Since the mid-1980s, searching for junior college diamonds in the rough has been a recruiting technique with a highly disputed success rate.

Some coaches — former Indiana and Texas Tech coach Bob Knight is a good example — swear by it and work to sign the most highly-touted junior college recruits.

Other coaches look at these players as a way to round out a depleted roster. This is likely what Marquette coach Buzz Williams had in mind when he recruited Tyler (Texas) Junior College transfers Jimmy Butler and Joseph Fulce to fill in the holes left by the would-be freshmen who opted out of their letters of intent following the departure of coach Tom Crean.

The popularity of transferring from a junior college has been waning as the popularity of prep schools has risen, partly because prep schools don't count against an athlete's college eligibility.

Nevertheless, playing juco ball remains a viable option for players

who feel they aren't getting the attention they deserve from the major programs coming out of high school. They can play for an NJCAA team, and if they draw scouts' attention while playing for their respective junior college they may find themselves transferring to a Division I program.

After watching Jimmy Butler turn in nine points, six rebounds and only one turnover in 19 minutes of play in the Golden Eagles' exhibition opener (Fulce is out a few more weeks with a knee injury), I became curious as to the impact that junior college transfers have had on teams similar to Marquette's.

So I did what I usually do in similar situations. I shut myself in a room and Googled endless combinations of words until I came across what I was looking for. Here's what I found:

According to jucojunction.com — part of rivals.com from Yahoo! Sports — of the top 100-ranked juco transfer prospects for both the 2006 and 2007 seasons, there were 24 that played on a team that then went to the NCAA Tournament in that player's first season with the team. I only used stats from jucos that went to teams that made the NCAA Tournament because I, like most all of you, expect Marquette to get back to the NCAA Tournament and wanted the circumstances as close to the Golden Eagles' as possible.

Those 24 players combined to average 15.7 minutes, 5.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.1 turnovers in their first season with the team (and yes, those statistics took me a considerable amount of time to compile).

The majority of these players accumulated these statistics on teams in major conferences such as Texas Tech in the Big 12 and Indiana in the Big Ten (I told you Bob Knight liked juco players). Again, these schools are similar to Marquette.

Let me also draw your attention to the fact that all of these players were rated as top 100 junior college prospects, a label Marquette's two new toys are lacking.

I fully expect the pair to see at least 15.7 minutes per game this season. Yes, it was only one game, but against Colorado State-Pueblo, Butler showed a willingness to rebound and the ability to make his free throws – both of which will keep him on the court late in games this year.

The 6-foot-7 Fulce is really the only replacement the Golden Eagles have for Lazar Hayward at the four.

But the point is, if you were thinking that Butler and Fulce were going to be the missing pieces for the Golden Eagles this season, think again. If history is any guide, then these two, even with decent minutes, will prove nothing more than nice role players.

Don't blame me, I'm just playing the numbers.