complete guard who has great length and court vision and can defend multiple positions on the floor.  

    The seniors were lead off the bench by Jalen Blackmon. The sharpshooter from Marion High School who will be playing at Grand Canyon University hit 5-7 from beyond the arc and finished with 17 points. He provided the spark off the bench as he hit three three pointers in a row at one stretch in the first half and then hit back to back three pointers at one point in the second half. He was the best three point shooter on the floor for the seniors. Outside of Blackmon, the team went just 4-18 from three point range. 

    Also off the bench for the Senior All Stars were a pair of Butler Bulldog recruits. Pierce Thomas of Brownsburg and Jayden Taylor of Perry Meridian. Both had quiet nights on the offensive side but their defense was on display as they were around the ball and forcing bad passes from the juniors and they  were also able to set up their teammates in the open floor in transition. Thomas finished with four points, four rebounds and three assists. Taylor finished with six points, five rebounds and three assists and two steals. 

    The Junior All Stars were led by Leland Walker off the bench. Walker, who is a 6'2 guard from North Central High School, was the leading scorer in the whole game in with 24 points. Walker displayed his scoring ability while shooting 4-6 from the three point line and 8-10 from the floor. He displayed a knack of getting out in transition on the fast break and going straight to the basket and he can also stop on a dime and let it fly from the three point line with accuracy. That's something his current head coach and former Mr. Basketball winner Jason Gardner was a specialist at in his days at North Central High School. Walker could see more high major college offers in his future this summer. He currently has offers from Providence, Xavier, DePaul, VCU, Ohio and Florida International, Ball State and Miami of Ohio. 

    Tayshawn Coomer was also standout for the juniors. The Cathedral guard scored 16 points off the bench while going 7-11 overall from the floor. He has offers from Ball State, Miami of Ohio, IUPUI and Butler currently but his stock is sure to rise and there should be more major offers headed his way as he approaches his senior season. He finished last season shooting 40 percent from the three point line and he averages 5.5 assists per game so he plays an all around point guard. One who scores but also looks for opportunities for his teammates. 

    Other standouts for the Junior All Stars included Jalen Jackson from Fort Wayne Carroll who had a strong first half with 14 points and pair of three pointers. Jackson who has division one offers currently from IUPUI and Purdue Fort Wayne, finished with 20 points, five rebounds and two assists. 

    The Senior All Stars will be back in action this Friday and Saturday night when they prepare to take on the Kentucky All Stars. The first of the of those games will be played in Owensboro, Kentucky and then the rematch will be held on Saturday evening at Southport Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Last year's event between these two squads was cancelled due to the covid pandemic. The series dates back all the way to 1940. Indiana holds a 99-44 advantage overall over Kentucky. 

    The annual showcase of the best basketball players in this state put on a great show for the crowd in what felt like a normal evening for high school basketball for the first time in a while. Their were coaches and recruiters in the stands keeping an eye on the future talent that was showcasing their abilities. Parents and family members were cheering on their kids. The fans were enjoying the moment to see some of the best players from the state of Indiana. Overall, it was just a great atmosphere because as everybody knows, in 49 states it's just basketball......but this is Indiana. 

Final Four Preview

 

    Then there were four. After an amazing two week run in the Circle City, the 2020-21 college basketball season will end at Lucas Oil Stadium with four teams having their sights set on advancing to Monday night's National Championship game. Baylor, Gonzaga, Houston and UCLA have all made it this far and look to take the next step on the path to playing for the national crown of college hoops. Welcome to the Final Four.

    This year's NCAA Tournament had no shortage of excitement and upsets. A record 13 upsets happened in the big dance (Upsets are counted as seeds who are five spots worse than their opponent). The Final Four this year includes two number one seeds, Gonzaga and Baylor, number two seeded Houston and the upstart 11th seeded UCLA Bruins who barely even made the tournament, having to win a first four game just to make it in the dance. This Final Four will be the eighth consecutive in which a seed ranked higher than 5th will have made it to the national semifinals. With a record number of upsets and crazy outcomes this March, its a wonder how we made it this far with two top seeds and a number two seed in the final four to begin with. That's the beauty of March madness. 

    Gonzaga looks to be the heavy favorite this weekend. The Bulldogs have breezed their way through the tournament with no resistance at all. Gonzaga won their first four games of the tournament by a combined 96 points. The lowest victory margin being a 16 point win over Oklahoma in the second round. The Bulldogs are a prolific team that has dominated on both sides of the floor. Gonzaga is led by sophomore big man Drew Timme who has dominated in this tournament, scoring 75 points in his last 3 games. Gonzaga will look to continue its dominance on Saturday night against UCLA and take one step closer to becoming the first undefeated national champion since the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers. 

    UCLA is the cinderella of this year's Final Four. The Bruins came into the tournament as an 11 seed and had to get by Michigan State in the first four just to be included in the round of 64. Not many gave the Bruins a chance. Yet here they stand in their first final four since 2008. A shocking run that included wins over several conference champions in Alabama and Michigan. The Bruins are led by Sophomore Jaime Jaquez who has scored in double figures in four of UCLA's five tournament games. UCLA's tenacious on ball defense has affected their opponents in this tournament so far. They will need to be on point on both sides of the ball on Saturday night as they go up against Gonzaga who will be the toughest task the Bruins have faced all year. UCLA will need to avoid turnovers and keep Gonzaga out of transition on offense to have any chance on Saturday night. 

    Baylor comes into the Final Four as the other number one seed and having won 26 of their 28 games played so far, the Bears look poised to take the next step on the way to their first national title game since 1948. Baylor is perhaps the best shooting team left in the field. The Bears are the nation's best three point shooting team at 41 percent this season. Baylor is also one of the highest scoring teams in the country as they rank sixth nationally at 83 points per game. Defensively the Bears have had an outstanding four game stretch, forcing 69 turnovers against their opponents. Baylor is led by Junior guard Jared Butler who leads the Bears in scoring at 16.5 points per game but also is a very tenacious defender who has averaged 2.0 steals per game during the tournament. Baylor will look to try to outplay the Houston Cougars who are coming into Saturday night as the best defensive team in which they have allowed only 55 points per game to their opponents. Look for Baylor to get out and run early to get the Cougars scrambling on defense. 

    Houston is making their first trip to the Final Four since the Phi Slamma Jamma days of Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler in the 1980s. The Cougars are looking for their first national title in school history. Houston comes into the final four as one of the best teams in terms of defense in the country this season. They have only allowed opponents to shoot 37 percent from the floor. That defense will need to be up to point on Saturday evening as they face the best three point shooting team in the country in Baylor. The Cougars are led by DeJon Jarreau who was the American Athletic Conference defensive player of the year. Look for Jarreau to be guarding the best perimeter player on Baylor which will most likely be Jared Butler. Houston must be able to guard the perimeter against Baylor to have any chance in this game. If Houston is able to get in their half court offense and knocking down shots early, it could be a shootout to see who advances to Monday night's national title game. 

    Baylor vs Houston. Gonzaga vs UCLA. Three schools without a national crown and one school in UCLA who is one of the blue bloods in college basketball with the most national championships won with 11 titles. Two teams will leave the floor on Saturday night one step closer to a national championship. It all happens on Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium. 

Butler vs Xavier Big East Tournament Preview

 

          The Big East tournament gets underway at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Wednesday. Two old rivals meet in the first round. Butler and Xavier will match up for the third time this season on Wednesday night in NYC. Butler is the tenth seed in this year's conference tournament while the Musketeers are the number 7 seed in the tournament.  

           The series between Butler and Xavier this season has been controlled by the Musketeers. Xavier won the first two matchups by double digits. Winning at Butler on January 30th by a score of 68-55 and then nearly a month later in Cincinnati on February 21st by a final of 63-51. Xavier has had the advantage over Butler this season on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Xavier outplayed the Bulldogs no question. All of that goes out the window on Wednesday night. Winner of this game will advance to the 2nd round of the Big East Tournament and face number 2 seed Creighton on Thursday night. For Butler, a loss means the end of the season. For Xavier, a loss means their NCAA Tournament hopes are in serious jeopardy. 

            Butler is looking to try to find some kind of positive note in what has been a very disappointing season. Away from Hinkle Fieldhouse this year, Butler is 1-10 overall. Not good at all. Another bad issue is the fact that Butler is 1-6 all time in the Big East Tournament and 0-2 all time in the conference tournament vs Xavier. These numbers don't add up very favorably for Butler. The Dawgs are looking to reverse those fortunes and find a way to get some mojo going in the Big East Tournament. Knocking out their arch rival in the opening round would definitely be a bright spot for these young Bulldogs. Butler is hoping to just be as healthy as possible for Wednesday night. Several key players are game time decisions. Seniors Bo Hodges and Bryce Nze are questionable to play. Should they be good to go, Butler has a fighters chance. If they be unable to play, Butler then has a major uphill battle in hopes of a victory. 

           Key for the Bulldogs will be to control the tempo of the game. Play at their pace and look for good shots. Butler plays at one of the slowest paces in college basketball. Watch for the Bulldogs to get Chuck Harris going early. The Freshman guard had been on a tear as of late, averaging 19.5 points per game in his last 6 games including a 29 point game last Saturday vs Creighton. He will need to have another big game on Wednesday evening for Butler to come out with a win. Defensively Butler will need to find a way to force Xavier into double teams in the paint on forwards Zach Fremantle and Jason Carter and make Xavier shoot from the outside, especially if Butler is limited in case that Bryce Nze is unable to play. If Nze is unable to play, Butler's interior defense will be much more vulnerable. Butler will have to implement a zone to try and make Xavier shoot from the outside.  

           Xavier will want to force Butler's hand early. Push the tempo, make the Bulldogs get out and run in the open floor where they are uncomfortable. Speeding up the pace on offense gets Butler out of position on defense and from there Xavier can take advantage with drives to the paint from Fremantle or Carter. If that happens then look out for senior Paul Scruggs on the wing for kick outs and he could do damage from the outside. The Indianapolis native dominated Butler back on January 30th, scoring 24 points. On defense, Xavier will have to force Butler into double teams on the perimeter to get Butler out of their offensive rhythm to create turnovers. If Xavier can get out to an early lead and push the tempo on both sides of the ball, they should be able to win this game. 

          Butler is looking to avenge their two previous losses against Xavier this season. The Musketeers are looking to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes afloat. Round three of Butler and Xavier happens on Wednesday evening at Madison Square Garden. March has finally arrived. Now the fun begins.