For the second year in row the spotlight on BracketBuster weekend shinned on Hinkle Fieldhouse and the game ended in a disappointment for Butler Bulldog fans. Just like last year, the Bulldogs are still in a great position to have an impact in the NCAA Tournament despite the BracketBuster loss.

Yes, the loss will impact the team. They are lower in the top 25 polls because of it. More importantly, this will affect their seeding in the NCAA Tournament. Some analysts mentioned the possibility before the Drake game that Butler could be a No. 2 seed in the Tournament if the Bulldogs won all their remaining games.

Since the Bulldogs lost, they will most likely be a fourth or fifth seed. Last year the Bulldogs were awarded a No. 5 seed in the Tournament despite the home loss against No. 15 Southern Illinois in the BracketBuster, a late season loss to Loyola at home and losing the Horizon League Conference Tournament.

This year there are only two games after the BracektBuster. If the Bulldogs win one of the two remaining games they will play in the semifinal round of the Horizon League Tournament at home. If they win that game the championship game will be at home as well. The Bulldogs can undo the damage by winning all four of these games.

Having the Horizon League Tournament games here will ensure the Dawgs play in front of a friendlier crowd. The past two championship games have been held in extremely hostile environments. Hopefully by having the games here our fans can create a hostile, but respectable environment for the opposing teams.

One difference between last year and this year is that Drake is the only top 25 team that the Bulldogs have played this season. Last year in the NIT Season Tip Off Tournament in New York City the Bulldogs played Tennessee and Gonzaga, who were both ranked at the time.

The NIT Season Tip Off Tournament Championship had to heavily influence the selection committee. The selection committee will know the Bulldogs won the Great Alaskan Shootout. That tournament is less meaningful because Michigan, Virginia Tech and Texas Tech were not ranked at the time and have had less than stellar seasons.

Another thing that will help is teams ahead of Butler loosing. The season has been full of upsets so anything can happen.

Drake can help us by winning the rest of their games. This way our loss has less weight than it does right now.

One thing about this year’s BracketBuster game against Drake that was disappointing was the debris thrown on the floor. There are no excuses for this.

I was told by someone who knows the basketball rules better than I do that the throwing of debris can cause the home team to receive a technical foul charged to the bench. I was very surprised at the end of the game the officials did not charge a technical foul to our team due to the actions of the fans.

This action crossed a line and must never happen again. There are ways to be intimating without crossing the line. Fans who do not know where the line is should not be allowed to attend games.

Actions such as these give Butler University a horrible reputation. The throwing of debris was mentioned in "Indianapolis Star" and "Des Moines Register" articles. In addition all the fans who watched the game on TV saw it. At least the throwing of debris did not make ESPN's SportsCenter.

The bottom line is that if the Bulldogs win their remaining games and conference tournament they will earn a very respectable seed in the NCAA Tournament.