Butler Basketball

Seven seconds remained and 34-year-old Brad Stevens, the head coach of the eighth-seeded Butler Bulldogs, called a timeout.

After both teams took the floor, the top-seeded Pittsburgh Panthers, which held a 69-68 lead, strategically did the same.

Little did they know the most improbable finish to a college basketball game would ensue.

What happened during the previous 39 minutes and 53 seconds was moot. The third-round battle had come down to this: the presumptive last possession, the chance to prolong a season.

Most NCAA tournament games tend to feature this situation. On Thursday it was Morehead State, Richmond, Kentucky, Temple and these same Butler Bulldogs.

The latter had the ball in the latest installment of March Madness, trying to keep their late-game magic going.

The livelihood of already-busted brackets was in the balance. Mine was already on life support, and a Pittsburgh loss would further diminish my chances of finishing respectably in my pool.

But that was thrown out of the window. The Panthers weren’t who I was rooting for. How could anyone, aside from diehard Pittsburgh fans? Butler was the team of the moment.

A year after reaching the championship game, they once again showed why this is their time of year. Stevens could have drawn up a play for guard Shelvin Mack or center Matt Howard, the team’s best players.

Instead, he brilliantly used them as decoys. Neither touched the ball.

Instead, senior guard Shawn Vanzant drove into the lane, watched the defense shrug off forward Andrew Smith and fix their eyes on him, then made an over-the-shoulder pass to Smith, who banked home a layup.

Butler led on this, the second basket by Smith. Only 2.2 seconds remained. The play was a thing of beauty. The same couldn’t be said for what followed.

What happened was unfortunate and incredibly bizarre. A desperation heave was all Pittsburgh had time for. The ball was thrown in the direction of Panthers forward Gilbert Brown, who sprinted fervently along the baseline, secured the ball and took two steps while being guarded closely by Mack. Too close, in fact.

Inexplicably aggressive defense led to the slightest nudge, the raise of the referee’s arm, and the blow of a whistle. A foul was called. Stevens, his Bulldogs, his team’s fans and the viewing audience were in utter bewilderment. Did that just happen?

As the referees checked if the clock was stopped correctly, Brown stood at the free-throw line. Mack faced him, as Howard said afterward, “asking where he was from and what his GPA was, stuff like that.”

The attempt to get inside the senior’s head didn’t work, as Brown drained the first to tie the game. But the second rimmed out and into the hands of Howard. That’s when Mack’s backside was saved by Nasir Robinson.

Robinson, a 6’5″ junior forward from Chester, Pa., who had 16 points at this juncture, upstaged Mack’s stupidity. As Howard snatched Brown’s heartbreaking miss, Robinson, like Mack, was far too aggressive defensively.

He hit Howard on the arm and Howard’s arms alertly flailed. Watching replay after replay, it appeared as if he was trying to foul. Why? Maybe he thought they were down, or maybe he knew they weren’t but just panicked.

Either way, it was a foul. There was no mistaking that.

Once more, everyone witnessing this turn of events was stunned. This couldn’t have just happened. But it did, and the Panthers would have to deal with what Mack and the Bulldogs went through seconds earlier.

With 0.9 seconds left, all Howard needed to do was, ideally, make the first free throw and intentionally miss the second. He accomplished this. No Bulldog was in the vicinity of the hoop when he attempted the latter, just to be safe.

Pittsburgh’s prayer that almost went in was thrown too late. The game was over. Butler had won.

Interviewed after, Stevens hated the way the game ended. He was sympathetic for Pittsburgh. I think everyone was in shock.

What had transpired in the final seconds was hard to believe. I can see one team committing a boneheaded play. But the other doing the exact same thing moments later? Unheard of.

With this scene, March Madness continued to amaze, confuse, excite and depress. And there’s no telling what’s going to happen next. What a wildly magnificent time of year this is.

It's really not over until it's over.

I'll never underestimate that cliche statement ever again.

Butler's third-round matchup with No. 1 seed Pittsburgh deceived audiences with a "clear" winner twice in the final seven seconds.

It was the wildest, most unexpected finale in the tournament thus far. Even Butler's coach Brad Stevens felt bad about how it ended, but fortunately for him, he found himself on the better side of an awkward deal.

Down by one, Butler had the ball with seven ticks remaining, and Andrew Smith laid in the go-ahead bucket with less than three on the clock.

It appeared Smith had put in the game-winner, but as Pitt's Gilbert Brown was driving down the sideline preparing for a desperation heave, Shelvin Mack ran into him, drawing an unthinkable foul.

Mack had scored 30 for the Bulldogs, but one bonehead play would erase the W that was all but chalked up on the blackboard. Mack stared blankly in unbelief at the crime he had just committed.

All Brown had to do was make both free throws to avoid the upset, right? Half the nation was probably writing in Pittsburgh in the next round of their brackets.

Brown made the first, but the second fell into the hands of Butler's Matt Howard who tried to throw up a full-court attempt with 0.8 left.

As Butler fans were leaving their seats in sadness, a ref's whistle was music to their ears. Nasir Robinson had fouled Howard, and he would go to the line for two.

Matt Howard sunk his second straight game-winner, but this time it came from the charity stripe. He missed the second foul shot, but it didn't matter.

Butler and Pitt traded incredibly idiotic mental mistakes in the final seven seconds. Shelvin Brown will sleep tonight, but Nasir Robinson will be haunted for a long time. However, Brown may be awake all night thanking God for the outcome.

I feel bad for both players, but you just can't do things like that at the end of the game.

But what a great game it was! One No. 1 seed down!

Butler's Gordon Hayward was inches away from being a March Madness legend in the 2010 Championship game.

His half-court, buzzer-beater shot banked off the glass and the front iron while thousands at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and millions around the world watched.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SB00wfyuQjY&feature=fvwrel

If this shot had gone in, it would have marked the first time that a 5-Seed won the NCAA Championship.

Hayward moved on from that game, entered the NBA Draft, and was selected as the ninth overall pick of the 2010 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz.

In the middle of his rookie season, Hayward is taking time to reconnect with this year's NCAA Tournament through a special deal with Subway Restaurants.

I talked today with the 20-year-old NBA forward about March Madness, 5-Seeds, and Subway's NCAA 5-Seed Deal.

This will be the first of three parts to this interview.

B/R: First off, tell me about your involvement with Subway.

GH: For this year's NCAA Tournament, I'm teaming up with Subway in "Meatball Madness."

To honor our Butler team making it to last year's title game as a No. 5 seed, if a No. 5 Seed wins it all this year, I am pledging to buy the $5 foot-long meatball pepperoni sub for 5,555 fans.

B/R: That's a sweet deal. I will be the first to take you up on that. By the way, what is your favorite Sub on the Menu?

GH: (without any hesitation) Turkey Provolone on Italian.

B/R: What makes the 5/12 matchups so interesting?

GH: Not really sure. Always very dangerous for the 5-Seeds. We were very glad to get past that opening game last year. 

B/R: How did you as a team enter into last year's tournament? Did you think it was possible to get anywhere close to the Championship Game?

GH: It didn't really start at the beginning of the tournament. It started the summer before the season. I kept telling my teammates, "This is our year." The Championship Game is being played here in Indy. I expect to be the champs! Twenty and 10 are my favorite numbers. It's our destiny.

B/R: What was the journey like getting to the Championship Game?

GH: After a big win against UTEP in the opening round, we had tough games the rest of the way. Close games against Murray State, Syracuse, Kansas State and Michigan State. We didn't have an easy road, that's for sure.

B/R: What did you think when you found out that Butler was going to play Duke for the 2010 Championship Game? A little scared?

GH: I wouldn't say we were scared at all. We respected them because they were a great team with a great tradition. But we came in confident that if we played our game, we had a chance to win it all.

B/R: Talk about "The Shot." What was going through your mind? What were you thinking?

GH: Really wasn't thinking about anything but get the rebound (from the Duke free throw) get down the court, and get a decent shot up. Really can't remember that I had anything on my mind. I've replayed it many times since then, but it's over. It's in the past.

Note: We will cover the rest of this interview in two additional parts in the next two days.

In those articles, you can hear what Gordon says about this year's 5/12 match-ups, his thoughts on the No. 1 Seeds and the 2011 Final Four.

We will also hear about his transition from college star to NBA rookie.

Bring on the 5-Seeds...and the Meatball Subs!

On Selection Sunday, 68 teams will hear their names announced on national television.  Some of these teams already know they will be participating in the NCAA tournament by virtue of winning their conference tournament, others know simply by finishing the year with worthy records or national rankings. 

The rest perch precariously on the bubble, attempting to play their way into the tournament during Championship Week.  The bubble teams hear about their invitations at the same time that the rest of the country does, and the selection show ends in heartbreak for some and jubilation for others.   

The real drama starts the following weekend, though, as Selection Sunday is just the precursor to the NCAA tournament. And for the sports fan, there is no better event than March Madness.  The tournament has it all: suspense, intrigue, heartache and happiness.  The first four days are all basketball all day long, and in the following weekends the games only get better.  And when the final buzzer sounds and the confetti falls, only one of those 68 teams, through some indomitable combination of luck and skill, gets to cut down the nets.   

American companies will lose millions of dollars and hours of productivity this month as employees surreptitiously update ESPN box scores on their computers or take long lunches that correspond with the tipoffs of big games.  Brackets are painstakingly filled out, and regardless of whether you fill yours out after hours of research or if you choose winners based on mascots or school color, the teams you pick instantly become your favorites.  Money is collected for pools, but even for the winners, the real prize is not the money but the yearlong bragging rights, and you can’t put a price on that. 

The great thing about the tournament is that all sorts of teams are invited to participate.  There are the perennial contenders like Kansas and Kentucky, North Carolina and Duke.  There are the no-names like Murray State and Belmont who end up in the tournament more often than not despite lacking the pedigree of the major conference teams.  And then, of course, there are the Cinderellas, the Butlers and George Masons that make devoted fans of us all. 

We never know who will take on the role of giant-killer when the first round begins, but invariably there is at least one, and they are the reason we love the tournament.  We watch March Madness to see the upsets, because it is the rarest of times that the little guys get the chance to take on the powerhouses, and sometimes they even pull off the impossible.  Their faith inspires us, their spirit is infectious, and their unabated enthusiasm reminds us why we watch and play sports.  

We don’t root for George Mason because we know where in the country it is located (Fairfax County, Virginia) or even who George Mason was (American revolutionary and founding father).  Most of us don’t know if they play a zone or man, if they are a half-court team or if they run every time they get the chance.  We root for them because we all love the underdogs, and the Big Dance gives the underdogs the opportunity to shine on a great stage.

2010 was a banner year for the underdogs, with only one No. 1 seed making the Final Four and little-known Butler University making it all the way to the championship.  Led by Gordon Hayward, the baby-faced forward with the skill set of a guard, and Brad Stevens, the brilliant but humble young coach who was mistaken for a team manager during the tournament, the Butler Bulldogs played their way into the hearts of college basketball fans across the country during their magical run that came one three-pointer short of a national championship.  Everyone outside of Durham, North Carolina was rooting for Hayward’s desperate last shot to fall as time expired, but, of course, it did not, and it was heavyweight Duke who hoisted the trophy. 

The underdog has won it all before (the 1985 Villanova Wildcats won the tournament as a No. 8 seed), and someday it will again.  Someday Northwestern, the only BCS school to never make the tournament, will go dancing.  Someday a team will make history as the first No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 seed.  Someday each of our beloved teams could make a deep run, and we’ll keep watching every March so we don’t miss it when they do. 

Dates:  March 1, 4-5, 8

Bracket: Horizon League

Sites:  The first round is hosted by higher-seeded teams while quarterfinal and semifinal action will take place at UW-Milwaukee.  The championship will be played on the campus of the highest remaining seed.

Television:  Semifinals on ESPNU; Championship on ESPN

Tourney Fact:  The Horizon league gives a double bye to its top two seeds.

Favorite:  Even though Butler (21-9, 13-5) is the No. 2 seed in this tournament, it's hard to pick against a team with this much postseason experience.  The Bulldogs have reeled off seven wins in a row to end the regular season and seem to have things figured out.  Look for Matt Howard and Company to fight their way back into the NCAA tournament.

Best of the Rest:  UW-Milwaukee (18-12, 13-5) and Cleveland St. (24-6, 13-5) shared the Horizon League title with Butler and will look to supplant the Bulldogs as conference tournament champions.  UW-Milwaukee swept Butler during the regular season and—as the conference host—can’t be ignored.  Cleveland St. has struggled heading into the postseason, dropping four of its last seven.  However, Norris Cole has the ability to carry the Vikings to the title.

Sleeper:  Don’t be surprised if you see Detroit (16-15, 10-8) sneak into the semifinals.  The Titans have been playing better basketball as of late.  This is a young, talented team lead by Ray McCallum Jr. that will play hard with nothing to lose.

Also, check out Conference Tourney Breakdown: The Big South Conference

At the time, it seemed like a great opportunity for head coach Brad Stevens and the Butler basketball program. They were given the chance to again face the team that just barely beat them to win the 2010 National Championship. 

Butler would get to face Duke in December on a neutral court in Newark, NJ.  It was a game—and location—that the program could not possibly have access to prior to their Final Four run in Indianapolis.

What was the only obstacle in order to make the Duke game happen?  It was a simple rescheduling of a game already on their schedule—against Horizon league rival Illinois-Chicago. 

When did the game get rescheduled to?  February 19, the same weekend that Bracket Busters happens to fall on.

It was a very sensible decision—from both a financial and program-building standpoint—at the time.  Taking the Duke game was a must for the Butler team and program. 

Ideally, the game with UIC would not have to be moved to Bracket Buster weekend, but finding mutual open weeks/weekends in college basketball is very difficult.

As a result, Butler will be forced to miss out on the Bracket Buster game.  It comes at a least opportune time—when the Bulldogs are clinging to their NCAA at-large lives.

Butler is currently 19-9 overall, and 11-5 in the Horizon League.  They are tied with Milwaukee—a team who beat them twice this season—for third place. 

Normally, five losses in the Horizon would completely destroy a team’s at-large chances.  It just about did for Butler as well.  Their fifth loss came to Youngstown State—who has won just seven other games all season.

However, Butler followed that horrible loss with an impressive win at Cleveland State—at 23-5, the league’s most viable at-large candidate.  That win began the Bulldogs’ current five-game winning streak and gives them a fighting chance to back their way in to the NCAA tournament.

Butler’s non-conference schedule was very challenging, thanks in part to the Duke game mentioned above.  They lost that game, as well as on the road against Louisville and Xavier—two surefire tournament teams.  A loss at home to Evansville seemed catastrophic at the time, but they have been a .500 team in the Missouri Valley, which is respectable.

Most of Butler’s profile strength comes from their three days in Hawaii at the Diamond Head Classic in December.  The Bulldogs beat Utah, Florida State and Washington State to win the tournament and give them some quality wins to present to the selection committee.

While those non-conference wins are solid, they could still use another one to give themselves that additional late season boost that the selection committee values.

Even though they were struggling (14-8 overall, 6-4) at the time the matchups were announced on January 31, Butler would still have likely been given a quality opponent for television appeal.  

Northern Iowa or Wichita State would have been possibilities, since they were slated to play home games and Butler was slated to play on the road after hosting Siena last year.  Playing—and winning—at Wichita State would have been an enormous boost to the Bulldogs’ tournament profile.

Other outside possibilities would have included playing at Old Dominion or Charleston.  Beating either of those teams—ODU in particular—would have also been a significant boost for Butler.

Unfortunately for Butler—and for mid-major followers around the nation—they will not be seen in a Bracket Buster game on ESPN this weekend.  The exposure hit can be withstood, especially given the Bulldogs’ rise to Gonzaga-like status. 

However, the hit that Butler will take on improving their chances to return to the NCAA tournament—where they had such outstanding success last year—may be felt around Indianapolis until next season.

Information on the Butler-Duke matchup and rescheduling with Illinois-Chicago from Chris Littman, SBnation.com

It was easy to write off Butler after their early losses and poor performances, but there was always something nagging in the back of my mind telling me they'd be back.

They are.

Last year started this way as well with losses to Minnesota, Clemson, Georgetown and UAB, but we all know how that season ended for them.

Playing good teams doesn't automatically make a team better, but for them, it does. Brad Stevens makes sure Butler is tested early and for right reasons. Yes, he's young, but he is definitely a top-15 coach throughout the nation in teaching his team and having them prepared.

Losing to Xavier and Evansville were definitely disappointing for him, but they didn't just forget about the loss and move on. Stevens used it as a tool to make his team better.

"The bottom line is that we're a pretty good basketball team that has its moments...It's more about coming to work everyday and figuring out what we can get better at," Stevens told NCAAB Fanhouse.

All of their games in Hawaii backed this up. They dodged a battle against the ranked opponent in Baylor because they were upset by Washington State, but Butler did defeat Florida State and Washington State, too.

If basketball scouts lined up Butler's five starters and Florida State's five starters, Florida State's five would be the first team picked. They have the looks of the athletic, jump out of the gym type of play, like many NCAA teams do around the country.

The difference between those teams and Butler is the way they play, "The Butler Way," if you will. I'm not going to sit here and blow steam about how the "Butler Way" is better than everyone else's playing style, but the results don't lie.

They play physical, they play smart and they don't beat themselves.

The Bulldogs just finished their non-conference schedule at 8-4, but have two conference wins already. They learned from their losses, and should roll through the Horizon League again this year, perhaps maybe a loss here and there.

However, this will be a team to be reckoned with again come tournament time.

"I'm not concerned at all with our start," Stevens said. "If you start 10-0, you're always worried about the next opponent. If you're 6-4, you're always worried about the next opponent. It really doesn't matter. I'm not focused on the final results of the game as much as I'm focused on getting our team better." (NCAAB Fanhouse)

Posted at www.sportshaze.com Check it out!

This week of college basketball, as usual, put mid-majors on the back-burner while elite schools took center stage. The following is my first mid-major weekly update, which should fill you in on the latest mid-major news.

Team of the Week: Butler

After stumbling to a 4-4 start, the Bulldogs won five games in a row, including three this week. Butler made the most of its appearance in the Diamond Head Classic, knocking off Utah, Florida State and Washington State, who brought a 10-1 record to the tournament's championship. 

As usual, Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard played essential roles in each of the Bulldogs' three games. Mack averaged 16.6 points while Howard scored 18.6 points and collected 8.6 rebounds per game.

Because of its run to the NCAA Championship last season, Butler entered 2010-11 with high expectations even though Gordon Hayward and other instrumental players had graduated. Therefore, the Bulldogs' humbling start shocked many.

However, this team clearly isn't the same without Hayward, Willie Veasley, and Avery Jukes. It takes time to mold into a cohesive unit after three crucial players leave the system, so losing to teams like Louisville, Duke and Xavier early shouldn't be used as evidence that the Bulldogs can no longer compete with top teams. 

This week was vital to Butler's resume and confidence entering Horizon League play. The Bulldogs needed a 3-0 week, and they got it, beating two potential tournament teams along the way.

Team of the Week Runner-Up: Northern Iowa

Northern Iowa improved its record to 9-3 with two wins in the Las Vegas Classic this week. The Panthers, whose best win had been a defeat of Iowa State, capitalized on its resume-building opportunities, beating Indiana and New Mexico. 

Although Ben Jacobson graduated three of his best players, he still has a team that will compete for the MVC title.

Player of the Week: Denzel Bowles, Sr., James Madison

Against an 8-3 Marshall team, Bowles led James Madison to an 80-73 victory with 34 points and 13 rebounds in the Duke's only game of the week. The senior power forward converted 13 of 21 field goals and eight of 10 free throws.

Mid-Major Battle of the Week: Austin Peay 86, Morehead State 85 OT

When choosing the game of the week, it's hard to argue against this one, which featured 30 lead changes, 11 ties, a buzzer-beating three at the end of regulation, and a buzzer-beating, game-winning layup in overtime.

The Governors of Austin Peay improved to 4-0 in the OVC while sending Kenneth Faried and the Eagles of Morehead State home with a 2-2 record.

Perhaps the OVC will be a three-team race?

Upset of the Week: Jacksonville 71, No. 20 Florida 68 OT

On Monday, Jacksonville defeated No. 20 Florida in Gainesville. Jacksonville is off to a 7-3 start, with two wins against Big-Six schools.

Other Important Things from the Week

Devin Gibson of Texas-San Antonio notched a triple-double against Samford on Monday. The senior guard scored 17 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and dished 12 assists.

Gonzaga bounced back from its three-game skid with three consecutive wins. After beating Baylor a week ago, the Bulldogs downed Xavier this week. 

All six winless teams took the floor this week; all six will hit the hardwood without a win next week. UMBC, Colgate, Centenary, Alcorn State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and UNC Greensboro will hope Christmas comes late. Not too late, though.

From the Web

Hofstra's Charles Jenkins graduated last Sunday. Diploma, not ball, comes first for Jenkins, writes ESPN New York's Kieran Darcy.

Elton Alexander reports that Bob Huggins was impressed by Cleveland State in the Vikings' loss to West Virginia.

Butler hopes to reap benefits from its early season challenges, writes David Woods.

Northern Illinois' DeMarcus Grady gets a second chance at pursuing his first love, writes Steve Nitz.

Kevin Winters Morriss raises the issue of how recruiting budgets determine coaches' options.

Joe Lunardi "redefines" the term "mid-major," and I agree (for the most part) with his argument.

For more mid-major basketball, follow me on Twitter.

Returning from last year's magical Final Four run, the Butler coaches, team and fans hoped that maybe, just maybe, this year's team had it in them to make some more noise on the national stage.

That confidence, which was rightfully earned, allowed them to go out and schedule tough games like at Louisville, Duke on a neutral site, at Xavier and Stanford at home.

However, this team doesn't seem like it can take on that tough schedule the Butler front office has put ahead of them. Maybe last year's team could, but this is definitely not last year's team.

The first time everybody saw that was November 16 when they traveled to the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville to take on the Cardinals.

Now, I'm not taking anything away from how good the Cardinals are, how tough it is to play in that stadium, or anything like that. On the other hand, there was a lot that let us know that the 2010-2011 Butler basketball team cannot compete with last year's team.

For one, the 88 points the Cardinals put up was unheard of by Butler last year. They marched all the way through the NCAA Tournament by only allowing one team to score 60 or above (Duke scored 61 in the championship).

Even last year when they were losing early in the season, no opponent ever scored that many points.

Another aspect of the game to take away was the loss of Gordon Hayward. Sure, he wasn't their only scorer last year, but he was critical.

There were times in the Louisville game where Butler went through periods of time where they could not get the ball in the basket. Players like Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard have had plenty of time to become those type of scorers, but replacing a guy like Hayward to bail the Bulldogs out of tough situations is going to be hard.

Even players like Ronald Nored and Zach Hahn have chances to become that player on this year's team, but have a lot of work to do.

In all, I just don't see them being able to accomplish that much. This year's offense, defense and swagger is all different. They don't walk on the court knowing they're going to win this year. After the loss to Louisville, there's been doubt going through the team and it's showing up on the court.

Of course, the game this Saturday will give the Bulldogs another chance to prove themselves against No. 1 ranked Duke, but with a great new player in Kyrie Irving coming in to play a team with a lot of issues, I don't see Butler coming within 15 points of the Blue Devils.

So, like I said, Butler has plenty of holes to fill, but Brad Stevens has shown he can do that. Expectations to return to the Final Four at the beginning of the season were way out of proportion; this team isn't capable of that. However, they do have the talent to win the Horizon League Conference and move onto the second round or maybe even Sweet 16 come tournament time.