Posted by BillFromTampa

By Bill Swartzbaugh

In their opening game of the 2006 NIT, Florida State hosts the Butler Bulldogs Friday night at 7:00 PM.

In order to meet the Seminoles, Butler won its first round game over Miami (OH) by a score of 53-52. Held in check all game, the Bulldogs’ leading scorer and Horizon Conference Player of the Year Brandon Polk scored the game winning basket on a tip-in with 2.2 seconds remaining. Butler comes into the game with a 20-12 record finishing second in the conference to Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The record includes a 2-6 mark versus teams in this season’s NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs have wins over Bradley and UW-Milwaukee but lost twice as well to that team along with defeats to Ohio State, Kent State, Indiana, and UNC-Wilmington. The best of the losses was an 80-76 overtime defeat to Kent State.

The main focus of Butler is Polk, a 6-6, 210 pound senior forward averaging 17-9 ppg. Absolutely no threat from outside the arc, Polk works very well around the basket with a team leading 57% shooting from the floor. Despite his size, Polk is active on defense as indicated by his 48 blocked shots far out-distancing anyone else on the Bulldogs. He is the team’s second leading rebounder pulling down 4.6 rpg with nearly half coming on the offensive end. Able to draw fouls, Polk is a mediocre free throw shooter at 62%.

Joining Polk in the frontcourt is junior Brandon Crone. At 6-6, 225 pounds, Crone is the dirty work player leading the team in rebounds at 5.1 rpg but is productive on offense at 9.7 ppg.

Avery Sheets (6-0, 170) efficeintly runs the Butler offense. With an assist to turnover ratio of just under 3:1, the senior point guard turns the ball over rarely. He also averages 9.7 ppg to go along with 2.8 rpg. As the team’s second best free throw shooter at 86%, because of the offense the Bulldogs run, Sheets is not used as a penetrating guard and does not get to the line however.

Where Polk is the force around the basket, Bruce Horan is Butler’s gunner from the outside. Of his 273 shot attempts, just ten and only three of his 112 made have been from inside the arc. Horan averages 10.9 ppg and 2.4 rpg. He is the team’s best free throw shooter at 94%. But as you would expect, he almost never gets to the line due to his role as a spot up shooter from the outside.

Filling out the backcourt is A.J. Graves, a 6-1, 155 pound sophomore. Graves is the Bulldogs second leading scorer at 13.5 ppg. A decent all around shooter, Graves has connected on 41% of his shots and 40% from behind the arc.

Butler will play up to a nine man rotation but generally sticks closer to a seven man rotation. However the bench does not add much offensively averaging just 7.0 ppg.

It will also be a homecoming of sorts for one Butler player. Junior forward Brian Ligon played his high school ball at St Petersburg Lakewood.

The operative word for the Butler offense is screens, screens, and more screens. They screen a team to death setting up the open shot for their top scorers. In working the shot clock, Butler averages 68.5 ppg while holding its opponents to just 61.4 ppg. If the Bulldogs are going to be successful against FSU, they are going to have to control the tempo and not let the Seminoles’ superior transition game get cranked up.

Where Butler really excels is how they hold onto the ball. The Bulldogs just don’t make errors committing less than 9 turnovers per game.

Defensively Butler holds opponents to 46% shooting overall but is much better at the perimeter holding teams to 32% from behind the arc. While no one player is among the conference leaders, as a team Butler hawks the ball well making better than 6 steals per game.

A huge weakness for the Bulldogs is rebounding. Butler grabs just 25.7 rpg while giving up 33.2 to their opponents.

For Florida State to win it is imperative for the ‘Noles not to waste offensive opportunities and force Butler to play catch up. They must use their superior athleticism and play sound, smart defense on each Butler possession for thirty-five seconds and get into their transition game as soon as possible and not let Butler set up in their zone defense. The ‘Noles must also use their height advantage to control the boards.

Television coverage will be on the CSS network and should be able to be heard on the internet for those not at the game or in Tallahassee at http://www.espnflorida.com/ http://sportsradio1470.com/ .