Blue Devils back on top with 4th NCAA title
INDIANAPOLIS - All season long, defense and rebounding were the buzzwords that carried Duke to the NCAA title game.
It was fitting, then, that one final defensive possession made the Blue Devils NCAA champions Monday night at Lucas Oil Stadium in a 61-59 victory over Butler.
Trailing by one point, upset-minded Butler gave the ball to leading scorer Gordon Hayward. Guarded by Kyle Singler, he tried driving the right side of the lane but was cut off.
Hayward lofted a high-arcing shot that clanged off the rim with five seconds remaining. Seven-foot-1 Brian Zoubek rebounded for Duke with 3.6 seconds left. He made one free throw, and missed the next intentionally.
A half-court heave by Hayward was long off the backcourt at the final horn. Fireworks cracked and confetti fell, and Duke had its fourth NCAA title.
Singler scored 19 points, Jon Scheyer 15 and Nolan Smith 13 for the Blue Devils.
Duke (35-5), the No. 1 seed out of the South Regional, edged the tough Butler team to earn the school's fourth NCAA title. No. 5 seed Butler (33-5) fell just short of completing one of the most improbable championship runs ever as a highly disciplined team from the mid-major Horizon League.
Butler proved every bit as formidable as Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski had predicted the previous day. The game was billed as a classic meeting of a feisty, determined underdog against a highly skilled traditional power after the Blue Devils crushed Big East tournament champion West Virginia 78-57 in Saturdayís NCAA semifinals.
But Butler had won 25 in a row entering the game and showed why with a gritty defensive performance that caused the Blue Devils fits throughout the game. The Bulldogs backed off forward Lance Thomas, Duke's least accomplished scorer, in order to clog the lane and pressure the Blue Devilsí high-scoring trio of Scheyer, Singler and Smith.
It was a brutal, half-court game that fit the styles of both teams and was tightly contested throughout. Although Duke led for much of the game, neither team ever led by more than six points.
In the opening minutes, Butler coach Brad Stevens proved worthy of the high praise Krzyzewski heaped on him the day before the game. Although Duke had a much bigger lineup, with three starters 6-foot-8 or taller, the Bulldogs immediately attacked in the lane on offense.
Matt Howard, the 6-8 forward who played despite suffering a concussion in the NCAA semifinals against Michigan State, thrashed around in the lane without fear, and Duke quickly paid the price.
Just 3:10 into the game, Duke senior forward Thomas committed his second foul, and he immediately came to the bench. Howard's aggression set the tone on the boards, too, where Duke dominated smaller opponents such as Butler throughout the tournament.
In the first half, the Bulldogs outrebounded Duke 24-17 despite starting three players 6-foot-3 or smaller. Nonetheless, Duke held a slim lead throughout most of the first half.
The Blue Devils scored six of the first seven points, fell behind, and scored eight straight points to lead 26-20 on a Kyle Singler driving layup with 5:13 remaining in the first half. Stevens, who looked like he wanted a traveling call on the Singler basket, called timeout and steadied his team.
Over the last four minutes of the half, Howardís backup, Avery Jukes, hit a pair of 3-point shots and a rebound basket to narrow the margin. After Smith missed the front end of a one-and-one at the free throw line with three seconds left in the half and a jumper at the buzzer, Duke led just 33-32 at halftime.
Butler led briefly three times in the opening seven minutes of the second half before Kyle Singler made a 3-pointer and Krzyzewski immediately called timeout with Duke ahead 45-43 and 13:02 remaining.
Duke led 60-55 with two minutes remaining, but went cold in the final three minutes. Howard scored a layup with 1:42 left and another after Smith missed a layup with 54.8 seconds left to cut the Blue Devilsí advantage to 60-59.
Singler missed a 15-foot jumper, and the rebound went out of bounds off Zoubekís leg with 33.7 seconds remaining. Zoubek deflected a Butler pass out of bounds with 13.6 seconds left.
ktysiac@charlotteobserver.com or 919-829-8942, or @kentysiac on Twitter
Showing posts with label butler bulldogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label butler bulldogs. Show all posts
Butler 52, Michigan State 50
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.
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.
Butler 63, Kansas State 56
THE ROAD WINDS HOME
Bulldogs shock Kansas State as their miracle run continues
By David Woods, Indianapolis Star
Posted: March 28, 2010
SALT LAKE CITY -- Restrained and corporate-looking as he is, Brad Stevens finally let his guard down.
On the bus ride home from the airport a week ago, Butler's basketball team passed Lucas Oil Stadium. Wouldn't it be something, the coach told wife Tracy, if the Bulldogs played there in the Final Four?
"That hit a little bit," he said. "That was the first time I even thought about it."
Now, that's almost all anyone in Indianapolis will be thinking about. Home-grown Gordon Hayward, who led Brownsburg High School to a state title, has taken his act to a larger stage.
Hayward scored eight of his 22 points in the closing six minutes, and Butler knocked off Kansas State 63-56 Saturday in the NCAA West Regional final.
No. 5 seed Butler (32-4) will play in a national semifinal next Saturday against the winner of today's Midwest Regional final between Michigan State and Tennessee at St. Louis.
In running its winning streak to 24 and going farther in the NCAA Tournament than ever before, Butler became the smallest school (enrollment: 4,200) in the Final Four since seeding was introduced in 1979. Butler will be the first team to play in a Final Four in its home city since champion UCLA in 1972.
By the way, Butler is 15-0 in Indy.
"Our dreams definitely didn't stop at getting to the Final Four," said Hayward, voted outstanding player of the West Regional. "We want to win the whole thing."
The Bulldogs' defense was so suffocating that they held No. 1 seed Syracuse and No. 2 seed Kansas State (29-8) to season lows and a collective 46 points under their averages. Butler is 19-0 when holding opponents under 60 points, and Kansas State fell to 2-5 when scoring fewer than 70.
Wildcat guards Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen, who totaled 53 points in a Thursday's double-overtime win over Xavier, were limited to 32 on 11-of-30 shooting. Pullen, shadowed by an omnipresent Ronald Nored, scored 14 points -- 12 under his tourney average.
Hayward's nine rebounds led the outsized Bulldogs to a 41-29 edge in that category, compensating for 20 turnovers. Butler's Shelvin Mack scored 16 points and joined Hayward on the all-regional team.
SALT LAKE CITY -- Restrained and corporate-looking as he is, Brad Stevens finally let his guard down.
On the bus ride home from the airport a week ago, Butler's basketball team passed Lucas Oil Stadium. Wouldn't it be something, the coach told wife Tracy, if the Bulldogs played there in the Final Four?
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"That hit a little bit," he said. "That was the first time I even thought about it."
Now, that's almost all anyone in Indianapolis will be thinking about. Home-grown Gordon Hayward, who led Brownsburg High School to a state title, has taken his act to a larger stage.
Hayward scored eight of his 22 points in the closing six minutes, and Butler knocked off Kansas State 63-56 Saturday in the NCAA West Regional final.
No. 5 seed Butler (32-4) will play in a national semifinal next Saturday against the winner of today's Midwest Regional final between Michigan State and Tennessee at St. Louis.
In running its winning streak to 24 and going farther in the NCAA Tournament than ever before, Butler became the smallest school (enrollment: 4,200) in the Final Four since seeding was introduced in 1979. Butler will be the first team to play in a Final Four in its home city since champion UCLA in 1972.
By the way, Butler is 15-0 in Indy.
"Our dreams definitely didn't stop at getting to the Final Four," said Hayward, voted outstanding player of the West Regional. "We want to win the whole thing."
The Bulldogs' defense was so suffocating that they held No. 1 seed Syracuse and No. 2 seed Kansas State (29-8) to season lows and a collective 46 points under their averages. Butler is 19-0 when holding opponents under 60 points, and Kansas State fell to 2-5 when scoring fewer than 70.
Wildcat guards Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen, who totaled 53 points in a Thursday's double-overtime win over Xavier, were limited to 32 on 11-of-30 shooting. Pullen, shadowed by an omnipresent Ronald Nored, scored 14 points -- 12 under his tourney average.
Hayward's nine rebounds led the outsized Bulldogs to a 41-29 edge in that category, compensating for 20 turnovers. Butler's Shelvin Mack scored 16 points and joined Hayward on the all-regional team.
Although Butler often has been compared to the small-town Milan team that inspired the movie "Hoosiers," the Bulldogs have instead resembled the gritty racehorse from "Seabiscuit." In three tournament games, the Bulldogs lost leads in the closing minutes, only to thunder down the homestretch to finish first.
After leading by 11 points in the first half and 10 in the second, the Bulldogs fell behind 52-51 with less than five minutes left. They trailed for all of 35 seconds.
Clemente scored on a runner to tie it at 54. Then the Bulldogs secured the victory with a 9-0 run beginning with Hayward's layup off Nored's lob. Nored drove for a left-handed layup to make it 58-54 with 2:04 left, and Hayward's drive extended that to 60-54 with 62 seconds on the clock.
Kansas State coach Frank Martin said the Bulldogs "kicked our tails" and "annihilated us" on the glass.
"It's hard to be happy for someone when you lose," Martin said. "But I've got to think it's going to be a great, great week for Butler people and people in the city of Indianapolis to have one of their own in the Final Four."
One of the Bulldogs' unusual features is that three sophomores -- Hayward, Mack and Nored -- are starters and they lack the experience supposedly necessary for a mid-major to make a lengthy tourney run.
Yet national championships have been won by Butler before -- in an AAU Tournament in 1924 and a mythical one from 1929. There are banners at Hinkle Fieldhouse commemorating those titles.
It's a big place, though. There's plenty of room left to hang another.
If you don't believe it, Stevens said, you can't achieve it.
"This is a very special moment in our life," Mack said. "We all believed in each other."
Bulldogs shock Kansas State as their miracle run continues
By David Woods, Indianapolis Star
Posted: March 28, 2010
SALT LAKE CITY -- Restrained and corporate-looking as he is, Brad Stevens finally let his guard down.
On the bus ride home from the airport a week ago, Butler's basketball team passed Lucas Oil Stadium. Wouldn't it be something, the coach told wife Tracy, if the Bulldogs played there in the Final Four?
"That hit a little bit," he said. "That was the first time I even thought about it."
Now, that's almost all anyone in Indianapolis will be thinking about. Home-grown Gordon Hayward, who led Brownsburg High School to a state title, has taken his act to a larger stage.
Hayward scored eight of his 22 points in the closing six minutes, and Butler knocked off Kansas State 63-56 Saturday in the NCAA West Regional final.
No. 5 seed Butler (32-4) will play in a national semifinal next Saturday against the winner of today's Midwest Regional final between Michigan State and Tennessee at St. Louis.
In running its winning streak to 24 and going farther in the NCAA Tournament than ever before, Butler became the smallest school (enrollment: 4,200) in the Final Four since seeding was introduced in 1979. Butler will be the first team to play in a Final Four in its home city since champion UCLA in 1972.
By the way, Butler is 15-0 in Indy.
"Our dreams definitely didn't stop at getting to the Final Four," said Hayward, voted outstanding player of the West Regional. "We want to win the whole thing."
The Bulldogs' defense was so suffocating that they held No. 1 seed Syracuse and No. 2 seed Kansas State (29-8) to season lows and a collective 46 points under their averages. Butler is 19-0 when holding opponents under 60 points, and Kansas State fell to 2-5 when scoring fewer than 70.
Wildcat guards Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen, who totaled 53 points in a Thursday's double-overtime win over Xavier, were limited to 32 on 11-of-30 shooting. Pullen, shadowed by an omnipresent Ronald Nored, scored 14 points -- 12 under his tourney average.
Hayward's nine rebounds led the outsized Bulldogs to a 41-29 edge in that category, compensating for 20 turnovers. Butler's Shelvin Mack scored 16 points and joined Hayward on the all-regional team.
SALT LAKE CITY -- Restrained and corporate-looking as he is, Brad Stevens finally let his guard down.
On the bus ride home from the airport a week ago, Butler's basketball team passed Lucas Oil Stadium. Wouldn't it be something, the coach told wife Tracy, if the Bulldogs played there in the Final Four?
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"That hit a little bit," he said. "That was the first time I even thought about it."
Now, that's almost all anyone in Indianapolis will be thinking about. Home-grown Gordon Hayward, who led Brownsburg High School to a state title, has taken his act to a larger stage.
Hayward scored eight of his 22 points in the closing six minutes, and Butler knocked off Kansas State 63-56 Saturday in the NCAA West Regional final.
No. 5 seed Butler (32-4) will play in a national semifinal next Saturday against the winner of today's Midwest Regional final between Michigan State and Tennessee at St. Louis.
In running its winning streak to 24 and going farther in the NCAA Tournament than ever before, Butler became the smallest school (enrollment: 4,200) in the Final Four since seeding was introduced in 1979. Butler will be the first team to play in a Final Four in its home city since champion UCLA in 1972.
By the way, Butler is 15-0 in Indy.
"Our dreams definitely didn't stop at getting to the Final Four," said Hayward, voted outstanding player of the West Regional. "We want to win the whole thing."
The Bulldogs' defense was so suffocating that they held No. 1 seed Syracuse and No. 2 seed Kansas State (29-8) to season lows and a collective 46 points under their averages. Butler is 19-0 when holding opponents under 60 points, and Kansas State fell to 2-5 when scoring fewer than 70.
Wildcat guards Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen, who totaled 53 points in a Thursday's double-overtime win over Xavier, were limited to 32 on 11-of-30 shooting. Pullen, shadowed by an omnipresent Ronald Nored, scored 14 points -- 12 under his tourney average.
Hayward's nine rebounds led the outsized Bulldogs to a 41-29 edge in that category, compensating for 20 turnovers. Butler's Shelvin Mack scored 16 points and joined Hayward on the all-regional team.
Although Butler often has been compared to the small-town Milan team that inspired the movie "Hoosiers," the Bulldogs have instead resembled the gritty racehorse from "Seabiscuit." In three tournament games, the Bulldogs lost leads in the closing minutes, only to thunder down the homestretch to finish first.
After leading by 11 points in the first half and 10 in the second, the Bulldogs fell behind 52-51 with less than five minutes left. They trailed for all of 35 seconds.
Clemente scored on a runner to tie it at 54. Then the Bulldogs secured the victory with a 9-0 run beginning with Hayward's layup off Nored's lob. Nored drove for a left-handed layup to make it 58-54 with 2:04 left, and Hayward's drive extended that to 60-54 with 62 seconds on the clock.
Kansas State coach Frank Martin said the Bulldogs "kicked our tails" and "annihilated us" on the glass.
"It's hard to be happy for someone when you lose," Martin said. "But I've got to think it's going to be a great, great week for Butler people and people in the city of Indianapolis to have one of their own in the Final Four."
One of the Bulldogs' unusual features is that three sophomores -- Hayward, Mack and Nored -- are starters and they lack the experience supposedly necessary for a mid-major to make a lengthy tourney run.
Yet national championships have been won by Butler before -- in an AAU Tournament in 1924 and a mythical one from 1929. There are banners at Hinkle Fieldhouse commemorating those titles.
It's a big place, though. There's plenty of room left to hang another.
If you don't believe it, Stevens said, you can't achieve it.
"This is a very special moment in our life," Mack said. "We all believed in each other."
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