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Butler: Story of The Little Engine that CouldNCAA Basketball Betting Lines04/06/2010 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - As a child, I remember reading the story of The Little Engine that Could, a tale of optimism and hard work. The story of Butler's trip to the 2010 NCAA Tournament national championship game and falling just short against Duke proves as an inspiration for any team, especially a mid-major, that the phrase "I-think-I-can" could go a long way in determining success or failure. Brad Stevens, the 33-year-old head coach, guided his team to 25 straight victories going into Monday night's clash with the Blue Devils and the Bulldogs nearly pulled out an historic victory, but fell, 61-59, just a few miles from Butler's campus. Gordon Hayward's potential go-ahead jumper from the right baseline clanked off the rim in the waning seconds. A buzzer-beating half-court shot almost went in too for Hayward, but the Bulldogs were left with a thought of what could have been, as they nearly beat a team that played in its 10th championship game. This was the first such appearance for the Bulldogs, but Stevens is hoping not the last. "They came one shot away from winning a national championship. So, you know, if it furthers the program, it can't further it by much," Stevens said. "I think that one of the things that we're going to try to do is evaluate, continue to evaluate, and recruit to who Butler is and not worry about what everybody else says about it. Try to put teams together that can compete like this one. "It doesn't mean you're gonna get results like this. You know, we caught lightning in a bottle and ran with it the last 25 games. Almost had an aura of we thought we were going to win every game." Still, Butler has plenty of reasons to be proud. The Indianapolis school with nearly 4,200 students, saw their basketball team ranked for a good portion of the season and build a winning streak that became a rallying cry. The 25-game run was the longest by a tournament runner-up since Duke in 1999. The Blue Devils brought a 32-game win streak into the national title game but fell to Connecticut in St. Petersburg, Fla. that year. Butler, which took down No. 1 seed Syracuse in the West regional semifinals, was the smallest school to reach the national title game since in the tournament expanded in 1985. "I think it's going to help the program greatly. Helps recruits. Lets people know that Butler's not an underdog, that we have a great program, that we can have a chance to be good every year," Butler senior forward Avery Jukes said. The Bulldogs, playing out of the Horizon League, prided themselves on defense and it's what ultimately helped them knock off schools from the Big East, Big 12 (Kansas State), Big Ten (Michigan State) and nearly the ACC. Butler was the first team in the shot-clock era (1985-86) to advance to the national championship by holding its opponents under 60 points in each of their first five games. The Bulldogs held 12 of their last 14 opponents under 60 points. and nearly did the same Monday night. "I think the thing that should be known about this game is anything can happen in a basketball game," Stevens said. "You can't hold Duke to a standard of perfection throughout the year. I mean, they're gonna play poorly, under what they usually do sometimes, sometimes they're going to play great, and most of the time they're going to be as good as they are. Same with us."
<< A 4th title for Coach K, thanks to Duke's 'Big 3'
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Mike Krzyzewski clipped the final piece of the net and gave it a kiss. Then he hoisted it skyward for all those Duke fans to savor.After claiming the fourth of his national championships, Coach K showed he still knows how to celeb
<< Duke does it in 61-59 thriller over Butler
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<< Coach K shows something old, something new to win
Coach K wins fourth title >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When Gordon Hayward's desperation shot hit off the backboard and rim, Mike Krzyzewski exhaled knowing his Duke Blue Devils escaped Butler and were back on top as national champions. A Hall of Famer
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2007 online football betting PreviewMy fellow Americans, as tempting as it may be to don the coat and HD-ready tie in order to deliver this State of the Game address before the cameras, I know better. As Brad Paisley sings on his latest album, "I'm so much cooler online." The ideas for this annual essay to kick off the MySportsbook.com college football betting preview flowed like frat-house beer, which is to say they were cheap and spilled all over the floor. The 2007 season will be better than 2007, if only because there will be more of it. A year ago, the NCAA Football Rules Committee made two rule changes in the interest of speeding up the game. These changes went over like Kobe burgers at a vegan banquet. To its credit, the rules committee rectified its mistakes. This season the clock once again will start when a kickoff is received, rather than when it is kicked, and the clock will not start so quickly on a change of possession. However, kickoffs have been moved back five yards, to the 30, which will force more returns. (Thus forcing the clock to run. Clever, huh?) Special teams might decide a lot of games, because coaching strategy will come straight out of another new Paisley lyric (almost), I'd like to check you for kicks. Paisley sings with a twang, which is why he's appropriate for this college football season. The sun coming up over the 2007 college football betting lines season rises from the south. It's a Southern football world. As the Southeastern Conference begins its 75th year, the power shift is noticeable. Eight-figure budgets, glamorous settings -- and that's just for the head coaches. The SEC has four coaches who have won national championships -- the greatest aggregation of coaching know-how since Eddie Robinson dined alone. Steve Spurrier, Phil Fulmer, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer have given lie to the idea that a conference championship game is too daunting a hurdle on the road to No. 1. In six of the past 10 seasons, the national champions played and won a conference championship game -- three of the six (Tennessee, 1998; LSU, 2003; Florida, 2007) from the SEC. 2007 College Football Betting PreviewThere will be more of the same this season, if the preseason prognostications are correct. Six SEC teams are in the preseason coaches' poll, more than from any other conference. Only one conference has talent so deep that a team with 15 returning starters, including the best quarterback in the league, from an eight-win season is considered an afterthought. That may speak more to Kentucky's losing legacy than to the wisdom of the predictions, but there you have it. And seriously, keep an eye on Wildcats QB Andre' Woodson. The reach of the South extends all the way to No. 1. Take a look at the team that is a consensus pick to win the national championship. The quarterback is from Shreveport. The best wide receiver is from Nashville. The top recruit is from New Orleans. So what's the campus doing in Los Angeles? Hey, it is the University of Southern California. USC lost two Pacific-10 Conference games a year ago, the first time that had happened in five seasons, and university officials withstood the urge to form blue-ribbon panels to unearth the cause of such a disaster. Instead, the Trojans gathered themselves and routed Michigan, 32-18, in the Rose Bowl. USC's losses at Oregon State and at UCLA last year should have given pause to those who question the Pac-10's football prowess (such as, without naming names, L.M. from Baton Rouge). The league only got deeper this season; Dennis Erickson is taking over an Arizona State team that never quite got out of its own way under his predecessor, Dirk Koetter. Erickson will resume his quest to become the first coach to win a national championship at two schools. Both he and Spurrier, now in his third season at South Carolina, returned to college football at schools with lower profiles than where they won their titles. That isn't the case for the third coach looking for the national championship double. You may have missed this, but NASA reported the astronauts on the space shuttle last spring made contact with what can only be described as beings from another galaxy. The leader of the aliens said, "We come in peace," followed by, "So how do you think Nick Saban will do at Alabama?" The public is reacting to the new Crimson Tide coach as if he is the Barry Bonds of college football -- beloved at home for what his fans believe he is going to do, hated on the road for his intimidating attitude and for what his detractors believe he did (bend NCAA recruiting rules). I made this comparison from the dais at a charity dinner in Mobile, Ala., last month, and the chill that washed over me didn't come from the air conditioning. Saban will attempt to prove that he can remake in Tuscaloosa what he built in Baton Rouge, much like another member of the national championship fraternity. Bobby Bowden is attempting to remake at Florida State what he built at, um, Florida State. Bowden rebuilt his offensive staff, bringing in four new coaches led by Saban's former offensive coordinator, Jimbo Fisher, to jump-start an offense that has been dead for a couple of years. Las Vegas Sports LinesThe Atlantic Coast Conference is expected to show new signs of life, too. That is said with no disrespect toward last season's champion, Wake Forest, which provided one of the best story lines of 2007. The Demon Deacons begin this season in their customary position, overshadowed by the Virginia Techs, Miamis and Florida States. It's not that Wake will find it difficult to duplicate its success in 2007 as much as the feeling that success engendered. Surprising success is the narcotic of sport. It never feels quite so euphoric the next time. Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has figured this out. He refers to 2007, when a league looked down upon by fans and foes alike took three undefeated teams into November, as "Cinderella." The fairy tale may be over, but the Big East has four genuine Heisman Trophy candidates in Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm, West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White, and Rutgers tailback Ray Rice. Rutgers, as did Wake Forest and, of course, Boise State, proved last season that the have-nots in college football occasionally have quite a lot. The Broncos' rousing 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl has raised the profile of all schools in conferences that don't get automatic BCS bids. This season, TCU and Hawaii are the preseason favorites to burst through the BCS doors and earn an at-large bid. The Warriors return 14 starters from an 11-3 team, including quarterback Colt Brennan. Brennan not only broke the single-season record with 58 touchdown passes in 2007, but he also led Division I-A in passing efficiency (186.0). The senior is expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy, and neither his success nor the rise of his team should come as any surprise in the 2007 season. After all, Hawaii is the southernmost team in the country. To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards. |
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