Marquette forward Jimmy Butler ranks second on the team in points (15.8), rebounds (6.1), fourth in assists (2.3), and first in minutes (34.6). But it’s on defense where Butler truly shines. 

Butler held the Atlantic 10’s Player of the Year Tu Holliday to five points on 1-of-8 shooting in a 66-55 win over Xavier in the first round and followed that up by limiting Syracuse guard Scoop Jardine to 6 points as the Golden Eagles eliminated the Orange, 66-62.

"He's the smartest player I've ever coached," Marquette coach Buzz Williams says. Butler, a devotee of film study, ranks No. 16 in offensive efficiency among players who use at least 20 percent of their team's possessions (as per kenpom.com). And for all his defensive prowess, he commits just 1.54 fouls per 40 minutes -- 26th fewest in the nation.

"You can tell me I'm a good player, a scorer," Butler says, "but I want to be a great defender first."