Butler Bursts a Bubble and Woody Goes Dancing

Butler is a lock for the NCAA tournament.

I repeat, a lock.

Which is devastating news for the Florida's and the Creighton's and the St. Mary's and the Arizona's of the world.

Why?

Because Butler was beaten last night by a tough Cleveland State team 57-54 in the Horizon League final. So now, instead of there being 34 available at-large spots, the rest of the bubble will be competing for 33 spots.

Cleveland State came out on fire in the second half of this one, hitting six of their first seven threes. The Viking trailed for the majority of the first half, and found themselves down 39-31 early in the second half. Cedric Jackson, who was named tournament MVP, capped a 19-9 run with a three with exactly 10 minutes left, giving the Vikings a 50-48 lead they would never relinquish.

Cleveland State took a three point lead into the last possession, but Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack both had good looks at the rim to tie it.

Cedric Jackson finish with 19 points, 7 boards, and 8 dimes to lead the Vikings to their first NCAA tournament since 1985, where coincidentally they knocked off Bobby Knight's third-seeded Indiana Hoosiers in the first round.

The Vikings look destined be to seeded a bit higher than 14th this year, but regardless of where they end up, this is going to be a dangerous first round match-up for anyone. Just ask Syracuse, who Cleveland State beat back in November. Kansas State, Washington, and West Virginia would all probably second that motion, as the Vikings gave each of those three teams a dogfight earlier in the year.

This was also the third meeting between Cleveland State and Butler. The first two were decided by two points each - the first when Butler hit a three at the buzzer, the second with Cleveland State missed a three at the buzzer.

Two shots. That is how far away CSU was from sweeping Butler.

The Vikings are led by two seniors, J'Nathan Bullock and Cedric Jackson. Bullock is a bruising forward that can bully his way to the rim on just about anyone. At 6'5", he doesn't post up as much on the block, but is effective squaring you up from about 15-17 feet (think Paul Harris, even down to the long hair). Jackson is the Vikings best playmaker at the point, averaging over 10 points, 5 boards, and 5 assists per. Big East fans may remember the name - he transferred in from St. John's.

As a team, Cleveland State loves to get to the rim. Outside of freshman Jeremy Montgomery, they do not have all that much in terms of shooters. So remember these guys come March, especially if they are playing a team that doesn't defend well on the perimeter.


Great story about North Dakota State. After dominating the D2 ranks, the Bison decided to go D1 a few years back. When you transition from D2 to D1, there is normally a waiting period before you are eligible for the postseason. For the Bison this was five years.

That was a problem for their recruiting class five years ago, which included their two leading scorers Ben Woodside and Brett Winkelman. So the incoming freshman decided to redshirt a season, so they could have one year the play where they were eligible for the dance.

That was this year.

And they won the Summit League.

The Bison are led by Ben Woodside, who averages over 22 ppg and has hit 60 in a 3OT loss to Stephen F Austin. But don't fall into the trap thinking that this is a one man team. Winkelman also averages more than 18 ppg, while Mike Tveidt scored 21 in their league final win over Oakland.

The Bison rely pretty heavily on the three, or more specifically on Woodside getting into the lane, drawing an extra defender, and finding an open shooter. If they get hot, you better watch out.

Remember, as red shirt freshman, this group beat Wisconsin.