Butler Outduels Creighton in Omaha

 

    Butler picked up a key road win on Friday night, defeating13th ranked Creighton 99-98. 

    The Bulldogs got the defensive stop at the end of what was an offensive slugfest the whole game. Sophomore Landon Moore knocked away a pass with no time on the clock to give Butler their first win at Creighton since 2015. 

    The whole night was a battle of knock down shooting. Both teams shot 55 percent from the field. Butler made 13 three pointers on the evening and 59 percent overall from beyond the arc which is a significant stat given the fact that Creighton is ranked as the Big East's top defensive team. This game was the first Big East game since 2011 in which both teams scored atleast 95 points in regulation. 

    Butler was led in scoring by senior Jahmyl Telfort's 26 points which matched his season high. D.J. Davis scored 22 points including three from downtown. Junior Pierre Brooks added 14 points and continues his streak of reaching double figures in every game this season. Rounding out the scoring for Butler in double figures was Finley Bizjack who was a key contributor off the bench. He and Landon Moore were given more minutes this game with the foot injury to starting point guard Posh Alexander. 

    Creighton got their double figure scoring in bunches from four key players who each had 20 or more points. Steven Ashworth and Baylor Scheierman each scored 26 points for the host Blue Jays. Trey Alexander finished with 22 points. Ryan Kaulkbrenner, Creighton's first team all Big East selection from a year ago finished with a near double double as he recorded 20 points and nine rebounds. The only other player to score for Creighton on the evening was Francisco Farabello who had four points. 

    In a back and forth contest the whole evening, Creighton took a ten point lead 47-37 with two minutes left in the first half. Butler responded with a quick 8-2 run to end the half with key three pointers by Pierre Brooks and then Finley Bizjack's nothing but net 35 footer at the buzzer to cut the Blue Jay's lead to 49-45. Creighton shot 61 percent from the floor in the first half and was led by Baylor Scheierman's 17 points while Butler was led in the first half in scoring by Jahmyl Telfort's 14 points. 

    Butler began the second half on a 15-7 run and took a 60-56 lead lead less than four minutes into the second half. 

    Creighton's last lead of the game came with 12 minutes to go when they held a 68-67 lead. Three ties followed but the Bulldogs never trailed the rest of the ballgame. 

    Butler's largest lead of the game came when D.J. Davis knocked down a three pointer to give the Bulldogs a 87-82 advantage with six minutes left in regulation. 

    Butler held a 97-94 lead with 49 seconds remaining Butler would then proceed to foul the Blue Jays in order to protect their lead. 

    Things then became a little hectic to say the least. 

    Ryan Kalkbrenner made two free throws to cut into the Butler lead to make it 97-96 with 11 seconds left. Creighton then had several chances to go ahead. 

    Butler was inbounding the basketball when the pass was deflected off D.J. Davis leg and went out of bounds, giving the ball back to Creighton. The Blue jays then proceeded to turn the ball over themselves when Trey Alexander lost the ball on the inbound pass. D.J. Davis was fouled by Francisco Farabello who inadvertently poked Davis in the eye. Davis was unable to shoot the free throws. Freshman Boden Kapke was able to step in and step up for the Bulldogs by knocking down both free throws. Score was now 99-96 Bulldogs with six seconds remaining. 

    Creighton would make two free throws after Trey Alexander was fouled immediately with five seconds remaining to make it 99-98 in favor of Butler.

    The Bulldogs were inbounding the ball when it came loose and Creighton would gain possession on the tie up with 0.5 seconds remaining. 

    The Blue Jays last chance fell short as Landon Moore knocked away the Blue Jays attempt to win the game. Butler held on for another road win against a top 15 opponent.

    Butler was able to win this game from key contributions from its young dogs. Freshmen Finley Bizjack and Boden Kapke stepped up big when it mattered most. Both made huge plays down the stretch, Kapke with the two free throws late and Bizjack was perfect on three pointers for the game, going three for three beyond the arc. Sophomore Landon Moore was in the starting lineup for the first time this season as he replaced Senior Posh Alexander who was dealing with a foot injury. Moore finished with eight points, two rebounds and two assists. 

    For Butler, this was a huge win for a team who hopes to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018. This helps their resume with another win over a top 15 opponent on the road. Butler now sits at 15-7 on the season and 6-5 in the Big East. The Bulldogs have now won four straight and have more wins on the season than they had all of last year. Quite a turnaround for Thad Matta in his second stint as Bulldogs head coach. 

    Butler is averaging 81.5 points per game this season, their most since the 1990-91 season. 

    The Bulldogs win over the Blue Jays marked the first loss for Creighton in Omaha on a Friday night since 1975. Creighton had a 33 game winning streak at home on Friday nights. Creighton is now 16-6 on the season and 7-4 in the Big East.

    Butler's next game is trip to number 1 ranked UConn next Tuesday night. The Blue Jays will travel to Providence for a game against the Friars on Wednesday night. 

Butler Defeats Villanova in Double OT Thriller

 

    It's the year 2024 and Hinkle magic still exists. 

    Butler used that magic to overcome double digit deficits in regulation and double overtime sessions to take down Villanova 88-81 on Saturday afternoon before a very enthusiastic sellout crowd of 9,237 at Hinkle Fieldhouse. 

    Butler's sharpshooting senior guard D.J. Davis was held scoreless in the entire first half. the second half was a different story. Davis scored all of his game high 28 points in the second half and in both overtimes including five three pointers. Senior forward Jahmyl Telfort earned his first career double double in a Butler uniform with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Also scoring in double figures for the Bulldogs was Junior Pierre Brooks with 13 points and Senior guard Posh Alexander with 12 points on the day. 

    Villanova was led in scoring by Eric Dixon who scored 28 points, Tyler Burton added a double double of his own with 13 points and 10 rebounds. 

    The game started out anything but pretty for Butler. Villanova jumped out of the gate and took an early 11-0 lead to begin the ballgame. Butler didn't score it's first points until 13 minutes in the first half. Butler only managed to score three points total in the first ten minutes and trailed by 14 points. The situation seemed very bleak for the home team. 

    Things got less daunting by halftime but the Bulldogs still trailed by nine heading into the break 36-27. Villanova was on fire from inside the arc in the first half. The Wildcats were 15-20 on two pointers. Butler simply provided no resistance. If Butler was to overcome the deficit it would have to turn up the defense in the second half and also score some buckets. Butler was led in the first half by Telfort who scored 10. 

    Butler in the second half still struggled early on. Midway through the second half Butler was shooting 4-16 on layups and 2-17 on three pointers. It was a miracle they only trailed by single digits at that point in the game. Last year's Butler team would have already been down and out for the count at that stage. This year's Butler team has the resiliency and mental toughness to fight through adversity. They have proven that several times this season and they showed it once again on Saturday. 

     With four minutes to go, Villanova led by 11 points.  The metrics had Butler's chances of winning the game at only a mere four percent. Time was running out and Butler needed answers and fast. Those prayers would be answered in the form of one of the most improbable comebacks in recent memory in Hinkle Fieldhouse. Enter D.J. Davis and Jahmyl Telfort. 

    The Bulldogs trailed 64-59 with one minute remining in regulation. Davis hit a three pointer from the corner to trim the Wildcat lead to two points. After a defensive stop, Butler had the ball with twenty seconds remaining and a chance to send the game into overtime. Telfort drove to the basket and threw down a dunk with five seconds left that sent Hinkle into a frenzy. The game was tied for the first time the whole afternoon. The game was headed to overtime. 

    Butler's first lead of the game came in the extra session on a putback by senior Andre Screen to put The Bulldogs ahead 66-64. Villanova responded and once again took a four point lead in the closing minute of overtime and sure enough Butler responded right back. Davis scored a jumper from the wing and then a running layup with five seconds remaining. Double overtime was about to begin. Butler just wouldn't quit on this day.

    As they had done in the first overtime, Villanova came out and took a four point lead on two early baskets and built a 78-74 lead midway through the second overtime. Once again, Butler had an answer. An 8-0 run by the Bulldogs would give the the lead for good at 82-78. Butler would then hit six straight free throws to seal the deal. 88-81 in double overtime. Butler had completed the comeback. Most would wonder how a game like this could happen. Butler fans understand how in two simple words: Hinkle magic. 

    Despite their cold shooting stretch during the start of the game, Butler would finish the game shooting 14-20 from the field and finish overall at 43 percent. Villanova would finish the game at 48 percent shooting for the day. Butler scored 40 points over the first 30 minutes of the basketball game and then would score 48 points over the final 18 minutes. 

    Butler seems very comfortable this season when games go into the extra session. The Bulldogs are 3-1 in overtime games this year including 3-0 at Hinkle Fieldhouse and 2-0 in double overtime games.  

    Hinkle Fieldhouse has been Villanova's kryptonite for awhile now. Since 2017, the Wildcats have won only two of the last eight meetings against the Bulldogs in Indianapolis. 

    Butler travels on the road next week in a matchup with 17th ranked Creighton while Villanova heads home to take on 14th ranked Marquette next Tuesday night. 

    

    

    

Butler Defeats Georgetown In Big East Opener

 

    Butler began it's conference slate of the 2023-24 season with a 74-64 win over Georgetown on Tuesday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse in the Big East opener for both teams. 

    Four Bulldogs scored in double figures led by 13 points each from Pierre Brooks and Posh Alexander. D.J. Davis and Jahmyl Telfort each added 12 points a piece. Alexander was the best player on the floor for the Bulldogs on Tuesday night, adding seven assists and then on the defensive end racking up five steals. 

    The Hoyas were led in scoring by Dontrez Styles who had a game high of 19 points and six rebounds. Also scoring in double figures for the Hoyas were Jayden Epps with 12 points and Supreme Cook who had 10 points and led the Hoyas in rebounds with seven for the game. 

    Butler and Georgetown didn't exactly have the prettiest showing of basketball in the first half. Both teams struggled from the floor early on with both sides going through multiple scoring droughts. Butler looked hesitant to shoot for awhile it seemed. It remained a close game until about three minutes to go in the first half. Butler would then go on their run. 

    The Bulldogs for the final three minutes of the first half would go on a scoring and defensive barrage that would extend their lead to 13 points by the time the halftime buzzer sounded with Butler ahead 40-27. Butler would end the half on a 13-2 run that would give them the lead that they wouldn't relinquish the rest of the ballgame. Butler turned seven first half turnovers into seven points. The first half run to end the half was the key part in the Bulldogs win. 

    Butler went on a scoring run in the second half with six straight points as they pushed to their largest lead of the game at 54-38 with 11 minutes to go. Georgetown would trim the lead to 60-52 but that was the closest the Hoyas would get as another Bulldog scoring run of seven straight points would push the lead back to 15 points at 67-52 with six minutes left. 

    Georgetown did have an edge in the rebounding category early on in the game. The Hoyas generated 12 second chance points from their offensive rebounding led by Supreme Cook who had five rebounds in the first half alone, four of which were on the offensive side. Butler has been notorious the last couple of seasons for being a poor defensive rebounding team. Butler then regrouped towards the end of the half and outrebounded the Hoyas 19-16. After halftime, the Bulldogs would limit Georgetown to only five second chance points. Butler finished the game with a 37-29 edge on the boards. Butler was led in rebounding by Jalen Thomas who finished with eight. 

    Butler unfortunately suffered a key injury on Tuesday night of note. Starting shooting guard D.J. Davis left early in the second half with an ankle injury and did not return to the game. Davis was the leading scorer in the first half with 12 points. Butler can't afford to miss their sharpshooting guard for much time especially with the gauntlet of the Big East season officially underway. If Davis is unable to play then expect freshman Finley Bizjack or sophomore Landon Moore to fill the shooting guard spot for the Bulldogs in his absence. 

      Butler has won seven in a row and currently has a record of 10-2. It is the Bulldogs best 12 game start to the season since 2019-20. The Bulldogs are undefeated so far at Hinkle Fieldhouse with an 8-0 record. The Hoyas fall to 7-5 on the season. Butler's next game is Saturday afternoon at Providence while Georgetown travels to Marquette on Friday night.  

Butler Outduels Texas Tech

 

        In one of the wildest games so far of the college basketball season, Butler defeated Texas Tech 103-95 in the Big East vs Big 12 Battle on Thursday night in front of 7,893 fans at Hinkle Fieldhouse. 

        The Bulldogs gutted out the win in overtime by weathering the Red Raiders second half rally which was fueled by three point shooting and several big plays down the stretch that sent the game into the extra session. Butler would go on to outscore Texas Tech 20-12 in overtime to put the game away and send the Bulldog faithful home happy. 

        Five Bulldogs reached double figures on Thursday evening. Butler was led in scoring by Seniors Jahmyl Telfort and D.J. Davis who scored 26 and 25 points respectively. Also having a big contribution for the Bulldogs was fellow Senior guard Posh Alexander who became the first Butler Bulldog to post a triple double in a game since Roosevelt Jones in 2016. Alexander finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Junior Pierre Brooks contributed 18 points of his own and helped seal the win in overtime with a baseline three pointer in the final minute. Center Andre Screen added 14 points off the bench. 

        Butler looked like a well oiled machine on the offensive side of the ball. Texas Tech tried their best to defend the Bulldogs but Butler had an answer for every run the Red Raiders made. Butler's offense was clicking all game. Telfort and Davis got it done from the perimeter and Andre Screen dominated on the inside. Texas Tech tried to go to a zone, Butler found openings in the zone and moved the ball inside and out. Butler's passing was crisp and it seemed everybody touched the ball on possessions which led to baskets. Butler shot 55 percent from the field on Thursday. The 103 points are the most scored by the Bulldogs in a game since they scored 101 against Villanova in 2018. 

       Texas Tech was led in scoring by Chance McMillian who poured in 24 points. McMillian was on fire from long range, going 8-10 from the three point line. Point guard Joe Toussaint added a double double, scoring 20 points and dishing out 12 assists. Also scoring in double figures for the Red Raiders was Devin Cambridge who scored 16 points and Warren Washington who added 10 points. 

        Butler was in control for most of the first half and built a 45-38 lead at halftime. Butler led by as many as 10 points in the second half before Tech made their rally. The Red Raiders would go on a 25-10 run in the second half to take their first lead of the game since the opening minutes at 68-67. Texas Tech would extend their lead to 73-67 with four minutes to go. 

        The Bulldogs would respond and retook the lead at 80-79 on a three pointer by D.J. Davis with one minute to go. Texas Tech answered and led 81-80 with 35 seconds left. Jahmyl Telfort would hit a three pointer to give butler a 83-81 lead with 20 seconds remaining. Butler's defense broke down on the final possession when Joe Toussaint drove in the lane and kicked it out to Pop Issacs who then would make a layup in the lane to tie the game and send it into overtime.

        In overtime the lead would change three times before Butler asserted themselves and would take the lead for good after a three pointer by Telfort in the corner put Butler ahead 92-89. Pierre Brooks would add five points of his own in overtime to extend the lead and eventually the final horn sounded and Butler would be victorious 103-95.  Butler outscored Texas Tech 20-12 in the extra session. Very gritty win by the Bulldogs at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

        Butler has now won three in a row and their record stands at 6-2 on the young season while the Red Raiders record drops to 5-2. Both of Texas Tech's losses have come at the hands of Big East opponents, they were defeated by Villanova on November 22nd. Butler's next game is home against Buffalo next Tuesday night and the Red Raiders travel back to Lubbock to take on Omaha next Wednesday. 

Tony Kanaan: One Final Ride

 

    After 295 career races, 21 Indy 500's, 17 career wins, an IndyCar Championship in 2004, Indianapolis 500 victory in 2013 and countless memories over the years, Tony Kanaan takes his last ride this Sunday at the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500. What a journey it has been. 

    Tony Kanaan has been the epitome of an IndyCar driver, both on and off the track. From his early days running with Andretti Green Racing in the 7-11 sponsored car to winning the Indianapolis 500 in 2013, to now one last time at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, its been an amazing journey. There's no question that Kanaan has been the IndyCar series most popular driver for quite some time and for good reason. If you've gone through Gasoline Alley at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and stopped by the garage of Tony Kanaan, you will always find a clamor of fans trying to get a photo or autograph from him. True to his persona, Tony always has time to make the fans happy and leave them with a smile. That's just who T.K. has always been. When Tony won the Indianapolis 500 in 2013, everybody in the stands was so elated for him. Once he was in victory lane that day, Tony proclaimed his victory was for the fans. Not just Indianapolis but all around the IndyCar circuit over the last 22 years, Tony Kanaan has had the admiration of fans everywhere. He has a great chance on Sunday to provide them with one final memory. 

    Tony starts his last ever race on Sunday in ninth position after posting a qualifying speed average of 233.076 mph.  Driving for Arrow McLaren, Tony has the team that can help him get to victory lane. Tony has proven he still has what it takes at the age of 48. Last year Kanaan finished the 500 in third place with Ganassi Racing. Al Unser currently holds the record for oldest driver to win the Indianapolis 500 at age 47 in 1987 but if there's anybody who is capable of taking over that record, its Tony Kanaan. He has always had strong races during his tenure at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Don't expect this Sunday to be any different. Kanaan has been very consistent this last week during practice and qualifications leading up to race day. 

    Kanaan over the years at Indianapolis is no stranger to success at this hallowed track. over 21 races at the Indianapolis 500 he has had 12 top ten finishes, led laps in 15 of those 500's and a total of 352 laps led for 14th most all time in the history of the race. He also holds the record for most consecutive Indy 500's led for seven straight years from 2002-2008 and also is tied for the most times led in a single race when he led the 2013 Indy 500 15 different times.  Any time Kanaan takes the lead at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the crowd noise level goes up a few notches. 

     This Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, it ends where it all began for Tony Kanaan. His first ever IndyCar race took place at the fabled grounds in 2002 and now in 2023 he takes his final ride. I think I speak on behalf of race fans everywhere when I say Tony Kanaan, thanks for the memories sir. It has truly been a pleasure to watch your career. You have been gracious in both victory and defeat, always providing the crowd with some great moments over the years and always showing your appreciation for us. Sunday will be an emotional day for not only yourself but all of us in the stands who have cheered you on the last 22 years. It is the end of an era. We will celebrate your legacy as you take your final laps of your career. Who knows, maybe on Sunday we all have one more celebration with you in victory lane with some milk. The crowd on Sunday will cheer loudly during driver introductions when Tony Kanaan's name is announced. However, what if this one final ride ends up in victory lane one last time? Imagine how loud the crowd will be then. Just maybe. Anything can happen at Indy as we all know. So for one last ride and one last time, Tony Kanaan, thanks for the memories. 

    

    

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.