Whether they were tears of disappointment or tears of anguish, there was certainly sadness in the Polar Bear's face Sunday afternoon in Columbus.
Brian Butch hit the deck against Ohio State and let out what seemed to be his typical-Butch roar. However, this time he didn't throw his hands to the rafters nor did he pump his fist. Instead, he clutched his right elbow and ran toward the sideline.
No. 32 is gone for 4-6 weeks with a dislocated right elbow and an associated fracture. And what the Badgers are losing may not seem truly evident just yet.
It's true that Butch has been wildly inconsistent. After seemingly breaking out against Pitt earlier this year with a career-high 27 points, the big man had games like his scoreless outing in 19 minutes at home against OSU and three points in 23 minutes at Indiana. And these all were mixed in with two big games against Iowa and one against Michigan.
What we have come to understand is that Brian Butch is not the player people were expecting out of Appleton West High School. First off, he's not the same build. He's not the skinny kid who led his team to a 23-3 record and a second place finish in the state. He's not the lanky center who averaged 23 points and 10 rebounds. Nor is he the youthful phenom who ran the floor with LeBron James in the 2003 McDonald's All-Amercian game.
However, Butch was crucial to the Badgers' hopes of a championship run this season. As their third-leading scorer, he does what Jason Chappell, Greg Stiemsma and Kevin Gullickson can't do—stretch out a defense. He forces a Greg Oden, a DJ White, a Courtney Sims to step outside near the 3-point arc. He opens up lanes for Alando Tucker to penetrate, something the Badgers' leading scorer found near impossible to do Sunday after Butch went back to the locker room.
He came off the bench Sunday for the first time in a long time. In fact, freshman guard Trevon Hughes even entered the game before him. And when No. 32 finally came in, he looked fired up. He knocked down his first jumper from the outside, and tore down rebounds—he had three in three minutes—with aggression. He was playing angry and assertive, and a top-notch Polar Bear performance was on the horizon.
But that wouldn't be the case. At best we'll see Butch in a Sweet 16, maybe a Final Four, but most likely simply next season.
And for the Badgers' vocal leader, the idea of sitting on the bench during big games has to be excruciating. No one likes to urge Badger fans on more than Butch, no one likes to chest bump his fellow teammates more than Butch, no ones loves that in-game fervor more than Butch.
Though Butch seems awkward at times, chooses to put the ball on the floor too much and sometimes seems overmatched on the glass, he was so important to the Badgers' season. Just the threat of him going off is enough to make a defense wary.
There isn't a true Badger fan in the state of Wisconsin and beyond who didn't hurt when they saw the tears well up in the Polar Bear's eyes. Not just because of what he means to the club, but because everyone in Wisconsin knows how badly he wants to win.
Barring a miracle comeback for the big man, next year will be when we next see Butch in uniform. It will be his senior season and his last chance to make a major imprint on the memories of Badger fans.
And while Wisconsin faithful should not be focused on the following season, and neither should Butch, I would hate to be a big man in the Big Ten next year.
Will Butch's injury end UW's hopes a National Championship? Let Pepper know at sepepper@wisc.edu.
