Any thoughts on Butler's comments last night?

[Falconfreak90]

I watched OSU and UMass....GREAT game. Check this out from the Blade...

NEW YORK - In a locker room outburst equal parts joy and angst, Jamar Butler finally dropped the charade Ohio State had been playing for nearly three weeks and revealed its main motivating factor for a roughshod run through the NIT.

"This is what happens when you put an NCAA tournament team in the NIT," Butler yelled, surrounded by his teammates after beating Massachusetts 92-85 in the title game last night. "Write that down and send that to the committee."

Ummm...you were 19-13 after the regular season. You were on the bubble. And what makes you think you would have won one game in the NCAA Tourney? Plus, it certainly helped that OSU played 3 of the 5 games at home. I watched many NIT games this year and OSU played well. Their D is awesome. Butler's comments are childish.

Enjoy the NIT title and a solid year and quit bitchin.... Anyone else care to chime in?

[hammb]

If they were an NCAA tourney team they should have played like one during the season and they would've gotten a bid. Hell after not playing like an NCAA tourney team they then bowed out of the Big 10 tourney early as well.


Bottom line they had a chance to earn their way into the big dance. They had a far better opportunity to do so than any mid major team could ever hope for. The committee loves to put big schools in the tourney, especially when they played in last year's championship game. Unfortunately for them OSU didn't do enough on the court to warrant a bid.

Could they have won a game in the tourney? Possibly, but they would've been a 10-12 seed most likely, so it's no guarantee that they'd win a game. As I said the bottom line is if they were a team worthy of the big dance then they should've played like it, because their season resume was not good enough to do anything but put them on the bubble. Personally, I don't think they would've made my final 65 team field, so I don't see where Mr. Butler has a case.

[TG1996]

I tend to take locker room comments like that with a grain of salt. After the Colts won the AFC Champ. a couple years ago, Robert Mathis got all preachy to a camera man, posed up and said something like "You tell me this. How can the 32nd ranked defense be going to the Super Bowl?" (eloquence added by author)

Well, jackass, if you played like you did in the playoffs all year, you wouldn't have been the 32nd ranked defense.

Though congrats to OSU for finally finding a title game they can hang within 40 at.

[tiznow]

After the times that we feel BG got slighted by the NCAA, it is impossible to feel sorry for a Big Ten team being "overlooked" for the tourney. I am sure most fans of other mid major schools don't feel much sympathy either.

[kdog27]

"Write that down and send that to the committee."

13 losses, got it. 8 of them in the conference that had zero teams get past the sweet sixteen.

[h2oville rocket]

I watched OSU and UMass....GREAT game. Check this out from the Blade...

NEW YORK - In a locker room outburst equal parts joy and angst, Jamar Butler finally dropped the charade Ohio State had been playing for nearly three weeks and revealed its main motivating factor for a roughshod run through the NIT.

"This is what happens when you put an NCAA tournament team in the NIT," Butler yelled, surrounded by his teammates after beating Massachusetts 92-85 in the title game last night. "Write that down and send that to the committee."

Ummm...you were 19-13 after the regular season. You were on the bubble. And what makes you think you would have won one game in the NCAA Tourney? Plus, it certainly helped that OSU played 3 of the 5 games at home. I watched many NIT games this year and OSU played well. Their D is awesome. Butler's comments are childish.

Enjoy the NIT title and a solid year and quit bitchin.... Anyone else care to chime in?

Youthful exuberance. I have no problem with it- especially since he went to my high school.

[bgsukid]

Who cares? Don't players say similar things like this every year after they win the NIT because they felt slighted? Complete non-issue. I can see where he might be frustrated because the way they are playing right now, they certainly are a tournament worthy team and with the right draw could've made it to the sweet 16. Only problem is it took them too long to start playing this well. If they could've found their stride a month earlier they would've been in. I'd say Jamar might have a little extra angst because it certainly wasn't his fault for the team not making it, he was arguably the top point guard in the conference this year.

[guest44]

Ok....I'll argue that opinion. Drew Neitzel or Michael Flowers.

[Falconfreak90]

Eh, I feel Butler was just shooting his mouth off. I'm with Hammb...OSU had their chances and blew it. Don't come back bitchin' because you were not selected by the NCAA tourney. I certainly don't feel sorry for them.

I didn't hear Florida griping about the NIT berth. Had OSU taken care of biz on the court, they would have been included in the field of 65. Too bad...deal with it. Now you know how most mid majors feel....and mid majors don't get the luxury of going .500 in an overrated conference and still getting included.

[Falconfreak90]

"Write that down and send that to the committee."

13 losses, got it. 8 of them in the conference that had zero teams get past the sweet sixteen.

There it is....besides, OSU lost to Findlay. Yeah, I know it was exhibition but that still rules.

[TG1996]

Only problem is it took them too long to start playing this well.

So just how long should we make the season, then? Or should we just ask OSU when they're playing well enough to be a tourney team, and start the NCAA's then?

[98_BG_GRAD]

I will add that OSU players and coaches had very, very little to say about not getting in the tourney, whether they thought they deserved it or not. They could have been like Syracuse in the past, Va Tech and AZ State this year and bitched and whined about it on selection Sunday, but they kept their mouths shut, accepted the NIT invite and went out and won the thing. Butler was just happy they won and being a college kid. Every year at the end of the NIT you hear people saying there is the 66th best team and maybe they should have been the last at-large team in, blah, blah, blah.

I have been amazed at the response in Columbus to OSU not getting in the tournament. The vast majority of people I know and that I have heard on the radio didn't think they deserved to get in the tournament and there were a lot of people that thought they were better off in the NIT because they knew they weren't good enough to win a game in the NCAAs. I think that argument is ridiculous, but one would generally expect OSU fans (I am one, so don't get on me here) to bitch and whine for 6 months about getting left out of anything much less the men's basketball tournament.

[bgsukid]

Eh, I feel Butler was just shooting his mouth off. I'm with Hammb...OSU had their chances and blew it. Don't come back bitchin' because you were not selected by the NCAA tourney. I certainly don't feel sorry for them.

I didn't hear Florida griping about the NIT berth.

I didn't hear OSU griping either. Did anybody hear Thad Matta or Butler or anybody say anything after selection Sunday? That'd be a big NO! Obviously it didn't bother their play on the court since they won every game by no fewer than seven points and easily played their best ball of the year. Of all people that should be given a pass it's Jamar Butler, he never said a word his entire career at OSU. He led his team to an outright conference title as a sophomore only to get replaced at the point by a true freshman and be forced to move positions and you never saw him complain or say a word about it. You never see him talk trash on the court and he was a leader and a team player. Now he says one little thing in the heat of the moment after his final collegiate game and people want to rip on him for it? Just ridiculous, but obviously the only reason it's getting any play here is because he's from OSU. Get over it already and quit talking about them if you despise them so much.
Oh and the reason nobody from Florida complained(not that you'd know anyway since I doubt you read Florida papers) is because it'd be tough for them to make an argument when first of all they play in a worse conference and second OSU was in the NIT too and they were beaten by 13 by the Buckeyes. Plus, you didn't hear anybody from OSU say anything until they proved they were the best team in the NIT and even then it was only one guy. Anybody think not one player from Florida wouldn't have made a similar comment had they been good enough to win the NIT?

[NY-BG-FAN]

We're # 66!

[Falconfreak90]

Eh, I feel Butler was just shooting his mouth off. I'm with Hammb...OSU had their chances and blew it. Don't come back bitchin' because you were not selected by the NCAA tourney. I certainly don't feel sorry for them.

I didn't hear Florida griping about the NIT berth.

I didn't hear OSU griping either. Did anybody hear Thad Matta or Butler or anybody say anything after selection Sunday? That'd be a big NO! Obviously it didn't bother their play on the court since they won every game by no fewer than seven points and easily played their best ball of the year. Of all people that should be given a pass it's Jamar Butler, he never said a word his entire career at OSU. He led his team to an outright conference title as a sophomore only to get replaced at the point by a true freshman and be forced to move positions and you never saw him complain or say a word about it. You never see him talk trash on the court and he was a leader and a team player. Now he says one little thing in the heat of the moment after his final collegiate game and people want to rip on him for it? Just ridiculous, but obviously the only reason it's getting any play here is because he's from OSU. Get over it already and quit talking about them if you despise them so much.
Oh and the reason nobody from Florida complained(not that you'd know anyway since I doubt you read Florida papers) is because it'd be tough for them to make an argument when first of all they play in a worse conference and second OSU was in the NIT too and they were beaten by 13 by the Buckeyes. Plus, you didn't hear anybody from OSU say anything until they proved they were the best team in the NIT and even then it was only one guy. Anybody think not one player from Florida wouldn't have made a similar comment had they been good enough to win the NIT?

Doesn't surprise me you'd write this...seeing as your a huge Buck$ fan. BTW, my dad has a condo in Largo, FL, and REGULARLY sends me the sports pages of the St Pete Times....so I do read the FL papers. Nice try, Woody. I follow the Gators to see how they're doing...

Still doesn't change the fact OSU blew it on the court to get into the NCAA Tourney. Hell I even said OSU should enjoy the NIT title. I don't care if most people don't give a crap about the NIT...I enjoy watching it. Don't get your panties in a bunch, BGSUkid.

Oh, and OSU lost to Findlay.