By CHRIS GOFF ISL Correspondent A week in, here’s where we stand: four unbeatens, seven winning records and four winless teams. Conference play in the Atlantic 10 has already produced one ultra-entertaining classic (VCU-St. Joe’s), a photo finish (Xavier-St. Bonaventure) and a brilliant individual line (Chaz Williams’ 22 points, nine assists, five rebounds and four […]
Continue ReadingAs usual, Brad Stevens and his Butler Bulldogs found a way on Wednesday night. And as usual, ISL photographer Ben Fahrbach was there to capture it all at Hinkle Fieldhouse. In Butler’s first game without the services of injured leading scorer Rotnei Clarke, the Bulldogs handled Richmond 62-47. Andrew Smith scored 15 points, Kellen Dunham had 11 and […]
Continue ReadingBy CHRIS GOFF ISL Correspondent INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Butler lacked the brilliant outside shooting of Rotnei Clarke. So coach Brad Stevens turned to the next best thing. His thirteenth-ranked Bulldogs pounded smaller Richmond into submission inside in a dominant 62-47 victory Wednesday night. Butler held the Spiders to a season-low point total and seized its […]
Continue ReadingBy CHRIS GOFF ISL Correspondent Although team officials said late Monday that Rotnei Clarke is making progress in his recovery from a neck injury sustained during a nasty fall against Dayton, the Butler point guard will not play in Wednesday’s game against Richmond or Saturday’s showdown with No. 8 Gonzaga. Clarke is not even cleared […]
Continue ReadingBy CHRIS GOFF ISL Correspondent Butler coach Brad Stevens refused Monday to rule out the possibility of Rotnei Clarke playing in Wednesday’s game against Richmond. Stevens reiterated that Clarke must be fully cleared by doctors to absorb contact before Butler will allow its top scorer to return to action. Clarke missed the second half of […]
Continue ReadingBy CHRIS GOFF ISL Correspondent Butler has a heck of a frontcourt. Without Rotnei Clarke, that unit becomes front and center. Roosevelt Jones is the best passer on the team and the essence of versatility at small forward. Khyle Marshall remains, as he has been for some time, the most talented guy on the roster. […]
Continue ReadingFrom Butler Sports Information INDIANAPOLIS, IND. — Senior Rotnei Clarke, who was injured in Butler’s 79-73 victory at Dayton on Saturday, will undergo further medical evaluation. Clarke was discharged from Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, and returned to Indianapolis with Butler’s team. We’ll take Rotnei for an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) tonight, said Butler […]
Continue ReadingBy CHRIS GOFF ISL Correspondent The Butler Bulldogs, they of the Top 25 ranking and Final Four fame, slow-danced through the final stretch of nonconference play and were counted out by odds makers heading into Philadelphia Wednesday night. They turned it on at just the right time. Butler (13-2) won its Atlantic 10 debut 72-66 […]
Continue ReadingBy CHRIS GOFF ISL Correspondent Going into Atlantic 10 play, Butler has won nine in a row. The last game against New Orleans was far from a masterpiece, but maybe the Bulldogs just wanted to get a rough shooting night out of the way before conference season. Most of the vibes are good ones. Butler’s […]
Continue ReadingBy CHRIS GOFF ISL Correspondent Finally, all of these teams start to go head-to-head when the Atlantic 10 schedule opens Wednesday night. Each school plays a 16-game slate and will face each opponent once and one twice. It will be the middle of the league that determines how exciting the conference tournament is. The early […]
Continue ReadingBy CHRIS GOFF ISL Correspondent With conference play less than two weeks away, the Atlantic 10 hierarchy is almost set. Butler, Virginia Commonwealth and Temple more or less clinched spots at the top with strong records and victories over national powers. All three have jumped ahead of Saint Joseph’s for status as conference frontrunner. With […]
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