I was really down after the Saint Louis game, and also perplexed that Roosevelt Jones wasn't able to defend Dwayne Evans. I was also shocked that Saint Louis' Cody Ellis went 4/8 from 3 point range, after having gone 0/11 just 10 days earlier. Also, turnovers have continued to plague Butler this season, committing 20 of them against the Billikens. Jim Crews has done a great job with his squad, and their physical defense has an odd resemblance to Butler's in 2009-10.
Moving forward, Butler's first opponent is Bucknell, in the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament (even though I still consider it the 1st round). 6-11 forward Mike Muscala is a potential NBA prospect for Bucknell, and Brad Stevens said he is better than Matt Howard on ESPNU Katz's Corner yesterday. Overall, Butler will have a very difficult time winning this game if they play the way they did in the second half against Saint Louis. But hey, its March, and the Bulldogs haven't lost an NCAA Tournament game in March since 2009. But if their March magic runs out, they will need strong performances from Smith, Marshall, and Woods to match the ability of Muscala.
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