Butler Bulldogs will play for national title with 52-50 win over Michigan State
By Steve Yanda
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 4, 2010
INDIANAPOLIS -- Playing in its first Final Four in school history, Butler struggled to shoot, but it did not struggle to handle the spotlight of performing on college basketball's grandest stage in front of a hometown crowd. The Bulldogs held off Michigan State for a 52-50 win and advanced to play in Monday night's national title game.
Led by junior forward Gordon Hayward, who tallied 19 points and eight rebounds, Butler shot just 30.6 percent but made up for it with stingy defense. The Bulldogs registered 12 steals and forced 16 Michigan State turnovers.
With 56.3 seconds remaining in the game, Michigan State forward Draymond Green made a pair of free throws to pull the Spartans within one point. Butler guard Ronald Nored missed a short-range shot attempt on the Bulldogs' ensuing possession, and the Spartans grabbed the rebound.
After a Michigan State timeout with 23 seconds to play, the Spartans inbounded the ball and found Green in the lane. He missed a turnaround jumper and Nored grabbed the rebound with 6.1 seconds left. Nored was fouled immediately and made both of his free throws at the other end, pushing Butler's lead to three.
Throughout the month of March, the Bulldogs have insisted to anyone who would listen that they are not the Cinderella that their conference affiliation would suggest. Yes, Butler plays in the Horizon League, and yes, technically, Butler is a mid-major program.
But Cinderella? The Bulldogs -- who were ranked in the top 10 at the season's outset and who carried a 24-game winning streak into Saturday's game -- will stick to sneakers instead of glass slippers, thank you.
Butler took the lead with just more than 18 minutes remaining in the second half and steadily built it from there. The Bulldogs -- not the Spartans, who were competing in their second Final Four in as many seasons -- played as though they were the experienced bunch that had played on this stage before.
With just more than 12 minutes to play, Butler forward Willie Veasley stole the ball from Michigan State point guard Korie Lucious and surged downcourt for a fast-break dunk to push the Bulldogs' lead to seven.
However, Butler would not record another made field goal for more than 10 minutes. The shooting of Lucious, Green and Durrell Summers kept Michigan State in contention. The Spartan trio shot a combined 13 for 27 from the field. Summers led the Spartans with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Hampering Michigan State's cause was the fact that senior forward Raymar Morgan -- one of the Spartans' leading scorers -- got into early foul trouble and never found his rhythm. Morgan picked up three fouls in the first 10 minutes of the game and played only eight minutes in the first half. He drew his fourth foul with 12 minutes 38 seconds remaining in the game and was benched immediately.
Butler had several opportunities to extend its lead and perhaps put the game away, but the Bulldogs struggled to find their shooting touch all night long. And it eluded them down the stretch, as well.
But Butler's defense continued to come through on a night when the shots did not often fall. With 2:27 to play, Nored stole the ball from Green and fed Veasley, who was fouled. Veasley made one of his two ensuing free throws to push Butler's lead to four.
Butler is not known for possessing a fluid and efficient transition offense. In fact, the Bulldogs make up for their lack of front-court size by frequently sending all five players to the defensive glass. They're not usually the most prolific bunch when it comes to forcing turnovers, either.
But against Michigan State, Butler played at a quicker tempo than usual. With 35 seconds remaining in the first half, Bulldogs guard Shawn Vanzant stole the ball from Lucious. Vanzant fed the ball to Shelvin Mack, who pulled up for a quick three-pointer before the Spartans' defense had a chance to get set. The shot was true, and the score was knotted up, 28-28, at halftime.
Made baskets came at a premium before the intermission, which shouldn't have come as much surprise considering the track records of each participant. Butler had not allowed an opponent to score as many as 60 points during its NCAA tournament run, and Michigan State's foes averaged 64.1 points per game on the season.
On Saturday, neither squad made more than 10 baskets before the break. During a stretch that lasted 4:39 during the latter part of the first half, the two teams registered three points -- combined.
Mack and Hayward shouldered the scoring load for Butler in the first half, combining to tally 25 of the Bulldogs' 28 points.
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