Fiammetta:
There’s really not much else more annoying than those “The Butler Did It” headlines. Or any other Clue-related one, for that matter.
Nevertheless, Butler’s return to the Final Four has been thoroughly captivating. Perhaps last year the Bulldogs were just the latest in the long line of Cinderellas.
But from the moment Gordon Hayward’s half-court heave barely missed the net at the buzzer of last year’s national championship, any chance of Butler catching the nation by surprise again was eliminated.
This year, by once again ascending to the Final Four, Butler sheds its label as America’s perennial underdog. Together, with Virginia Commonwealth University, Butler has arguably brought the dagger to the significance of the “mid-major” label.
Still, the Bulldogs’ March Madness run has been much more fascinating. The argument can definitely be made that 11-seed VCU had the tougher road, demolishing sixth-seeded Georgetown and third-seeded Purdue, squeaking by fellow Cinderella Florida State and then shocking top-seeded Kansas.
But in Butler, the nation has seen the literal birth of a program. Hayward was a lottery pick in last year’s NBA Draft, and the Bulldogs still returned to the Final Four. That’s something typically reserved for the Dukes, the Kansases and the Kentuckys of college basketball.
Furthermore, baby-faced head coach Brad Stevens has magnified his own star power. He might be unable to dodge the digs at his youthful appearance – at least for a decade or two – but he’s shed the dreaded one-year wonder label.
That’s the very same label VCU’s Shaka Smart now finds himself battling.
Erickson:
Alright, Butler’s underdog story is great and everything – last year.
The Bulldogs may not have won the prize at the end of the whole dance, but they still had an awesome ride into the national championship. And now they are back again, only a year later.
VCU hasn’t made it past the second round of the NCAA tournament – ever. Finally, the Rams are fighting for a spot in the national championship. If that’s not the better making of a Cinderella story, then I don’t know what is.
Butler’s story was great the first time around. But with a No. 8 seed that severely made No. 4 seed Wisconsin look like an incapable underdog (too soon?) it just isn’t going through the same challenges VCU has faced through March Madness so far.
This season, if the Cinderella story belongs to anyone, it’s the VCU Rams. Not only did they have to face USC in the first round, they’ve fought their way through Georgetown, Purdue, Florida State and Kansas.
That’s no walk in the park.
The Rams also have the anonymity factor going for them. Butler has Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack fronting their squad. VCU has Jamie Skeen – who only has 15.4 points per game – and that’s about it.
What better story is there than a group of unknowns coming together and rising to the top? (Attempting not to make a “Miracle” reference here, but it’s impossible to refrain.)
Butler’s story has been told. The Bulldogs had their year last year and just couldn’t finish it out against Duke. It’s time for a new underdog to rise to the top, and VCU is the lucky one to get that chance.
