In years past, it has been teams like Gonzaga, VCU, and Xavier that come to mind as small schools that have become household names for not only competing with college basketball’s elite teams but giving them a run for their money in either regular or postseason play.
But after a down season last year, it is coach Brad Stevens and the Butler Bulldogs who are once again making the headlines as a small school after upsetting the previously #1 ranked Indiana Hoosiers in thrilling fashion Saturday.
It was a true battle of David vs Goliath as Indiana featured big names like NCAA POY candidate Cody Zeller, Victor Oladipo, and star freshman PG Yogi Ferrell, while the Bulldogs are a lunchpail, blue collar group led by Arkansas transfer Rotnei Clarke, Roosevelt Jones, and Andrew Smith.
But it was the remarkable play late by former walk-on Andrew Barlow, who made a spinning one-hander in the paint with just over 2 seconds remaining in OT, that sealed an upset victory for the Bulldogs.
Watch out for Butler as the Bulldogs now have wins over Marquette of the Big East, North Carolina of the ACC and back-to-back victories over Northwestern and Indiana of the Big Ten. Remember, we are only a few seasons removed from Butler making consecutive Final Four runs, most memorably coming up just short against Duke in the final game in 2010.
Walk-on Andrew Barlow Game Winner vs #1 Indiana:
Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen has also provided content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, Cleveland.com, CSN Philly.com, Buckets Magazine, in addition to being a tenured NBA and NCAA columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.
