Two seasons have passed since ESPN College Gameday made their first and only trip to Hinkle Fieldhouse. I was a senior in high school, and vividly remember watching the Butler-Gonzaga game from my couch. I was looking forward to hopefully being able to experience College Gameday from the Dawg Pound the following year, but here I am, a rising junior yet to. Last season brought much disappointment when the unranked matchup of SMU and UConn was picked over the #18 Butler vs. #6 Villanova game which was a battle for first place in the Big East. From the atmosphere at Hinkle Fieldhouse along with its history, to the growing strength of our program, here is why College Gameday should return to Butler University this season.
Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Named after the inventor of the orange basketball and legendary coach, Tony Hinkle, the place sells itself. It is by far the best basketball arena I have ever been to. US Today named it the number six place to watch college basketball, and it was the site of the 1954 IHSAA State Championship game in the movie Hoosiers. It has even been deemed a US National Historic Landmark. And don’t forget the Hinkle Magic, which always makes for a great game.
Butler vs. Gonzaga.
I may be a little biased, but I don’t think I have seen a better/crazier/more gut-wrenching game than this one on College Gameday. Even the moments before the game, from Brad Stevens’ reenactment of the famous halftime speech from the movie Hoosiers to Kevin Schwartz hitting a half court shot on the first try, were epic.
The odds were against #13 Butler, facing a tough #8 Gonzaga team without Rotnei Clarke. The game came down to the last hundreths of a second. Kelly Olynyk of Gonzaga hit two free throws with 4.6 seconds left. Alex Barlow traveled after catching the inbound pass. Roosevelt Jones then stole Gonzaga’s pass at half court with 3.5 seconds left, hitting a floater to win the game. If this was the first College Gameday, I can’t even imagine what the next one could possibly be like.
2015-2016 Butler Basketball Team.
This upcoming season the Dawgs have their three top scorers returning: Dunham, Chrabacz, and Jones. They also have the addition of transfers Tyler Lewis, whom is the first ever McDonald’s All-American to play at Butler, as well as Jordan Gathers from St. Bonaventure. Butler will also have incoming freshmen Nate Fowler, a top recruit out of Ohio, and Sean McDermott, a sharp-shooter from the same high school as Kellen Dunham. I am confident that this will be a team that can put up a fight against any team in the nation.
So, Jay Bilas, Andy Katz, Jay Williams, Rece Davis and Seth Greenberg, I'll be seeing you at Hinkle, right?
