For Butler, a Slow Start - New York Times (blog)

Darron Cummings/Associated PressRonald Nored of Butler, right, being guarded by Purdue’s Anthony Johnson last month.

In 2010 and 2011, the Butler Bulldogs were college basketball’s favorite Cinderella story. But this season has been a struggle. Matt Rhinesmith, a sports reporter for The Butler Collegian, will file occasional posts for The Quad about the team’s efforts to return to the N.C.A.A. tournament.

After two seasons that saw them finish as the national runner-up, fans of the Butler University men’s basketball team have endured a culture shock this season.

The Bulldogs lost four of their five top scorers from last season, including N.B.A. draft pick Shelvin Mack and senior Matt Howard.

After a brutal non-conference schedule that saw them face the likes of Louisville, Indiana, Xavier, Purdue, Gonzaga and Stanford, the Bulldogs started Horizon League play with a 6-6 record, a far cry from last season’s 9-4 non-conference record against many of the same teams.

Senior Ronald Nored, the starting point guard and leader on a team that features nine freshmen and sophomores, has taken on more of an offensive role this season.

Typically known for his stout defense, Nored is averaging just over seven points per game, along with four assists on the season.

Junior center Andrew Smith is another important component of Butler’s team this season. The Bulldogs are 10-2 when he is able to score at least 10 points.

But Smith has been a model of inconsistency.

He scored only three points in the game against Indiana, and eight points against Xavier while battling foul trouble. Butler needs more consistent post play from Smith to be competitive in the increasingly challenging Horizon League.

Butler players have their work cut out for them if they are to win a sixth straight regular season title.

The Bulldogs currently have a 4-3 record in league play, losing to league title contenders Valparaiso, Detroit and Cleveland State.

Butler did score big wins against Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Wright State, a team that seems to always have Butler’s number.

Smith scored 19 points in the victory over Wright State on Jan. 6, with Nored adding 11. Sophomore forward Khyle Marshall, remembered for his skilled rebounding in last season’s tournament run, finished with 14 points off the bench.

The Cleveland State Vikings tore into Hinkle Fieldhouse on Jan. 13 and handed Butler their third setback of the conference season by a score of 76-69.

The Vikings have a 15-3 overall record, with a 5-1 record in league play. Their starting lineup of four seniors and a junior is one that Butler coach Brad Stevens calls “mature.”

“Two years ago, Cleveland State had a losing record,” Stevens said. “They’ve grown up, they’re good players. We’re seeing the effects of their maturity now, in the middle of their second consecutive outstanding season.”

Butler’s biggest weakness has been on the offensive end this season. On the season, they are shooting 40 percent from the floor.

Also not helping the Bulldogs is their free-throw shooting. Butler is without a player who can consistently knock down free throws late in games, a role previously filled by Howard, Mack and Gordon Hayward.

The team has a 60 percent average from the free throw line this season, down significantly from the averages of their national runner-up seasons, which were 72 percent in 2010-2011 and 73 percent in 2009-2010.

Butler has lost three games this season as a result of poor late-game free-throw shooting.

The Bulldogs lost to the University of Evansville in overtime on Nov. 12, Valparaiso beat them on Dec. 3, also in overtime, and Ball State handed them a 58-55 defeat on Dec. 10.

Butler embarks on a four-game road trip starting Jan. 19, with games against Illinois-Chicago, Loyola, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Wisconsin-Green Bay. Without wins in at least three of those games, it is hard to see the Bulldogs contending for a regular season conference title.

Matt Rhinesmith, a sophomore at Butler University, cover sports for the school’s student newspaper, The Butler Collegian.