Butler University in Indianapolis became the smallest school in 40 years to reach the NCAA championship game. Prior to the tournament, a statistician calculated the Bulldogs as a 200-to-1 shot to win. But as fascinating as what Butler accomplished was how they did it. Underdawgs tells the incredible and uplifting story. Butler’s coach, 33-year-old Brad Stevens, looked so young he was often mistaken for one of the players, but he had quickly become one of the best coaches in the nation by employing the “Butler Way.” This philosophy of basketball and life, adopted by former coach Barry Collier, is based on five principles: humility, passion, unity, servanthood, and thankfulness. Even the most casual observer could see this in every player, on the court and off, from NBA first-round draft pick Gordon Hayward to the last guy on the bench. Butler was coming off a great 2009–10 regular season, but its longtime existence on the periphery of major college basketball fostered doubt as March Madness set in. But after two historic upsets, one of top-seeded Syracuse and another of second-seeded Kansas State, and making it to the Final Four, the Bulldogs came within the diameter of a shoelace of beating the perennial leaders of college basketball: the Duke Blue Devils. Much more than a sports story, Underdawgs is the consummate David versus Goliath tale. Despite Duke’s winning the championship, the Bulldogs proved they belonged in the game and, in the process, won the respect of people who were not even sports fans. In the spring of 2010, Butler University came within a shot of winning the NCAA collegiate basketball championship against heavily favored Duke. Woods, the team’s beat reporter for the Indianapolis Star, presents a sunshine-and-balloons account of the magical season. For context, he provides a history of the basketball program, which not too many seasons ago was almost downgraded to Division III. Then came the gradual ascension of the Bulldogs over a period of years, culminating in that heartbreaking loss to Duke. He profiles head coach Brad Stevens, the players, the rest of the staff, and even—briefly—some of the fans. Also, in the best John Feinstein tradition, he gets inside the team dynamic. The culture Coach Stevens fosters is one of team over self, defense over all, and a commitment to the “Butler Way.” Well, readers might ask, doesn’t every coach promote essentially the same values? The answer is yes, of course, but the best coaches do the small things that convince the players to buy into the program. The 2009–10 Butler Bulldogs were a great, feel-good sports story, and Woods tells it well. --Wes Lukowsky "If you want to learn how basketball is played in its purest form--the team game--learn all you can about Butler hoops. They represent what college basketball is all about!" —Dick Vitale