Best Basketball Program in Each State?

[Xudash]

Butler's run to the NC game in back-to-back years were great achievements. There is no denying that. But the point here is that all that took place and was amplified by the fact that Butler did that coming from the Horizon League. The "feel" of it all was that Butler was the LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD that caught lightening and advanced not once, but in back-to-back years to that level of the tournament.

The records reflect it all, there is no denying that. Butler road that success out of the Horizon and into an A10 parking lot for one year all the way to membership in the Big East.

Butler has always had Hinkle, which is a unique asset as well. But Hinkle back then was, to put it politely, in bad need of repair and remodeling. Again, great achievements accomplished in the face of long odds. If there was ever a strong argument for the importance of having a solid head coach and coaching staff, Butler delivered the argument in the form of Brad Stevens.

Yet the question is about BEST PROGRAM IN EACH STATE. If defined on the basis of performance only - particularly in the NCAAT - then Butler can certainly stake its claim here based on its recent track record.

But the notion of PROGRAM also means institution, fan base, facilities, etc., recognizing that all that stuff requires winning to fuel and sustain it. Perhaps older people who still think in terms of Bobby Knight, as an example, don't care about recency and waive off Butler as a fluke that didn't win it all anyway. Assembly Hall with 17,000 people in it is formidable, and they've been doing that for a very long time. I do agree that younger people can more easily put Butler at the top of the list, especially now that Hinkle has been restored and because Butler is in the Big East. You turn the TV on now and Butler shows well, so to speak.

At the end of the day, it's all about perception. I'm not objective about this, but I see Xavier's program as being bigger than Butler's program, regardless of Butler's advancement to the F4 in those two years. We hired Thad Matta away from you, before Ohio State hired him away from us. That is about as telling as you can get when contemplating the relative positions of programs.