"That's what you really want to have going into these tournaments in March, " coach Brad Stevens said.

WSJ: Atlantic 10 tournament hits big time in Big Apple

To be clear, this isn't some grand conspiracy hatched by Butler coach Brad Stevens from a hidden lair beneath Hinkle Fieldhouse.

WSJ: Butler: The School of Hard Blocks

"We do everything in the new school, if you would call it, " said Butler coach Brad Stevens, a 36-year-old devotee of advanced statistics.

WSJ: Ohio State, Butler, Wisconsin: The New Thing in College Basketball: Embracing the Old School