College basketball cognoscenti have had an eye on Indianapolis’ own Butler University for a while now. The Bulldogs have been a mighty mouse under sixth-year head coach Todd Lickliter, dominating the Horizon League with annual 20-win seasons, and handing out Gonzaga-esque upsets in the NCAA tournament.
Even this recent history of being way too big for their britches didn’t prepare anyone for Butler’s blazing start to the 2006-2007 season. Picked to provide some frisky cannon fodder in the Preseason NIT, Butler’s cagers ripped off monster win after monster win, mowing down big names like Notre Dame, Indiana, Tennessee, and Gonzaga on their way to the title. They then had to fly back home and play Kent State with less than a day’s rest, and won that game in double OT. They are undefeated and belatedly cracked the top 25 this week. The best part? The Horizon League preseason poll picked the mighty Bulldogs to finish sixth in the conference. Nice guess, Nostradamus.
Having practically sewed up a tournament bid in November, the Bulldogs must now slog through a conference schedule filled with warm puppy chow: Detroit, Youngstown State, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, ad nauseum. A December game against Purdue is their sole remaining big-time challenge until the NCAAs. Since we’re not likely to see them on TV for a while despite that stunning resume, let’s take a few moments to meet the Butler Bulldogs:
Head Coach Todd Lickliter
- Is a morose man who has only smiled in public once, after watching Rick Majerus throw up in the parking lot of an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet restaurant
- Is getting pretty tired of the “Lickliter? I hardly know her!” jokes
- Has worked tirelessly to clear his name from the federal no-fly list after coaching a partial season for the Anh Ahli Sports Club of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Imagines his team would get more national press if Jason Whitlock had gone to Butler instead of Ball State
Senior G/F Julian Betko
- Transferred to Butler from Clemson after discovering that 99% of his fellow students couldn’t find his home country of Slovakia even after being spotted the correct continent
- Has a standing invitation to turn pro after this season as place kicker for the Colts
- Learned English by watching Schoolhouse Rock and Falcon Crest exclusively
Junior G Mike Green
- Starred at Philadelphia’s prestigious Franklin Learning Center, but people still assume he’s dumb, thanks to TV ads for the Sylvan Learning Center
- Transferred to Butler from Towson University after discovering that his classmates couldn’t find Maryland on a map even after he pointed to it
- Had to sit out a season after transferring, but kept himself sharp by dodging cars with Pacers star Stephen Jackson
Junior G A. J. Graves
- Thinks people compare him to Kirk Hinrich because of his NBA-level game, instead of his look
- Was originally brought to Butler on a mascot scholarship. Who knew the kid could play?
- Once shot a man just for snoring too loud!
Senior F Brandon Crone
- Really looking forward to playing pro ball in Uzbekistan next year. Has heard the women are unbelievable
- loves unicorns
- Determined to make the 2007 NCAA All-Academic team by incorporating test answers into the tribal tattoo on his arm
Senior C Brian Ligon
- Asked to borrow a copy of coach Lickliter’s Hey Soul Classics, but was told that he must buy his own
- Has only scored 37 points in seven games for a 5.3 scoring average. How does he keep his starting job? Here’s a clue:
Freshman F/C Elliot Engelmann
- Is tall
- Is Caucasian
- Hails from the Land of Lincoln!
Now, if you’ve been reading me for a while, you know that I am lazy, and love a recurring idea that can carry me through sports season. And time is ticking on the “Porn Name All-Stars” gravy train. So get ready to meet more mid-major surprises in future editions of “Who The Hell Are…”!
I kid because I love here at Extrapolater. However, I do have a site dedicated to getting the straight dope about colleges across America, called College Rule Notebook. If you’d like to set me straight, take the quick survey. We’ll dig up links & photos to illustrate your answers.
I’m coming to Charlottesville to kick your ass.
Um, I don’t suppose there’s any way you could send Engelmann instead? I know he’s not busy.
” the Bulldogs must now slog through a conference schedule filled with warm puppy chow: Valpo, Youngstown State, Evansville, ad nauseum.”
Excellent. Of the three examples given, only one (Youngstown State) is correct.
That’s it, I’m firing the research department.
Fixed. In my defense, it is the Horizon League…..
Nice.
Damn, dirty mid-majors.
Who invited them?!
I went to Kansas, and I’m desparately afraid that Butler will be the third “B” school to knock them out of the tourney.
Loyola Chicago will beat Butler at least twice this season. The ysee Butler on 1/25, 2/22, and possibly in the Horizon League championships. Loyola’s only loss on the season was to Ohio State, and they were the only team to give the ma game until UNC. Watch out for Loyola’s Blake Schilb, he made some noise down in the Orlando NBA pre-draft camp last year and is averaging 18 ppg, 5 rpg and 4 apg.
I think Loyola has a good team and Blake Schilb is for real BUT (Mr. Larue) Loyola has lost to a pretty good Saint Louis team (could very well be doing its own dancing).
[...] • Good luck trying to keep all the bowl games straight. [The North End Zone] • Darryl Strawberry lives in St. Louis now? [Inside STL] • Who will be the next racist to be outed? [Pulled My Groin] • Imagine being an athlete and having Nick Lachey as your boss. [Seattlest] • SI.com’s Stuart Mandel keeps his word. [Every Day Should Be Saturday] • Surveying the McGwire HOF landscape. [UmpBump] • Hey, who’s Butler? [extrapolater] • In defense of the BCS? Maybe? Kinda? [Feeding The Goat] • More on the Orlando Devil Rays. [WBRS Sports Blog] • The Vikings have the best charity events. [10,000 Takes] • Fun with the Blackhawks! [Fleece The Pig, Flog The Pony] • How does trading Manny make the Red Sox better again? [Touching All The Bases] • How much would the 1986 Mets cost right now? [Joe Sports Fan] [...]
I once had a scholarship offer to go to Butler University, not sure if there are any hot girls on campus.
[...] • Good luck trying to keep all the bowl games straight. [The North End Zone] • Darryl Strawberry lives in St. Louis now? [Inside STL] • Who will be the next racist to be outed? [Pulled My Groin] • Imagine being an athlete and having Nick Lachey as your boss. [Seattlest] • SI.com’s Stuart Mandel keeps his word. [Every Day Should Be Saturday] • Surveying the McGwire HOF landscape. [UmpBump] • Hey, who’s Butler? [extrapolater] • In defense of the BCS? Maybe? Kinda? [Feeding The Goat] • More on the Orlando Devil Rays. [WBRS Sports Blog] • The Vikings have the best charity events. [10,000 Takes] • Fun with the Blackhawks! [Fleece The Pig, Flog The Pony] • How does trading Manny make the Red Sox better again? [Touching All The Bases] • How much would the 1986 Mets cost right now? [Joe Sports Fan] [...]
[...] • Good luck trying to keep all the bowl games straight. [The North End Zone] • Darryl Strawberry lives in St. Louis now? [Inside STL] • Who will be the next racist to be outed? [Pulled My Groin] • Imagine being an athlete and having Nick Lachey as your boss. [Seattlest] • SI.com’s Stuart Mandel keeps his word. [Every Day Should Be Saturday] • Surveying the McGwire HOF landscape. [UmpBump] • Hey, who’s Butler? [extrapolater] • In defense of the BCS? Maybe? Kinda? [Feeding The Goat] • More on the Orlando Devil Rays. [WBRS Sports Blog] • The Vikings have the best charity events. [10,000 Takes] • Fun with the Blackhawks! [Fleece The Pig, Flog The Pony] • How does trading Manny make the Red Sox better again? [Touching All The Bases] • How much would the 1986 Mets cost right now? [Joe Sports Fan] [...]
[...] • Good luck trying to keep all the bowl games straight. [The North End Zone] • Darryl Strawberry lives in St. Louis now? [Inside STL] • Who will be the next racist to be outed? [Pulled My Groin] • Imagine being an athlete and having Nick Lachey as your boss. [Seattlest] • SI.com’s Stuart Mandel keeps his word. [Every Day Should Be Saturday] • Surveying the McGwire HOF landscape. [UmpBump] • Hey, who’s Butler? [extrapolater] • In defense of the BCS? Maybe? Kinda? [Feeding The Goat] • More on the Orlando Devil Rays. [WBRS Sports Blog] • The Vikings have the best charity events. [10,000 Takes] • Fun with the Blackhawks! [Fleece The Pig, Flog The Pony] • How does trading Manny make the Red Sox better again? [Touching All The Bases] • How much would the 1986 Mets cost right now? [Joe Sports Fan] [...]
[...] – 7pm ET on ESPN: Typically I like the underdog in these kinds of games, but I still want Butler to beat Wright State. While I am primarily a KU fan, I have a secondary attachment to Old Dominion, [...]