Every time we play Butler it rains, so that's not something new for us.

This is why you play the games, to have a chance to win championships. This senior group has won two conference titles (in 2003 and 2004). They?re going to get after it and see if they can get their third.

It all seems to be coming together at the right time for us. We've been able to play well in back-to-back games and we were able to do some good things on both offense and defense and be able to create chances off of both very well.

They always come ready to play and they gave us a tough time over there. It's a rivalry game, so we have to be ready for that. It's a great game to play before we start the tournaments.

The schedule is the toughest we've had in years. The staff and players are excited about having six night games, as well as a number of great teams on the schedule. Each week will be demanding and our guys must be focused and prepared for each opponent.

I just think the overall group has come together. The attitude was terrific fighting through adversity. We have great senior leadership, certainly with the five senior captains. They stayed patient and allowed these young guys to come along.