Buth's hot hand leads Big Green

Greg Buth is used to being cold -- off the basketball court, that is. Originally from central Minnesota, when it came time for Edina High School's all-time leading scorer to choose a college, he decided to go someplace where he'd feel right at home -- the frigid confines of Hanover, N.H. But after four years and four New England winters on the court, Buth is anything but cold. The leading scorer on the Dartmouth men's basketball team, this senior guard heads into the Palestra tomorrow night as the Ivy League's fourth-leading scorer. Netting 16.7 points per game -- and hitting 39 percent of his three-point attempts -- Buth is one of the most potent threats in the Ancient Eight. "He definitely can shoot, and I think the rest of the League knows that," Dartmouth coach Dave Faucher said. "And that makes it all the more impressive anytime he achieves, because I think he's a marked man in our league." After a freshman year in which he saw limited action due to injury, Buth shot an eye-popping 46.6 percent from behind the arc in a breakout sophomore campaign. That mark was good enough to earn the silky-smooth shooter second-team All-Ivy honors -- and the Edward S. Steitz Award as the top three-point shooter in the nation, to boot. Considering that the first runner-up for that award was former Duke sharpshooter Trajan Langdon, Buth can count himself in impressive company. Not one to rest on his laurels, though, Buth's level of play did not fall off in light of his newfound fame. As a junior, Buth averaged 16.9 points a game, earning second-team All-Ivy honors for the second year in a row. And through 23 games this season, despite often being marked by the opposing team's best defender, Buth remains Dartmouth's leading scorer and most accurate shooter. "He obviously is an outstanding perimeter shooter, but he has also developed into a very good post-up player too," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "And he also runs down the court well and can spot up for easy threes in transition, so you've really got to get back on defense." Already an accomplished outside shooter, Buth added an array of post-up and driving moves to his repertoire this winter, making him an even more complete offensive threat. So in addition to defending against Buth behind the arc, opponents now have to worry about the 6'4" senior using his size to get in closer to the hole. Indeed, in the first matchup between Penn and the Big Green in 2001, Buth netted a team-high 20 points -- on four three-pointers and four easy baskets in the paint. "Dartmouth used him to post our guys up a lot -- he has a size advantage on someone like [Penn guard] Lamar [Plummer]," Dunphy said. "They play to that a lot, and he's done a good job with it." But Penn was able to counter Buth's inside play late in that first meeting, a 75-62 Quakers win. The sometimes-erratic Big Green co-captain, who scored 13 points on 6'1" Plummer in the first half, could net only seven in the second half, when he was guarded by lanky 6'8" Quakers forward Koko Archibong. Stymied for one of the first times in the Ivies this winter, the always-emotional Buth also committed four fouls, turned the ball over three times and punched a wall twice in anger in the game's final 20 minutes. This intensity, however, is in no way unexpected to those who know Buth best. "He definitely leads by example," Faucher said. "He has an outstanding work ethic, and he really gets out there in practice and shows the other guys how to play." In early January, Buth proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is the leader of his squad -- going on a shooting binge that was nothing short of sizzling. For four straight games, opponents were simply unable to mark this baby-faced killer, as the senior averaged 27 points and went 20-for-36 from three-point range. During a double-digit victory over Albany during that stretch, Buth also set a Dartmouth single-game record for three-pointers with nine. Recognized nationally for his long-range shooting, and recognized in Big Green lore as the seventh-leading scorer of all time at Dartmouth, it is safe to say that Buth has done well for himself the past four years. "Greg's a good player, and a great competitor and it's been enjoyable to play against him in the league the past four years," Dunphy said. But as the college career of this 22-year-old sociology major comes to an end, Buth undoubtedly has several more goals set in his sights. For starters, Buth needs only 17 threes over Dartmouth's last four contests to become the school's all-time three-pointer leader. And on a team -- and not individual-- note, Buth heads into the Palestra tomorrow night trying to lead Dartmouth to a win over the Quakers for the first time since 1997. Whatever the outcome of tomorrow's game may be, one thing is for certain -- keep your eyes fixed on No. 21 in the green uniform. He's averaged 18 points in his last three meetings with the Quakers, and chances are, he won't be cold this time around.

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