College Hoops Teams of the Week: Butler and Arizona

Team of the Week: Butler Bulldogs

How could it not be the Bulldogs? Butler took on the big, bad Indiana Hoosiers in Conseco Fieldhouse in the opening game of the Crossroads Classic and won in overtime, 88-86. Roosevelt Jones led the way with 16 points, 12 boards and seven assists while Rotnei Clarke finished with 19 points and Andrew Smith did the dirty work in the paint, to the tune of 12 points and nine boards. But it was former walk-on Alex Barlow, who coaxed home a runner over Jordy Hulls with 2.5 seconds left on the clock to win it.

The most impressive part of this win wasn’t the fact that Butler was able to pull the upset, because, by now, there shouldn’t be anything that Brad Stevens does that surprises you. What was most impressive was that the Bulldogs were able to pull out the win despite the fact that Jones, Smith and Erik Fromm — also known as three-quarters of their front line — fouled out. Jones and Smith were gone with a couple of minutes left in regulation. And yet, the Bulldogs were able to hang on in regulation and pulled out the win in overtime.

Co-Team of the Week: Arizona Wildcats

The Wildcats had one of the more miraculous comebacks of the weekend, as they knocked off previously undefeated Florida 65-64. They did it by forcing a trio of turnovers in the final minutes and by catching a break as Kenny Boynton missed the front end of a one-and-one. Mark Lyons hit the game-winner.

Florida outplayed the Wildcats for a 90% chunk of this game, but good teams win games in which they don’t play well and capitalize on their opponent’s mistakes. That’s precisely what Sean Miller’s club did. Two important takeaways: a) Arizona’s big men got outplayed, but in beating one of the best teams in the country this season, there is no question they build confidence; and b) Mark Lyons was brought in not because of his playmaking ability, but because he is a veteran, tough-minded kid that has been through a lot  in his career. He was brought in to hit big shots, in other words, and he did just that on Saturday night.

Five teams deserving of a shoutout:

• Cincinnati: Here’s the thing about the Bearcats: they always seem to get out to a quick start to the season, so the fact that Mick Cronin’s club is 10-0 right now is certainly not a surprise. But neither is the fact that they’re being somewhat slept on a month and a half into the season. This year is different, however. Cincinnati isn’t filling up on pastries; they’ve beaten Oregon, Alabama, Iowa State and won at Marshall. Not exactly a murderer’s row, but that’s much more than we are used to from the Bearcats.

• Miami: The Hurricanes are now 4-0 with Durand Scott in the lineup, with all four of those wins being of the impressive variety. The latest? A 77-46 drubbing of previously undefeated Charlotte. Scott led the way with 16 points, 12 boards, four assists and four steals.

• Boise State: The Broncos just keep on winning. The latest, which moved them to 7-2 on the season, came against LSU at home in the form of a 19 point victory. Anthony Drmic led the way with 34 points, but Derrick Marks chipped in 23 points, six boards, and six assists while Ryan Watkins chipped in with 12 points and 17 boards, 10 of which came on the offensive end of the floor.

• Santa Clara: The Broncos moved to 8-2 on the season — with both of those losses coming in overtime — with a 75-71 win over Pacific on the road on Saturday. Last year, we thought that SCU was going to be able to compete in the WCC, but with Marc Trasolini tearing his ACL and Kevin Foster getting suspended, the Broncos completely collapsed. This season could end up being different, as those two, plus point guard Evan Roquemore, make up one of the most underrated 1-2-3 punches in the country.

• Tennessee: The Volunteers picked up a much-needed, statement win over Wichita State on Thursday evening. Playing without Jeronne Maymon and with Jarnell Stokes in foul trouble much of the game, the Vols got 25 points and five assists from Trae Golden in a 69-60 win over the then-No. 23 Shockers.

Rob Dauster is the editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @robdauster.