The march to madness is sweeping the nation with a frantic fervor. Call this year’s Big Dance frenzy “Footloose,” because almost any team that makes the Field of 68 thinks it can step out, rise up, and cut down the nets in Atlanta.
Over the next few weeks, The Post will look at some of the lesser publicized teams that could take the NCAA Tournament by storm. Save, clip and refer to it when you fill out your bracket.
Butler (22-6)
* RPI: 21
* Strength of schedule: 69
* Key wins: Marquette, North Carolina, Indiana
* Bad loss: UNC-Charlotte
* League: Atlantic 10
Butler has supplanted Gonzaga as everyone’s favorite March Madness school. That adorable Bulldog mascot … Hinkle Fieldhouse — where portions of the movie “Hoosiers” were shot … Coach Brad Stevens with his designer specs.
The Butler did it. Stop.
Butler is no one servant’s in college basketball. After playing for the national championship in 2010 and 2011, the Bulldogs were relegated to the CBI last season and some believed the little engine that could had run out of miles.
Butler “struggled” to a 22-15 record last season because it didn’t have enough outside shooting. Opposing teams collapsed on 6-foot-11 center Andrew Smith and 6-foot-6 forward Khyle Marshall. Enter Rotnei Clarke, a 6-foot shooting guard from Verdigras, Okla., who spent two season at Arkansas before transferring to Butler.
Clarke looks as if he could have been a character in “Hoosiers.” He’s a 43 percent shooter from behind the arc and is knocking down 3.67 3-pointers per game, sixth best in the nation.
Teams that crowd the lane against the Bulldogs do so at their own peril. Heading into last night’s 65-61 home loss to formidable St. Louis, Butler already had converted more 3s this season (189) than it did all of last season (183). The Bulldogs are converting 36 percent of their 3s compared to 28 percent last season.
But what sets the Bulldogs apart is Stevens, one of the game’s great young coaches. His defensive philosophy is to get all five players to work together for the good of the team. It’s working on offense as well; all five starters average in double figures, the first time that has happened at Butler since the early ’90s.
The Bulldogs, allowing 63 points a game on 41 percent shooting, have been solid defensively. If it develops that mentality on that end of the court a little more, Butler is poised to make another run.
Valparaiso (21-7)
* RPI: 79
* Strength of schedule: 188
* Key win: Murray State
* Bad loss: Youngstown St.
* League: Horizon
Remember “The Shot?” That’s what they call it in Northwestern Indiana.
It was a first-round game of the 1998 NCAA Tournament. The 13th-seeded Crusaders executed one of the greatest last-second plays in tournament history, when Bryce Drew streaked down the court, took a pass on the wing and launched a 3-pointer that beat Ole Miss, 70-69.
It’s a glorious memory. But it also marks the last time Valparaiso has won a first-round game. The Crusaders haven’t been a part or March Madness since 2004 when they lost to Gonzaga. They thought that would change last season.
Valparaiso won the Horizon League regular-season title, beating Butler three times, including once in the conference tournament. The Crusaders hosted the championship game, but they played tight and got waxed by Detroit.
The next day the Valpo players and coaches vowed they would win the league, host the title game and make good. Drew, the kid who made “The Shot,” now is the coach who believes Valpo has a shot.
Valparaiso has perhaps the most mature starting lineup in America — three seniors and two fifth-year seniors. Guard Erik Buggs is as disruptive as a morning fly buzzing a camper in a sleeping bag. Forward Ryan Broekhoff was the last player cut from the Australian Olympic team. At 6-foot-7, he’s a matchup nightmare. Dutch forward Kevin Van Wijk will turn 24 in mid-April.
The Crusaders know winning. They haven’t lost consecutive regular season games in two seasons. This is their third 20-win season. Seniors that know how win the dance like Alvin Ailey — beautiful.
Valparaiso, in all probability, will get a berth only if it wins the Horizon. Should that happen, look for the NCAA Tournament selection committee to match Butler and Valpo in a first-round game.