You probably don't remember who Ryvon Covile is, and there's a reason for that. He missed two free throws with 38 seconds left in last year's Horizon League title game. If he had hit either, Detroit would have likely gone on to the Tournament -- Hoops Nation would have remembered the Titans, and still wouldn't know Wisconsin-Milwaukee from
Tennessee-Martin. That's how razor-thin this edge is.As most of you know, UWM won that game 59-58 and went on to become the only mid-major representative in the Sweet 16. In order to put themselves on the bracket for a repeat try, the Panthers (20-8, 13-4) will have to get by a Butler squad (19-11, 12-5) that's much better than that Detroit team was. The Bulldogs split the season series and are led by
Brandon Polk (17.8 ppg). This team shoots the ball better than anyone else in the conference (46.3%), and their defense is the second-most efficient in the HL (.986 PA per def. possession). Of course, number one in that category is UWM (.938) - they bring back plenty of championship experience with
Tucker and
Davis and
Tigert. It's all on the line tonight - tune in and watch on ESPN2.