There was no doubt that last season's championship game run for Butler caught many people by surprise.
Nobody predicted that they would make the Final Four and come just a couple of inches away from winning the National Championship.
But this year's run to the Final Four is even more impressive than last year's.
Last season, we saw the Bulldogs in the preseason top 10 rankings. They won 20 straight basketball games going into the NCAA Tournament including a dominant performance in the Horizon League Tournament.
They entered the NCAA Tournament as a fifth seed. UTEP was a popular 12/5 upset pick, but Butler dismantled them 77-59. Then Murray State tried their luck against the Bulldogs, but came up short, 54-52.
Syracuse was their opponent in the Sweet 16. They defeated the Orange 63-59 to move on to the Elite Eight.
Frank Martin and Kansas State were up next for the Bulldogs. They prevailed, yet again, 63-56.
The Final Four was played in Indianapolis, IN. The Bulldogs upset the Michigan State Spartans 52-50 to move on to the championship game.
Everybody knows what happened against Duke. Gordon Hayward missed a half-court shot that would of won the game, and the National Championship.
People may not have known that Butler was that good last season, but it isn't like they came out of nowhere. They were ranked in the preseason top 10, and settled around 15 throughout the course of the season. Also, winning 20 games in a row should draw a little attention.
This season was different.
Hayward was selected in the first round of the NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz. Losing this piece to the puzzle was huge for the Bulldogs. Once he left early for the draft, it felt like nobody was giving them a chance to make another run.
But with him leaving, Matt Howard moved to the four spot and has taken more threes this season than his entire career.
This is a position that he may be more comfortable with. With the switch, Howard becomes a more versatile player which helps the team tremendously.
The Bulldogs were ranked in the top 25, but were not close to the top 10. They won their conference tournament, but tied for the regular season title with Cleveland State.
They won nine games in a row compared to 20 last season. Instead of a fifth seed in the tournament, they were given the eighth seed.
Many people had Old Dominion beating Butler in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Howard found the loose ball and laid in it at the buzzer to defeat the Monarchs, 60-58.
Butler then had to go up against a Pittsburgh team that was desperate for a Final Four appearance. They stunned the Panthers in a wild finish 71-70.
The Sweet 16 saw the Badgers of Wisconsin. The defense carried the Bulldogs to a 61-54 victory. Florida was their Elite Eight opponent.
The Gators had a double-digit lead in the second half, but the Bulldogs showed their fight as they came back to win 74-71 in overtime.
Not many people honestly believed that Butler would make the Final Four again. This team was supposed to be led by a guy who was a first round NBA talent but not much more.
This year, we have learned (if we didn't know already) that Shelvin Mack and Howard are gamers. Mack is the go-to guy down the stretch and Howard knows how to get things done on both sides of the floor.
Both will go the limits for Head Coach Brad Stevens. There are other guys on this team that fit the mold of "role players" and they fit that mold to perfection.
The number one reason why Butler is back to the Final Four is because of Stevens. He is the youngest coach, 34, to make two Final Fours. He has out-coached everybody in this tournament thus far and it could continue this weekend.
Last year, the hot topic was whether or not he would be leaving to coach a big time program. Shortly after the season, Stevens put those rumors to rest by signing an extension through the 2021-2022 season.
Butler is the new Gonzaga, but with a better and more established head coach.
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