Butler.....anything left in the tank?

[bleedXblue]

We can't afford a let down on Saturday. After an emotional, gut wrenching win last night where we had to hang on for the W... I have some concerns. I got into an argument last night with a buddy as to which program I have serious disdain (I used another word here) for more and I honestly had a hard time between Butler and UC.

I hope Coach Mack has something up his sleeve to get these guys ready again.

[Masterofreality]

Or......

We could be energized by a huge win and the crowd carries the team.
More worried about Monday.

[markchal]

I think our post shoot out record speaks for itself. Wish we could avoid the letdown but not expecting it.

[Cheesehead]

I think the Cintas will be rocking and Xavier picks up 18th win. Nova? now that one might be a different outcome

[BMoreX]

Wouldn't be surprised to see a sellout announced today or tomorrow.

[Xavier]

Or......

We could be energized by a huge win and the crowd carries the team.
More worried about Monday.

Definitely worried about Monday. A game a day and half later on the road after playing your two biggest rivals in a week is tough. I think we more likely lose Monday than at home to Butler.

As for who I hate more? UC. I respect Butler and hate UC.

[sgarcia]

Or......

We could be energized by a huge win and the crowd carries the team.
More worried about Monday.

I think we'll be okay because the pace was pretty slow for most of the game last night. It was a grinder much like I expect Saturday to be. Hopefully a close win gives this team the confidence to continue to win more close games down the stretch. We really do need to win on Saturday to keep the momentum going.

[nuts4xu]

Dee Davis can't play 40 minutes in 3 games in a 6 day period...or can he?

I don't like the Wed, Sat, Mon stretch. At least 2 of 3 are in our own city, but the schedule makers did us no favors with this stretch of games.

[GoMuskies]

These guys are 18-22 years old, not traveling and have 60 hours between games. No worries.

Monday is a bit tougher, of course, but I'd be shocked if the guys have any trouble bringing the energy at MSG.

[sgarcia]

Dee Davis can't play 40 minutes in 3 games in a 6 day period...or can he?

I don't like the Wed, Sat, Mon stretch. At least 2 of 3 are in our own city, but the schedule makers did us no favors with this stretch of games.

I don't think Dee will be asked to play 40 minutes on Saturday but I do expect him to play about 35 minutes. He'll also be guarding Alex Barlow so that might help out in some respect as Barlow is not the fastest guard in the world.

[bleedXblue]

I don't think Dee will be asked to play 40 minutes on Saturday but I do expect him to play about 35 minutes. He'll also be guarding Alex Barlow so that might help out in some respect as Barlow is not the fastest guard in the world.

No but Barlow may be the smartest PG in the league. Just when you don't expect it, he makes a huge play (steal, 3 pointer, great pass).

[MuskieFN]

The post shootout struggles have mainly happened when the game was played in December. They won the next game last season, the previous year couldn't even get to the NIT, and had almost half the team out the year before that. I'm getting too old to remember much further back.

My point is that we know this team can be good. If they lose against butler, I don't think it will come from a letdown.

[xuwin]

Definitely worried about Monday. A game a day and half later on the road after playing your two biggest rivals in a week is tough. I think we more likely lose Monday than at home to Butler.

As for who I hate more? UC. I respect Butler and hate UC.

I agree about Monday. Dee played 40 minutes last night and will probably have to play close to that Saturday. He will be spent for Monday's game. We need Randolph to come back and give us some minutes.

[LA Muskie]

Dee Davis can't play 40 minutes in 3 games in a 6 day period...or can he?

I don't like the Wed, Sat, Mon stretch. At least 2 of 3 are in our own city, but the schedule makers did us no favors with this stretch of games.
Agreed. In the Big East's defense, they didn't schedule last night's game. So the Sat./Mon. turnaround could have been after a week off.

[LA Muskie]

These guys are 18-22 years old, not traveling and have 60 hours between games. No worries.

Monday is a bit tougher, of course, but I'd be shocked if the guys have any trouble bringing the energy at MSG.

I think the post-Shootout doldrums have much more to do with mental/emotional fatigue than physical fatigue.

[bleedXblue]

I think the post-Shootout doldrums have much more to do with mental/emotional fatigue than physical fatigue.

exactly

[GoMuskies]

I think the post-Shootout doldrums have much more to do with mental/emotional fatigue than physical fatigue.

Cannot imagine that being an issue with a top 25 Butler team in the house.

[LA Muskie]

Cannot imagine that being an issue with a top 25 Butler team in the house.
But that's the thing with fatigue. It's based on what just happened, not what's on the horizon.

[D-West & PO-Z]

I think we are going to benefit greatly from the injury to the Crabs guy. I think out building will be rocking and I think we will be looking for payback. I think we win.

[markchal]

I agree it's more mental than physical, but I'm still concerned with Dee playing 35+ minutes a game lately. We're in a really tough spot with a lot of do-or-die games coming up, so it's not like we can rest him in any for 15 minutes or so, but that's going to wear him down. Especially when we start playing every day or every other day in the tournaments.

I have no answer here, especially with Randolph's injury, other than just hoping for the best I guess.

[LA Muskie]

I think we are going to benefit greatly from the injury to the Crabs guy. I think out building will be rocking and I think we will be looking for payback. I think we win.
To be clear, so do I. I predicted a 2-0 week and I'm sticking to that. A post-Shootout letdown wouldn't necessarily shock me, but I'm not expecting one.

[LA Muskie]

I agree it's more mental than physical, but I'm still concerned with Dee playing 35+ minutes a game lately. We're in a really tough spot with a lot of do-or-die games coming up, so it's not like we can rest him in any for 15 minutes or so, but that's going to wear him down. Especially when we start playing every day or every other day in the tournaments.

I have no answer here, especially with Randolph's injury, other than just hoping for the best I guess.
I don't think we were going to see much of Randolph at this point, anyway. Dee isn't the first -- and won't be the last -- PG expected to play the vast majority of the game. He can do it.

[GoMuskies]

But that's the thing with fatigue. It's based on what just happened, not what's on the horizon.

If there are no physical manifestations (which there should not be), it's not REAL fatigue. There's no reason for this team not to be at peak mental capacity with Butler coming in.

[XUMIOH12]

These guys are 18-22 years old, not traveling and have 60 hours between games. No worries.

Monday is a bit tougher, of course, but I'd be shocked if the guys have any trouble bringing the energy at MSG.

This is absolutely right. 18-22 year old athletes should have no problem playing this amount of basketball.

[LadyMuskie]

These guys are 18-22 years old, not traveling and have 60 hours between games. No worries.

Monday is a bit tougher, of course, but I'd be shocked if the guys have any trouble bringing the energy at MSG.

Couldn't agree more. If this team can't play on Wednesday in their hometown, then Saturday on their home court, and travel to play on Monday, then there's no hope for them winning when they have to play three games in three days in NYC or two games in one weekend in the NCAA tourney. Time to separate the men from boys

[Masterofreality]

Well, PM Thor and I will be there together to yell the team on.

That, in itself, should guarantee Victory! :lol:

[bleedXblue]

If there are no physical manifestations (which there should not be), it's not REAL fatigue. There's no reason for this team not to be at peak mental capacity with Butler coming in.

No disrespect, but mental fatigue can certainly translate into poor decision making and poor performance. I don't disagree that these kids are 20 years old and should physically be ready to go Saturday. Just don't agree that mental fatigue can be written off so easily.

[xu82]

I agree it's more mental than physical, but I'm still concerned with Dee playing 35+ minutes a game lately. We're in a really tough spot with a lot of do-or-die games coming up, so it's not like we can rest him in any for 15 minutes or so, but that's going to wear him down. Especially when we start playing every day or every other day in the tournaments.

I have no answer here, especially with Randolph's injury, other than just hoping for the best I guess.

Not that he's the savior, but what's wrong with Randolph? How did I miss that?

[xudash]

They just won on their rivals home floor, sticking together as a team to do it.

They know the season is long in the tooth: now more than ever, it is time to fully established an NCAA resume.

Not only do they want payback against Butler, but there is no way they want to incur two back-to-back losses on our home floor.

Butler will be tough, but they obviously will not be at full strength without Chrabs.

I answered 2 - 0 for the week and I am sticking with that. In summary, this is no time for a letdown of any kind.

[xavierj]

Matt pretty much sucked last night so I expect much better from him Saturday, especially against a less athletic team. Xavier will win this game.

[kyxu]

Matt pretty much sucked last night so I expect much better from him Saturday, especially against a less athletic team. Xavier will win this game.

I'm a little concerned about Stainbrook, actually. He's been playing his ass off, but has looked not 100% in some of the more recent games, particularly as the games wears on. Last night, he was getting no lift, and looked completely demoralized on some plays. He may be on fumes for the rest of the season.

[MADXSTER]

Matt pretty much sucked last night so I expect much better from him Saturday, especially against a less athletic team. Xavier will win this game.

idk, Matt's stamina isn't the best. Guess we will see.

[bobbiemcgee]

I like our chances as we are not getting the Crabs:

http://www.indystar.com/story/butler-insider/2015/02/15/bulldogs-forward-meeting-with-doctors-this-afternoon/23455415/?hootPostID=%5B%27b1dfa09831bf1c57193e1080fbb0ba27 %27%5D

[xu82]

I like our chances as we are not getting the Crabs:

http://www.indystar.com/story/butler-insider/2015/02/15/bulldogs-forward-meeting-with-doctors-this-afternoon/23455415/?hootPostID=%5B%27b1dfa09831bf1c57193e1080fbb0ba27 %27%5D

Never had the Crabs, don't want to start now...

[bleedXblue]

Who guards Jones? That to me is the single biggest mismatch we have to address.

[JTG]

No disrespect, but mental fatigue can certainly translate into poor decision making and poor performance. I don't disagree that these kids are 20 years old and should physically be ready to go Saturday. Just don't agree that mental fatigue can be written off so easily.

Real fatigue is being in a snowy forest in Germany getting your ass shot at for weeks on end, and watching your friends die. We are raising a nation of whiny pussies. Its a basketball game, grow a pair, and go kick Butler's ass.

[muskiefan82]

Real fatigue is being in a snowy forest in Germany getting your ass shot at for weeks on end, and watching your friends die. We are raising a nation of whiny pussies. Its a basketball game, grow a pair, and go kick Butler's ass.

Damn Skippy!

[BandAid]

Who guards Jones? That to me is the single biggest mismatch we have to address.

I would say 1-3-1, but that'd free up Dunham. Our best 1 on 1 matchup with combination size, strength, and athleticism would be Jalen, but he'd foul out in about 2 minutes. I say throw Remy at him? Jones is definitely the biggest matchup problem.

[bleedXblue]

We are raising a nation of whiny pussies. Its a basketball game, grow a pair, and go kick Butler's ass.

Like this team has really showed us this year? That's kind of the point.

[kyxu]

Real fatigue is being in a snowy forest in Germany getting your ass shot at for weeks on end, and watching your friends die. We are raising a nation of whiny pussies. Its a basketball game, grow a pair, and go kick Butler's ass.

...and get off my lawn!

[GoMuskies]

...and get off my lawn!

Unless you're too mentally fatigued to move. In that case, by all means please just take a nap in place.

[profson]

I am pretty much a "glass half full" type and have full respect for how Butler has played this year but I am with those who think that the absence of Chrabs changes the dynamic. It keeps Stainbrook (and Farr) from having to wander out on defense so much, allows Farr to play more if Mack thinks that is the best, and helps commit people underneath to deal with their rebounding advantage.
Keep track of the rebounds ...

[DoubleD86]

I will never understand the crowd saying these are 20-22 year old athletes and therefore they shouldn't have fatigue. It is a ridiculous notion to me that I think people are not looking at correctly.

The issue isn't that these guys will be so fatigued (mentally or physically) that they cannot actually play a game of basketball. The issue is they are elite athletes, going up against other elite athletes, and there is a level of fatigue that comes with these games. If that fatigue leads to them playing at a 90% capacity of their normal ability, that gets exposed and beaten by players playing at a 100% capacity of their ability. The fatigue issue is not such that they cannot come back and play a game, but that it can affect their play enough for another elite athlete to win that individual battle.

[MADXSTER]

I will never understand the crowd saying these are 20-22 year old athletes and therefore they shouldn't have fatigue. It is a ridiculous notion to me that I think people are not looking at correctly.

The issue isn't that these guys will be so fatigued (mentally or physically) that they cannot actually play a game of basketball. The issue is they are elite athletes, going up against other elite athletes, and there is a level of fatigue that comes with these games. If that fatigue leads to them playing at a 90% capacity of their normal ability, that gets exposed and beaten by players playing at a 100% capacity of their ability. The fatigue issue is not such that they cannot come back and play a game, but that it can affect their play enough for another elite athlete to win that individual battle.

Agree 100%

[D-West & PO-Z]

I will never understand the crowd saying these are 20-22 year old athletes and therefore they shouldn't have fatigue. It is a ridiculous notion to me that I think people are not looking at correctly.

The issue isn't that these guys will be so fatigued (mentally or physically) that they cannot actually play a game of basketball. The issue is they are elite athletes, going up against other elite athletes, and there is a level of fatigue that comes with these games. If that fatigue leads to them playing at a 90% capacity of their normal ability, that gets exposed and beaten by players playing at a 100% capacity of their ability. The fatigue issue is not such that they cannot come back and play a game, but that it can affect their play enough for another elite athlete to win that individual battle.

I think the point is though that every team is fatigued at this point, its pretty much an equal playing field. In my opinion there isnt going to be much difference because Butler played Tuesday and we played Wednesday.

[LadyMuskie]

I think the point is though that every team is fatigued at this point, its pretty much an equal playing field. In my opinion there isnt going to be much difference because Butler played Tuesday and we played Wednesday.

Agreed. And sometimes you just have to push through the fatigue and the excuses if you want to win. Again, if these guys can't recover for a Saturday game after a Wednesday game, our hopes of winning more than one game in the tournament are nothing but pipe dreams.

[LadyMuskie]

Real fatigue is being in a snowy forest in Germany getting your ass shot at for weeks on end, and watching your friends die. We are raising a nation of whiny pussies. Its a basketball game, grow a pair, and go kick Butler's ass.

I tend to agree with this. I do think we've become a nation of whiners and excuse makers.

[Xville]

I'm not really worried about fatigue for the Butler game. However, St. Johns is another story. The Johnnies have the same quick turnaround but they will also be playing at home for both of their games.

[MADXSTER]

I think the point is though that every team is fatigued at this point, its pretty much an equal playing field. In my opinion there isnt going to be much difference because Butler played Tuesday and we played Wednesday.

Big guys like Stain do not recover like the rest of the field. Butler doesn't have a big like Stain.

[XUFan09]

Real fatigue is being in a snowy forest in Germany getting your ass shot at for weeks on end, and watching your friends die. We are raising a nation of whiny pussies. Its a basketball game, grow a pair, and go kick Butler's ass.
What an over-the-top post. It's the classic "someone has/had it worse" argument, so anything less than that doesn't count. By this logic, you shouldn't complain about anything ever in your life, because we can guarantee that a lot of people have a tougher life than someone who can regularly post on a sports message board.

I agree with whoever said St. John's is the more likely letdown game. In a six-day period, they play two rivalry games, and then they travel to NYC to play a game two days after the second of those games. Big East coaches had good reason to hate that Saturday-Monday turnaround last season. St. John's has that too, but they don't have to travel the day after their Saturday game.

Luckily, SJU will be coming off their own back-to-back rivalry games, at Georgetown and versus Seton Hall. Neither of those rivalries is on the level of Cincinnati but they are probably equivalent to Butler.

[Masterofreality]

I guess that this thread question was answered...from both the team and fans.

Energized from the Shootout.....now, let's hope that the adrenaline, and more importantly CONFIDENCE, from this game carries over to tomorrow night.

St. John's played their absolute best game of the year against us in Cintas, but Phil Greene, again, did what he do yesterday against The Hall. Stand out at the arc and make 3's. He's the wild card in its game, IMO.

A win tomorrow night would be very VERY sweet.

[bobbiemcgee]

I guess that this thread question was answered...from both the team and fans.

Energized from the Shootout.....now, let's hope that the adrenaline, and more importantly CONFIDENCE, from this game carries over to tomorrow night.
.

Confidence was the key yesterday. 14 points in 4 minutes to open the half, then Farr with 3 put-backs in a minute later on. I would have lost my voice @ the 'Tas.

[MADXSTER]

Many things that Farr did yesterday Stain couldn't have done. Farr had a number of plays above the rim, put backs, tips, etc. Nothing against Stain, they are just two different types of players.

[bjf123]

Farr needs to thank O'Mara for, I think, six of his points. They were all put backs or tip ins of missed bunnies by Sean. Too bad those didn't get Sean credit for an assist.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MADXSTER]

Farr needs to thank O'Mara for, I think, six of his points. They were all put backs or tip ins of missed bunnies by Sean. Too bad those didn't get Sean credit for an assist.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Agree, but it was so nice to have someone playing above the rim and making those types of plays. Really got the crowd going as well.