Superbowl XLI Colts v. Bears… That really has a ring to it!
By Brent Radtke
Dawgnet Assistant Sports Editor
Monday, January 29, 2007, 00:10 EST
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Men’s basketball to play Southern Illinois in BracketBuster
ESPN announced the pairings for the fifth annual O’Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters event on Feb. 16-17. Butler has been paired with the Missouri Valley’s Southern Illinois University. The Bulldogs have also been chosen to be one of the 13 televised games. There are 102 teams participating in this year’s BracketBuster.
Butler continues winning ways
The Bulldogs went into a hostile environment Saturday in Detroit and came out with a big Horizon League Conference win against the Detroit Mercy Titans. The first half saw Butler sprint to an early lead behind nine three point baskets in the first half. The Bulldogs took a seemingly comfortable 14 point lead into halftime but the Titans never gave up.
Women's basketball splits games against conference foes
Butler let an early lead slip away Thursday losing 81-64 to UW-Green Bay, but bounced back strong Saturday to defeat UW-Milwaukee 81-74.
Overall, Gardner give strong performances for Butler track
Butler’s Track and Field team competed at the Gladstein Invitational hosted by Indiana University on Friday and Saturday. Senior Scott Overall and junior Genni Gardner both finished the meet with outstanding performances.

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Unless you live under a rock, and by that I mean something along the lines of Mount Everest, you’re probably aware that the Colts are headed to Superbowl XLI. What makes the game even more intriguing on campus is the matchup, which pairs one of league’s best offenses against arguably the nation’s top defensive team, the Chicago Bears.

Pursuing that rock analogy, most Butler students also know a thing or two about the Bears: all things considered, it always seems like over half of the campus is from “the region.” Although many analysts are favoring the Colts this coming Sunday, let it not be forgotten that once the playoffs began Indianapolis wasn’t expected to make it this far. So, what exactly happened that led the Colts to the Superbowl?

The answer is simple: staunch defensive performances from the 32nd (last) ranked team in the NFL against the run during the regular season. Including a 35 yard run by New England’s Corey Dillon last weekend, the Colts defense gave up only 93 rushing yards throughout the game in a 38-34 victory. With the return of safety Bob Sanders, the Indianapolis secondary has improved significantly, especially in run coverage. This is essentially the very same defense from last year’s team, which played very well during the 2005 regular season but has struggled all year long. Historically, the Colts offense has had to bail out the defense in close games, but this year the script has been flipped.

It shouldn’t go unmentioned that the Colts also signed a previous archrival and pretty much the most clutch kicker in NFL history this offseason. Former New England Patriot Adam Vinatieri has been absolutely perfect during the playoffs this year, making all of his field goal attempts including a record tying five against the Baltimore Ravens two weeks ago. With the defense playing as well as it has been and important role players stepping up when they’re needed, it seems as though this year’s team peaked at just the right time.

This is an intriguing matchup and should be a game for the ages. Although it would be difficult to trump last week’s barnburner against New England, it’s always a lot more fun to see a hard-fought match than a blowout. Best luck to the Chicago Bears and the Indianapolis Colts this Sunday, and all should hope that this is a game that you’ll be telling your grandchildren about… it doesn’t get any better than this in Indianapolis.