NEW YORK – It remains to be seen how badly Butler is harmed by yet another Big East tournament defeat. Or if it is harmful at all.
The 20th-ranked Bulldogs’ 62-57 loss to Xavier on Thursday night almost certainly cost them a chance of being assigned to Indianapolis for the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament. If they drop from a No. 3 seed to 4 or 5, they won’t necessarily be dispatched to a nearby location like Milwaukee, either.
“I don’t think we played poorly. I think we need to play better,” said Butler’s Chris Holtmann, who the day before was honored as Big East Coach of the Year.