Butler Bulldogs (29-6) vs. Florida Gators (31-5)
Posted on | March 23, 2007 | No Comments
This game can be called a David vs Goliath match-up. Butler is a smaller school out of the Horizon League where they didn’t even win their conference tournament. Meanwhile Florida is out of the powerful SEC Conference and they are the defending National Champions.
These two teams do have a history – they played in the 1st round of the 2000 tourney. That game was one of the best first round games in the history of the Big Dance.
Butler led by 1 point with 8.1 seconds left when LaVall Jordan stepped to the free throw line for Butler. He missed both of his shots. And then Florida’s Mike Miller hit a little runner in the lane that won the game for Florida.
That game propelled Florida all the way to the National Championship Game where they eventually lost to Michigan State. That run helped build what Floria is today: the defending champions.
Butler hopes to get revenge on Friday night. If they are to do it they’re going to need big games from AJ Graves, Mike Green, and Brandon Crone. They’re also going to have to shut down Florida’s experienced and talented team.
There are so many players on Florida that can beat you that it’s tough to concentrate on one or two players. However, the main players to watchout for are Al Horford, Corey Brewer, Taureen Green, and Joakim Noah.
Butler has had some success in recent years with beating good teams but they’ve never beaten a team like Florida. This would be a huge upset if Butler was to pull it off. But this is March Madness and anything can happen.
You know Billy Donovan – coach of the Gators and possibly the best young coach in the NCAAs – is reminding his team of this. He won’t let his Gators take this Butler team lightly. All year Florida has been waiting to get back to the Final Four so they can repeat as champions. If they win Friday night, they’ll be one step closer to their goal.
But the Butler players will be ready to play. The know all about the 2000 loss – one of the main players from that team, Jordan, is now part of the coaching staff – and they’ll use that extra motivation.
Not that they need it.
This is Butler’s chance to shock the world.
So, the question is: Will this game have the expected outcome or will it be another exciting chapter to add to March Madness lore?
Related posts:
- Oregon Ducks (29-7) vs. Florida Gators (32-5) Preview
- UCLA Bruins (30-5) vs. Florida Gators (33-5) Preview
- Ohio State Buckeyes (35-3) vs. Florida Gators (34-5) NCAA Championship Preview
- Butler opts to join Clippers
- Raptors snap up Butler
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