If we could have a basketball wish, we'd probably ask for courtside seats to three or four Butler games, because while you can see a certain amount from TV, you can't see everything. On TV, Butler looks slow and sometimes clunky. But they're just so damn smart and tough.
| Fan's Guides: Your ACC Lifeline All Season Long! |
| Duke| State | UNC |
 |
| Testimonials! |
| âThe Fanâs Guide is the essential source for Duke basketball fans in 2012. It is packed with brilliant analysis and writing by the ACCâs most astute basketball writers. I have not enjoyed any reading as much this season.â Professor Walter Manley, II |
| âIf you love NCSU Athletics this is a must read, I will buy it every year, very thorough and precise.â Richard Mark Hunt |
| I was just glad to find a magazine about Duke basketball. I thoroughly enjoyed the magazine. It was well written and very informative. A must read for any diehard Duke fan.Camille H |
| "I get excited enough about basketball season as it is, but this Guide has been on my screen for weeks now and I'm more excited than ever. Not just about Duke, but the whole league. There are some truly unique and remarkable stats in this book, enough to make you just itch for the games to begin and see how the players do this year. I think my favorite article is the one on athletes and social media, though. I've read it three times already! Great photos, great writing, and lots of both. This is essential. " PlanBee |
| "If you haven't purchased the Fan's Guide yet, what are you waiting for? It contains marvelous old-school content in a new-school format." Jerry K. |
| "Thanks a lot! The guide looks fantastic! I am really excited to dig in." Rick W |
| "Wow, huge piece of work! Congratulations. You guys never fail to provide the best a fan could ask for." Bill C. |
| DBR Auctions! New T-Shirts! DBR Is On Twitter!(DBRTweetz) |
Duke fans saw that in the title game in 2010, and the rest of the country has gotten used to it as well.
Still, by any standard, they were very impressive against Indiana.
You may remember recently that we said Ken Pomeroy's statistical analysis couldn't judge Duke's end-of-game play, because Duke is usually tougher at the end than the other team. That's absolutely true for Butler as well.
If you can't go into the last few minutes with a reasonable lead, they're very likely to gut you before you know what happened.
It happened again against #1 Indiana. Although the Hoosiers had some brilliant play at the end too, Butler just out-smarted and out-toughed them.
What we don't fully understand is how they do it. Obviously they're extraordinarily well-coached. But they always seem to get a shot when they need one, or a steal. Like Duke, they rebound very well at the end.
And they're not immensely talented.
Our guess is that a lot of the magic for Butler comes from superb scouting and filmwork. They know exactly what each player is likely to do and they're ready for whatever system they face.
Whatever it is, they're very compelling and they're not going away. A few years ago, this would have sounded bizarre, but now it seems inevitable: it's just a question of time before the Bulldogs win the national championship.
The program is that good.
- IU Insider: Decision to keep Zeller on bench in final seconds opens Crean up to second-guessing
- Indiana notebook: Despite lots of red in crowd, it feels like a 'road' game to Hoosiers
- Butler Insider: Barlow's winner just latest magic moment for Bulldogs
- Anatomy of a Play: Breaking down Butler's game-winning shot