What We Learned: Butler makes most of opportunity

Sat, Dec 12, 2009

INDIANAPOLIS — What we learned from No. 22 Butler’s 74-66 Saturday afternoon victory over No. 13 Ohio State at Hinkle Fieldhouse:

Everybody needs to lighten up

Butler’s game against Ohio State was widely discussed as a must-win game for the Bulldogs because they’d already lost three to high-major competition, including to Georgetown earlier in the week.

Certainly this was an opportunity they could not afford to squander: facing a quality Big Ten opponent at home in the first game for that quality Big Ten opponent following the loss of the nation’s best player, Evan Turner, to injury.

Had Butler lost this game, it would have needed a heck of a recovery to build a case for an at-large NCAA Tournament berth or a solid seed in the field.

There still is time to make that recovery, however, and some opportunity. Xavier comes to Hinkle Fieldhouse next Saturday, and though the Musketeers have had their own early struggles there’s no questioning their status as an elite opponent. Butler also has a BracketBusters game in February and the ability to dominate the Horizon League.

“We never talked about it being a game we had to win,” coach Brad Stevens said. “I’ve only heard that outside of our locker room. We talked about trying to play to the standards to which we want to play.”

One piece I saw making the case for this as a “must-win” game dismissed …