From unranked to No. 9; Grizzlies make big move after opening week

It was a great opening week for the Butler Grizzlies Men's basketball team, and that has been reflected in the national polls, as head coach Kyle Fisher's team opens the second week of play ranked 9th in the nation.

The Grizzlies come off a week that featured three straight wins, opening the season at the Power Plant with an emphatic thrashing of Tabor's JV squad, winning 127-52. Butler then swept a two game road trip in Iowa, holding off a late rally against Marshalltown to win 68-64, before stunning the second ranked team on their home floor, beating Indian Hills 77-68.

Butler has gotten key individual performances from a number of players during this winning streak, as Marque English scored 25 points in the win against Marshalltown, meanwhile Treylon Payne was the key man in the Indian Hills upset, as he scored 19 points in the victory including five three pointers. Keyon Thomas led all scorers in the Tabor game as he picked up 19 points. 

The Grizzlies are the highest of four Jayhawk Conference teams ranked in the top 25 in Monday's poll, having jumped ahead of defending national champs Coffeyville, ranked 16th, and Dodge City, which dropped out of the rankings. Conference foes Hutchinson and Barton also went undefeated this week and appeared in the rankings for the first time at 15th and 25th respectively.

The 9th ranked Grizzlies will hope to keep this momentum going when they return home for two games this week at the Power Plant in El Dorado, hosting Kansas City on Wednesday evening before McPherson College comes calling on Saturday afternoon.