Props to Butler

Is it possible that this Butler team is even better than that 29-win, Indiana-Notre Dame-Tennessee-Gonzaga slaying squad? Well, anything's possible and that previous question makes me sound like some windbag on Around The Horn.

The four power-conference teams Butler has beaten probably won't turn out as good as the aforementioned quartet. (Especially after something like this. Sweet revenge for Tommy Amaker!) But the point is this. Butler's shooting was downright unconscious in Alaska and included a 56-possession, 81 points scored game against Texas Tech (that's 1.44 per if you're scoring at home).

On Saturday against Ohio State, their the same could not be said offensively. They shot 25% in the first half, but their defense kept them within reasonable distance at 30-20. Then, the defense went into complete overdrive, forcing turnovers on 38% of Ohio State possessions and holding them to just 16 second-half points.

Butler also 'took what the defense gave them' (hey, I can use cliches, too!) by using Matt Howard to eviscerate the Buckeyes' let's-defend-the-three defense for 23 on 9-for-13.

Butler opens up their conference slate on Thursday against Detroit (of the Mercy variety, and it might fit in this game) and then has the grudge match from last year at Wright State on Saturday.