Butler has been ranked in college basketball’s Top 25 for the past seven weeks, climbed as high as No. 9, plays in a power conference and has no so-called bad losses. So the Bulldogs should be well on their way to a 13th NCAA tournament appearance in 20 years, right?
Not necessarily.
Butler was motivated to join the Big East not only by a desire for more money and exposure, but also because the path to postseason presumably would be easier. The Horizon League, and usually the Atlantic 10, was not sending four or five teams to the NCAA tourney.