NCAA Tournament 2017 Sweet 16: Grading Each Team’s Title Hopes

Butler Bulldogs (4) – South Region

When you think about the Butler Bulldogs, you think about teams that are exceptionally well-coached and that win games by controlling pace and playing an elite brand of defense. That’s where this current Butler team stands in contrast to the team’s in the past of the program. They have a fantastic offense and an average defense (again, for tournament teams at least), but are always solid and rarely shaken.

Perhaps the biggest move that the Bulldogs made this season was adjusting to bring their star player, Kelan Martin, off of the bench. He was struggling prior to that, but has hit his stride in a major way since that swtich in the rotation, where he still plays starter’s minutes. Though it looks less impressive given the fact that they were upset in the Second Round, two regular season wins over Villanova is nothing to scoff at either.

Of course, it’s a bit concerning for Butler that they were unable to really pull away from both Middle Tennessee and Winthrop. They got the victories and weren’t necessarily sweating, but they were ultimately unable to find an extra gear. When teams like North Carolina, Kentucky and UCLA are in your region, that’s disconcerting. Even still, you can never fully discredit what Butler does because it happens so consistently. Thus, they get a bump up a grade when they should probably be under “Needs Some Luck.”

Chances: Middle of the Road