On Butler's Success - Build On Strength

Last night's NCAA men's basketball final was as good a game as I have seen. Of course I was cheering for the underdogs from Butler to win. Butler surprised everyone but themselves in getting to the championship game, and they barely missed two shots that would have won the game. How were they so successful when they were playing bigger and arguably better opponents?

Easy. They built their game plan around their strengths, and covered for each other. Butler's quick help in their man-to-man defense is as good as I have seen. They were constantly in the grill of any Duke player who wanted to spot up for a three-pointer.

Offensively, Butler played at their pace. They took advantage of Duke's bigger players by driving around them. They ran the weave and kept everyone involved in plays.

In the end, it came down to whether the round ball went in the hoop on the last two shots.
Butler's lession for us -- play your game, leverage your strengths, play with confidence, and look out for each other.

Nice run, Butler Bulldogs! I'm sorry you did not win, but you are winners in my book.