Game 14: #12 Butler, NYE Queens 730P/FS1

I think Butler got complacent and started turning the ball over. Up 20+ can lead to lackadaisical ball handling.

While I like Butler they were still picked 8th preseason. A healthy Heron obviously changes are team dramatically but I'm worried about Big East play. Still early and we are in drivers seat for tourney berth.

We may be in the driver's seat for a tourney birth but the key ain't in the ignition. LOL   Love Anderson and the team so far but BE play will determine a berth and that still remains to be seen. As you said Butler while off to a great start was picked 8th and outside of Baldwin i don't see too much talent on that team either so a loss at home may not be a good indication of things to come though I remain cautiously optimistic.

I'm confused as to how this statement has any relevance whatsoever on January 1st.

What is confusing about it? St. John's and Butler were projected to be bottom tier teams in the Big East.

Game showed coach has developed a great second unit which will develop into 40 minutes of ball busting hoop. 0 points from the two stars and, if not for a bad finish, this would have been a signature win. I’m hoping Duke gets more time. He was everywhere tonight

That is a positive. I do think Anderson has done a nice job of raising the floor but on flip side I don't think he's increased the ceiling.

Watchng the gane last night was very similar to many games Anderson coached in at Arkansas, including the finish.  I was hoping the johnnies could finish the deal but to many bad decisions down the stretch, still in tourney conversation however.

What is confusing about it? St. John's and Butler were projected to be bottom tier teams in the Big East.

I'm confused as to how their preseason projections are at all relevant at this point, because they aren't.

Watchng the gane last night was very similar to many games Anderson coached in at Arkansas, including the finish.  I was hoping the johnnies could finish the deal but to many bad decisions down the stretch, still in tourney conversation however.

and not even close to supposed to be in the tourney conversation losing 70 % of your scoring and only two guys coming back that have played any regular minutes. I don’t think a 23-2 run against a top 10 team is typical of What Anderson does, great coaching night without your two best players and your supposedly stud big man not even in the rotation yet. Any negative talk about last night is crazy talk, Dunn was about to get a foul drawn but somehow lost the ball.

Yes the 1st half beatdown showed where they stood. They needed that to light a fire in their ass for poor ass play! Appreciating the effort and being  proud of this team has nothing to do with what they needed to turn it around.

Nice try.  As we all know, you included, there is no such thing as a 1st half beatdown and certainly you didn't write 1st half. There is only falling behind by a lot in the first half.  A beatdown refers to the outcome of a game.  And a team certainly gets a full game to make it not a beatdown.

You prematurely ejaculated and were made to eat your words about an hour later.  It's my favorite thing about reading the game threads. You see it all the time and I find it hilarious.  Try hot sauce.  It makes them taste better.

I'm confused as to how their preseason projections are at all relevant at this point,

Please allow me to allay your confusion. 

The BE teams have each played only 1 game out of an 18 game regular season schedule.  We're about 5% into conference play and only about 40% into the whole thing. Since we're just getting started and pre-conference play is not much of an indicator, see last year's St. John's team, of how things will end up - people still appropriately talk about pre-season projections. 

We're going to have to find a way to generate half court offense. 

There was an interesting sequence during the game deciding 3+ minute scoring drought at the end.

Butler coach switched to a 1-3-1 and we looked like a deer in the headlights. We didn't score. Next time down, same defense same deer look, so CFC smartly calls a timeout which I'm sure he spent trying to teach us what a 1-3-1 is.  Of course out of the timeout Butler went back to man to man and the dooming scoreless steak continued unabated.

Dunn made a big mistake pulling the ball out on his own volition last possesion with precious seconds ticking away. Hopefully that won't happen again.

Heartbreaking loss. We really needed that one. 2nd year in a row we start conference play in cruel fashion.  Granted last year was crueler as we wuz robbed. Oh what could have been.

Being a fan of this program is downright brutal.

I think Butler got complacent and started turning the ball over. Up 20+ can lead to lackadaisical ball handling.

While I like Butler they were still picked 8th preseason. A healthy Heron obviously changes are team dramatically but I'm worried about Big East play. Still early and we are in drivers seat for tourney berth.

I don’t see how anyone can say this team is in the driver’s seat for a tournament berth. Last place seems the most likely finish. You have to win your home games in this conference...especially in a game of contrasting styles where you have to dictate tempo. That becomes exponentially more difficult in someone else’s arena. We will almost certainly be swept by at least Butler now.

Some of you get so offended by tr last place talk, but who are we definitely better than? Who can we score against in the half court with four minutes remaining?

Please allow me to allay your confusion. 

The BE teams have each played only 1 game out of an 18 game regular season schedule.  We're about 5% into conference play and only about 40% into the whole thing. Since we're just getting started and pre-conference play is not much of an indicator, see last year's St. John's team, of how things will end up - people still appropriately talk about pre-season projections. 

The problem is that two months of non conference play is way more of an indicator than people blindly guessing how teams will finish before they’ve played a game against anybody. Butler’s 8th place projection is obsolete considering that they are a top 10 team in the country right now by pretty much every metrics site that exists

Box score listed attendance of 3816 yet the place looked packed.  What gives?

Michael Stephens again. Ya think they could take him off our conference opener crew next season?

The problem is that two months of non conference play is way more of an indicator than people blindly guessing how teams will finish before they’ve played a game against anybody. Butler’s 8th place projection is obsolete considering that they are a top 10 team in the country right now by pretty much every metrics site that exists

I agree that non-conference play is more of an indicator than pre-season projections. I'll take it a step further.  I don't think the projections mean much of anything at all. But it's not irrelevant for posters to point to them 1 game into an 18 game season.

I don’t see how anyone can say this team is in the driver’s seat for a tournament berth. Last place seems the most likely finish. You have to win your home games in this conference...especially in a game of contrasting styles where you have to dictate tempo. That becomes exponentially more difficult in someone else’s arena. We will almost certainly be swept by at least Butler now.

Some of you get so offended by tr last place talk, but who are we definitely better than? Who can we score against in the half court with four minutes remaining?

A week ago you said you hadn’t seen zona or WVU play in a decade, but we can assume you know all 9 BE teams front and back?

I'm confused as to how their preseason projections are at all relevant at this point, because they aren't.

Sure it is. Conference play just started.

It's not promising that we couldn't win at home against a team that was considered by the coaches to be one of the worst in the conference. As everyone knows the game isn't played on paper but conference play is going to be very tough.

Some of you get so offended by tr last place talk, but who are we definitely better than? Who can we score against in the half court with four minutes remaining?

Which is exactly why I say we’re in rebuilding mode. The goal is to compete for championships, our roster is flawed. If we cant compete for a championship with the current makeup of the roster that sounds like we’re in rebuilding mode to me.

Please allow me to allay your confusion. 

The BE teams have each played only 1 game out of an 18 game regular season schedule.  We're about 5% into conference play and only about 40% into the whole thing. Since we're just getting started and pre-conference play is not much of an indicator, see last year's St. John's team, of how things will end up - people still appropriately talk about pre-season projections. 

Thank you. Exactly.

I don’t see how anyone can say this team is in the driver’s seat for a tournament berth. Last place seems the most likely finish. You have to win your home games in this conference...especially in a game of contrasting styles where you have to dictate tempo. That becomes exponentially more difficult in someone else’s arena. We will almost certainly be swept by at least Butler now.

Some of you get so offended by tr last place talk, but who are we definitely better than? Who can we score against in the half court with four minutes remaining?

I'm not saying I think that they are going to be great in conference or make the tourney but the fact is at this point in the season they control their own destiny.

If they finish top half of conference they are in.

You can wipe out this loss with a win at Butler. Its not probable but not impossible.

Which is exactly why I say we’re in rebuilding mode. The goal is to compete for championships, our roster is flawed. If we cant compete for a championship with the current makeup of the roster that sounds like we’re in rebuilding mode to me.

How are we in rebuilding mode? We're coming off NCAA Tournament appearance with 2 upperclassmen who are All Big East players.

We don't have a perfect roster but no one does.

Sure it is. Conference play just started.

It's not promising that we couldn't win at home against a team that was considered by the coaches to be one of the worst in the conference. As everyone knows the game isn't played on paper but conference play is going to be very tough.

"Conference play just started" but those projections were made 3 months ago before anybody had even played a single game. If those projections had to be made again right now where do you think Butler is projected to finish? If you think it would be anything other than 1st or 2nd you'd be wrong. So yes, those projections from 3 months ago are completely and utterly irrelevant right now. Butler is a top 10 team in the country on every single metrics site which carries 10000x more weight than outdated human projections.