Butler has fallen off the media's radar, what with the sensational shooting of Rotnei Clarke departing due to graduation and the terrific coaching of Brad Stevens departing to the NBA. however, there is still some pretty good basketball being played in Hinkle Fieldhouse, and the future is bright.
6-foot-6 guard Kellen Dunham has begun to emerge from the shadows, and his game on Saturday in the win against Princeton provided some evidence of that. just a sophomore, Dunham finished with a game-high 26 points (on 7-14 shooting) while adding 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals.
Butler starts 3 White players (Erik Fromm and Alex Barlow are the other two), and the Bulldogs give a lot of minutes to a couple more "overachieving gym rats" off the bench.
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Virginia's Joe Harris is a favorite of mine, but he had a quiet night on Saturday in a win over Davidson. it was another talented young White athlete who was the star of the game.
sophomore big man
Mike Tobey scored a game-high 18 points off the bench, while collecting 7 rebounds and blocking 2 shots. he's another young talent to keep an eye on.
Mike Tobey
junior
Tyler Kalinoski shined in the losing cause for Davidson. Kalinoski, a 6-foot-4 guard, finished with a game-high 11 rebounds! he also added 13 points (on 4-8 shooting), 3 assists, and 2 steals with just 1 turnover in 37 minutes.
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Syracuse guard
Trevor Cooney, fresh off his ACC Player of the Week honor, scored 10 and had 3 steals as the Orange cruised past Colgate.
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Wisconsin struggled against Green Bay, but the Badgers held on for the road win, 69-66. in the game, Wisconsin saw 5 White players with more than 20 minutes of action, including freshman point guard
Bronson Koenig. this is a potentially huge development, as i've long despised the current Badgers' starting point guard Traevon Jackson. Koenig, the Wisconsin state Player of the Year last year, actually played more minutes than Jackson (23 to 18).
Bronson Koenig
this is an intriguing storyline to follow for a couple of reasons. first, Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan almost never features important roles for true freshmen. and if Koenig emerges as a pivotal player (or perhaps even starter), it would be rare air indeed. secondly, if Koenig becomes the starter, it would mean an all-White starting five for the Badgers. how cool would that be?!?
i should also mention that sharp-shooting, but rarely-referred-to, 7-foot junior Frank Kaminsky was a powerful force in the win. he finished with team-highs of 16 points (on 6-12 shooting), 8 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots. Sam Dekker added 13 points (6-11 shooting) and 7 boards, and Josh Gasser chipped in with 11 points (2-8) and 6 boards. the aforementioned Koenig finished with 7 points (going a perfect 3-3 from the floor), 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 blocked shot with just 1 turnover.
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much like their superstar Doug McDermott, Creighton continues to fly under the radar. they went on the road on Saturday and knocked off Saint Joseph's behind a "quiet" 20 points (on 7-14 shooting) and 5 rebounds from the best player in the country. the bearded sniper, Ethan Wragge was the game's high scorer, knocking in 7 (of 11) three-pointers off the bench for 21 points. superb point forward Grant Gibbs finished with a stellar all-around effort: 11 points (on 5-6 shooting), 6 rebounds, and 6 assists.
Creighton starts 3 White men (McDermott, Gibbs, and Will Artino) and have 3 others (Wragge, Avery Dingman, and freshman Isaiah Zierden) who have appeared in all three contests and are averaging double-digit minutes. in fact, Wragge is second on the team in minutes played, despite not starting. the Bluejays are certainly a team to cheer for.