Butler Bulldogs "It's Not A Game"

"Nothing but the Dawg in Me"

For the second year in a row Brad Stevens has his Butler Bull Dawgs in the Final Four. What? You heard me! Final Four! "Who's on the team?" The same guys that played last year with the exception of Gordon Haywood who bolted early for the NBA. "Final Four? Guys leaving early for the NBA? I'm confused. I said Butler." That's what I'm talking about, Butler!

No, the small private school of 4,500 students in Indianapolis just north of downtown, Butler. Listen to the words that are coming out of my mouth! The Butler Bulldogs are in the Final Four for the second year in a row and they aren't playing around. They are the "Real Deal Holyfield". The Dawgs came through the NCAA Tournament like Teamsters and just took over with wins over Old Dominion, #1 seed Pitt, Wisconsin and Florida.

 Butler is the smallest school to play for a national championship since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. Now, they aren't new to this winning thing. They've always been a successful program but the world just didn't know it. Check out their resume:

*They advance to its second consecutive Final Four, becoming only the third mid-major program to do so since 1979, when the seeding of the tournament began.

*18 Conference Championships
* 11 NCAA Tournaments
* 5 Sweet 16
*2 Elite Eights
* 2 Final Fours
* 1 National Championship Game Appearance

Now the rest of the country has to get caught up on the history of the Butler Bulldogs. They play in the infamous Hinkle Fieldhouse which was the backdrop of the movie "Hoosiers".  When it was built in 1928, it was the largest basketball arena in the United States, and it retained that distinction until 1950. It is the sixth-oldest college basketball arena still in use, and it is a U.S. National Historic Landmark. So they've got history and are looking to make history by winning the National Title in the next few days.

"Top Dawg"

Brad Stevens has the Dawgs peaking at the appropriate time. Once again, I thought he was nuts to stay at Butler last year after the making it to the national title game. The offers poured in and he sat still. I said that he needed to go because he'd never make it back to that level at Butler but he did it again. So I'll just close my mouth and watch the genius at work.

Butler meets VCU in a game for the ages on Saturday in the Final Four! You heard me, The Final Four!

Get your popcorn ready because on Saturday it's Gametime!!!



Jay Graves
jaygraves@thejaygravesreport.com
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport
Information from  "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Butler Fieldhouse / Hinkle Fieldhouse" was used in this article.