The Butler Bulldogs struggled last year in their first season in the Big East Conference, finishing with a 4-14 record. And the outlook for this year’s campaign looked just as grim as head coach Brandon Miller left the team just days before practice began due to a medical leave of absence.
Butler was left with a brand new hire, Chris Holtmann, to take over a program that had become the darling of college basketball in recent years but had lost much of its national luster.
All of that just despair just might have washed away into the Atlantic Ocean with the Bulldogs’ surprising 74-66 upset of the #5 North Carolina Tar Heels in the opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament in the Bahamas.
Holtmann, as it turns out, knows his way around a basketball court and has the Bulldogs relevant again with a 4-0 record to start the 2014-15 campaign. Certainly the biggest win so far has been today’s upset of the Tar Heels, a team many had penciled in as a Final Four participant.
"This is a proud program with tremendous heritage and we're trying to do the very best with what's in front of us," Holtmann said of his team’s (and his own) breakout win.
While the road to the Final Four is far from over, North Carolina is left to wonder once again if it has what it takes to compete with the likes of Kentucky, Arizona, and of course, ACC rival Duke.
Early on, the returns have been favorable for the new and improved Tar Heels. A slimmer Kennedy Meeks has been dominant in the paint and the inside strength of UNC was on display against several cupcake opponents such as Davidson and Robert Morris. In their early victories, Brice Johnson, Justin Jackson, J.P. Tokoto and Meeks had overpowered their foes inside the key.
Butler came to play, however, and took control of the offensive glass - the Bulldogs logged 29 offensive boards - to help offset a 30% shooting performance. Alex Barlow and Kelan Martin each scored 17 points to keep Butler in front while Roosevelt Jones added 12.
"They got 15 more shots than us and we both turned the ball over 19 times," Carolina’s Marcus Paige said afterwards. "A Coach [Roy] Williams team, if you look at the backboards they usually tell the story, and we got dominated."
Paige continued his offensive woes, and despite a game high 18 points, the Heels point guard made only 5 of his 17 shot attempts. Johnson added 11 and Isaiah Hicks tallied 10 off the bench. Carolina was a woeful 18-32 from the costless throw line as well, causing some critics to toss out the “soft” moniker towards NC.
"They outplayed us and definitely outcoached us," North Carolina coach Roy Williams said of his team’s output. "And we had some chances at the end ... but again, you have to congratulate their defense for doing such a good job."
While it is not time to panic in Chapel Hill, any more than it is time to break out the champagne bottles in Indianapolis, both teams will leave Paradise Island with new outlooks for the remainder of the season.
