Will Butler Do It Again Next Year

[duckfever8]

Butler's got everyone coming back, and they could have a shot and repeating their run next season. What do you think? Do you think Butler or some other little obscure school in a crap conference can make the Final Four next year, even if they make it 94 teams.

[WazzuRC]

Re: Will Butler Do It Again Next Year

Yes.

It's not like Butler was George Mason from a few years ago. They were preseason Top 10 in the nation and will be next year, maybe even Top 5.

[Cebby]

Re: Will Butler Do It Again Next Year

They should have a similar regular season, but it's nearly impossible to project 1 to 6 games especially a year in advance.

[z Revis]

Re: Will Butler Do It Again Next Year

They'll make another deep run. I'm not sure if they'll get to the Championship game again. Theoretically, they should be better next year assuming everyone that is eligible to return does return. They'll likely be in the 4-7 range in the pre season poll. They'll likely run through conference play undefeated again. Depending on their OOC schedule and wins, they could get up there in the seeding for the tourney as well.

So with that, a deep run? Yes, I think so. Do it again next year as in advancing to the Championship game and possibly winning it? Maybe, but it's impossible to predict at this point. We have no idea how a lot of the teams will look next year. And even the tourney, in general, is impossible to predict.

[XFactah416]

Re: Will Butler Do It Again Next Year

It's just not as easy to replicate magic in March. They don't return "everyone" though. Willie Veasley is gone, and he was a really good defender. He was also their 4th best scorer (although you wouldn't know, it seemed like he couldn't throw the ball into the ocean except for that clutch in and out and in 3 against Syracuse) Jukes is gone too, and he was stepped up big time in the title game.

Butler will be ranked very highly but I don't know if they'll ever come as close as they did this year. They'll still be a very good team, but to expect them to come back and reach another FF will be quite a daunting task. Not that they aren't capable of doing it, of course.

[Bellsprout]

Re: Will Butler Do It Again Next Year

They'll be good enough to make a deep run again. I don't know if they will, because it's not exactly easy to get to the Final Four, but they'll have the talent to do it.

Unless Heyward gets stupid and leaves. Then all bets are off.

[JVal3208]

Re: Will Butler Do It Again Next Year

Unless Heyward gets stupid and leaves. Then all bets are off.

I don't know if I would call it stupid...his draft stock is pretty high right now.
Their season all depends on if Hayward comes back, if he does then they could possibly have a similar season. Shelvin Mack will be even better next year.

[jake44np]

Re: Will Butler Do It Again Next Year

The way they play defense yes I think they will make another run again next year.
Defense is the reason they are so good and defense never leaves you unlike offense.

[ehh]

Re: Will Butler Do It Again Next Year

They'll probably be preseason Top 3. I don't think Hayward leaves.

[Koolie G]

Re: Will Butler Do It Again Next Year

I don't know anything about Hayward's family, but if they are financially stable then he will probably stay. If not, there is not a much better time to put his name in the Draft. His stock can't get much higher than it is. Just like Coach Stevens, his stock is off the charts right now. If Hayward left and they made the tourney but lost first or second round, his stock takes a huge hit. You have to strike while the iron is hot and it may never get hotter for Butler personnel than it is right now.

[jake44np]

Re: Will Butler Do It Again Next Year

I don't know anything about Hayward's family, but if they are financially stable then he will probably stay. If not, there is not a much better time to put his name in the Draft. His stock can't get much higher than it is. Just like Coach Stevens, his stock is off the charts right now. If Hayward left and they made the tourney but lost first or second round, his stock takes a huge hit. You have to strike while the iron is hot and it may never get hotter for Butler personnel than it is right now.

Accourding to Hayward it also depends if Stephens comes back.
Word here in Indy is Oregon is really after him right now.
Also it will not matter how high his stock is right now, it will matter how his workouts would go with NBA teams.

[ehh]

Re: Will Butler Do It Again Next Year

I don't think NBA teams are that high on Hayward.

He shot 31% on "catch-n-shoot" situations this year and just 35% when "wide open" on catch-n-shoots. He rarely shoots a pull up jumper. He can't defend at all. His game isn't nearly refined enough yet, I don't even know if he'd be a first-round pick. Duke completely shut him down and this Duke team doesn't have a single NBA-level defender on it.

Regardless of how high your stock is after a FF run, if you put your name in to test the waters and bomb at the camps then you aren't getting taken in the first round.

[jake44np]

Re: Will Butler Do It Again Next Year

I don't think NBA teams are that high on Hayward.

He shot 31% on "catch-n-shoot" situations this year and just 35% when "wide open" on catch-n-shoots. He rarely shoots a pull up jumper. He can't defend at all. His game isn't nearly refined enough yet, I don't even know if he'd be a first-round pick. Duke completely shut him down and this Duke team doesn't have a single NBA-level defender on it.

Regardless of how high your stock is after a FF run, if you put your name in to test the waters and bomb at the camps then you aren't getting taken in the first round.

Lets not base his NBA future on one night that he didnt shoot well.
The guy also scored 22, 19, 17 in back to back to back games vs Syracuse, Kansas State and Michigan State. And just this morning one of the NBA "experts" on ESPN projected him a a definite 1st round pick.

[ehh]

Re: Will Butler Do It Again Next Year

Lets not base his NBA future on one night that he didnt shoot well.
The guy also scored 22, 19, 17 in back to back to back games vs Syracuse, Kansas State and Michigan State. And just this morning one of the NBA "experts" on ESPN projected him a a definite 1st round pick.

I listed his shooting stats for the season, not just one night.

[Koolie G]

Re: Will Butler Do It Again Next Year

I guess what I really meant with saying Hayward's stock is high right now is that even if he doesn't do great at the pre-draft camps, the fact that he was in the final four gives him and extra "boost". If it came down to Hayward and another dude that performed a little bit better than him at the camps, but didn't get to the tournament or didn't go deep in the tourney, Gordon will get the nod over him because of the name recognition and the magical aura of leading your team to a national title game. Whether it is conscious or not I don't know, but Hayward's ceiling is about as high as it's gonna get right now, IMO.