Butler Basketball

From Jon “I smile a lot” Gruden to Lane “I sell my house more frequently than a mobster” Kiffin, the sports world has definitely seen its fair share of young coaches on the big stage.

Even so, I don’t think anything could have prepared us for the newest kid on the block.

Win or lose, Butler head coach Brad Stevens will make history tomorrow night. The 19-year-old is the youngest man (or boy) to lead a team to the NCAA championship since…ever.

All in all, Stevens doesn’t seem to be disturbed by the copious news coverage regarding his age.

Said Stevens, “Does being young enough to be Coach K’s grandson bother me? Nope. In many ways, I thrive on it.”

In an exclusive interview held at the local Chuck E. Cheese, Stevens talked about the advantages of his youth.

“I could connect with the players much better,” said Stevens. “My mouth is like a rap sheet. Not only do I know every song played on our warm-up track, but I could also spit mad beats. I don’t even have to do a pep talk half the time. Usually I just throw an inspiring rap lyric at them, and they’re raring to go.”

Since taking over the head coaching reins in 2007, Stevens has made the most of his unique circumstance. In his first three seasons at the helm, the college sophomore has led his team to three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.

 In 2009, the juvenile genius was awarded the Hugh Durham Mid-Major coach of the year award. Most impressively, he boasts a .864 career win percentage.

“When your team isn’t called the Pittsburgh Pirates, anything is possible.”  

Touché, Mr. Stevens.

Coming into the NCAA tournament as a No. 5 seed, Butler has definitely made the most of its NCAA tournament experience.  

“I mean, nobody expected us to make it this far,” said 12-year-old star forward Gordon Heyward. “Picking us past the Elite Eight would be almost as crazy as watching the Disney channel over Nickelodeon.”

Though Stevens may be feeling rough, raw, and in the time of his life, being a 19-year-old coach definitely has its disadvantages.

“Yea, I almost got in some pretty big trouble the other night,” said a swaggering Stevens. “After the win against Kansas State, me and my boys decided to hit up the bars and celebrate. I got a little bit too drunk, and the bartender noticed. Then he realized I was using a fake ID. He threatened to arrest me, but luckily Matt Howard talked him out of it. And when I say talked, he just gave him a big ‘ol bear hug. How could anyone ever resist one of those?”

Butler will have its hands full tomorrow against a formidable Duke squad, who handily defeated a very talented West Virginia squad to reach the championship game.

“They’re good,” said Stevens. “We’re going to have to play with a lot of heart to even have a chance. Instead of practice, I’m going to have a team viewing of Superbad . If that doesn’t inspire the team, I don’t think anything will.”

Stevens knows what’s at stake. With a win tomorrow, his team will be immortalized forever on one of those “One Shining Moment” videos.

Said Stevens, “Basketball comes down to a series of moments. The trick is to make every moment count."

Will Stevens and company capture it, or just let it slip?

INDIANAPOLIS— After Butler beat Michigan State, the Bulldogs looked like they each got in a fight with their mascot that watched on from the sideline.

As Butler guard Ronald Nored said, "Everyone had scratches and bruises."

Star forward Gordon Hayward's shin was all bloodied up to match a beauty of a fat lip.

"It's a good thing I was wearing a mouth piece," Hayward said jokingly.

Shelvin Mack cramped up all game, while Matt Howard dealt with a mild concussion suffered during a collision fighting for the ball (which Butler got).

But when you're center who is only 6'8'' is in perpetual foul trouble, the small, scrappy lineup Brad Stevens puts on the floor must be physical to win.

According to Butler players, their offensive system begs opponents to bloody them up.

"It's in the system; we take good shots and we attack the basket," forward Avery Jukes said. "[Free throws] are better shots than long range shots."

Michigan State fouled Butler early and often.

The Bulldogs ended up shooting a free throw for every two field goal attempts Saturday night, a ratio slightly better than their season average.

Oh, and their season average is 15th in the country. Not bad for the 295th tallest team in America.

That "let 'em beat you up" mentality came as a product of non-conference season.

Last year, Butler didn't challenge itself too much out of league and suffered an opening round lost to a much longer and athletic LSU team.

This year, Stevens scheduled six major conference teams (seven if you include annual mid-major powerhouse Xavier) and it has paid dividends.

"It's done wonders for us," Will Veasley said. "We are more prepared for them."

The last three games, Butler has dealt with three very good offensive rebounding teams that hail from major conferences.

Syracuse, Kansas State, and Michigan State came into their games against Butler grabbing 37.6, 40.4 and 39.7 percent of their misses respectively, which was good for 29th, 4th and 8th in the country.

Syracuse, K-State, and MSU pulled in a mere 29.2, 28.9 and 25 percent of their misses.

That trend must continue in the championship game against Duke.

The Blue Devils rank sixth in the country in offensive rebounding percentage and feature a seven footer, Brian Zoubek, who is the nation's best offensive rebounder.

If the Bulldogs force Zoubek, a member of the frequent fouler club, to bloody Butler up, then Butler might be able to win a championship.

And if the Bulldogs win a championship, you can expect two things from Gordon Hayward: He'll be a lottery pick and his first endorsement contract will be representing his mouth guard of choice.

For more updates on college basketball, follow @JamesonFleming on twitter. He's in Indianapolis covering the Final Four for Bleacher Report.

It’s almost a cliché the way the Butler Bulldogs persist in writing a cinematic script in its hometown, before its feverish hometown crowd sitting in the stands.

Fans are almost awaiting a beautiful movie, not to only top the box offices, but to outline an unimaginable pipe dream in the NCAA tourney. No feel-good story in college hoops seems as heartwarming and tasteful, a sentimental perspective that has glorified the smallest institution in the smallest town.

Whenever a team is fortunate to play in a neutral site 17 minutes away from its campus, it’s a privilege every team wishes, yet it sometimes draws a ruckus being close to home where thousands of hometown faithful come to root and heightens pressure. But in this instant, the Bulldogs wonderful movie wasn’t stripped. Sure enough, it’s the best basketball program in the nation, representing a berated Horizon League.

Most basketball fans discounted the rebirth of a Hoosiers tale a long time ago, describing Butler as a soft-minded, undersized and ill-defensive program. One win away from winning the national title, a notion that the Bulldogs can win it all is immense, unlike when the nation denied acknowledging a tough-minded, humbled, and classy team.

This is more than a basketball miracle, and honestly it’s a powerful school meeting tournament qualifications that was overlooked for representing a smaller conference. Living with the concept that Butler is a team with little notability, people have neglected its talented and vibrant nucleus. It’s surely a team that merits attention, strictly for its toughness, unity, and chemistry.

For the entire tournament, the Bulldogs have been vicious by sharing the ball unselfishly and intensifying defensive toughness. For now, Butler owns the Hoosier State, outlasting its interstate foes as a menace in the national landscape. Indiana was fried a long time ago, diminishing ever since Kelvin Sampson cast hideous stains for his infractions against NCAA rules. In other locations, Notre Dame fell early and Purdue almost survived without their star forward Robbie Hummel.

It’s obvious Butler is the hottest team in the country, with its physical intensity and mental toughness. If nobody believes in the Bulldogs after tonight, then what is there to believe in? It’s difficult to put anything past a much-confident and scorching program, merely seven miles from 4,500 students who are enrolled on the smallest campus.

For years to come, we’ll reminisce about a Cinderella that really isn’t a Cinderella. Our country is glancing at a legit program, provoking the odds of an unpredictable tourney. Whatever people believe, it’s a core of heavyweights that suddenly cannot lose a game, and has been unbeaten for a very long time now, extending its incredible streak to 25 straight wins.

Yes, the Bulldogs are victorious again, after knocking off Michigan State in a tense and close 52-50 win at the Final Four to advance to the national championship game Monday night. In the stands, thousands sounded with loud shouts, overjoyed with the improbable defeat and in all likelihood a Hoosiers sequel. Years ago, Butler was mired in mediocrity, fearless and undermined. Years ago, it never made it to a national championship game. Years ago, it never had this much popularity. But lately, it has emerged as bracket-killers and a real basketball powerhouse.

The emergence of Butler ultimately reveals much about an elite program, with more than enough star power to survive as they ease closer to a championship. This isn’t seen every day. Rarely does someone from the Horizon League defy logic and transcends near the very top. But admittedly, it appears anything is possible and promising in the NCAA tourney, even though the Bulldogs aren’t anywhere near George Mason or Davidson.

For all the thrills and buzz surrounding Butler, it’s time we wake up to realize it can win the entire tournament. Assuming that a journey has erupted reliance, it’s virtually hard dismissing a relentless team with humbleness and faith. This team has been fortunate, flawless scoring points on turnovers and shooting threes effectively.

For years, we’ve been stunned by the wildness and politics, not grasping an understanding that mystique among topflight schools degenerates during a rebuilding or competitive juncture. Is that why the Bulldogs are good? Partly. Is it because competition is steeper or because of weakened programs? In this case, the Bulldogs are really good, but weren’t recognized until reaching the grandest stage.

Thus the ultimate goal is to win. 33-year-old Brad Stevens is a young coach and could be mistaken as a teenager. Yet everyone also knows only one coach has won the national title in his first appearance in the last 10 years. That doesn’t say Stevens becomes the next one to be victimized. If the Bulldogs stick to fundamentals, like containing leads, finding ways to score, and protecting the ball, Stevens will add to a historic resume.

Somehow the Bulldogs survive in the final minutes of a game, never quitting and staying poised. Somehow the Bulldogs wrote another script, hitting just one field goal in the final 12:18, while shooting under 31 percent in the game. This time, they were bailed out as they rose on defense and relied on solid free throw shooting. As we’ve seen recently, Butler scored 20 points off 16 Michigan State turnovers—an abnormal trait out of Tom Izzo’s Spartans.

That’s how badly they missed the star guard and leader Kalin Lucas, who was sidelined with a torn Achilles.  On this night, you could’ve predicted the Spartans to win, having a fundamentally sound unit in Durrell Summers, Korie Lucious, and Draymond Green, but the turnovers hurt a chance at redemption after falling short a year ago in the national championship game.

This year, the one shining moment goes to the Butler Bulldogs. Maybe it’s a nice movie after all, with Gordon Hayward leading the Bulldogs with 19 points as sharpshooting guard Shelvin Mack nailed mid-range jump shots and threes.

Mack finished with 14 points, but from his body language you could see he was exhausted and suffering from dehydration. But still he drained critical shots to uplift a miracle. When Hayward started connecting on huge shots, it changed the momentum and gave the Bulldogs a cushion. But no play was bigger than when he flew and sliced by traffic, grabbing his ninth rebound on Lucious’ intentional missed free throw as time expired.

With Matt Howard in foul trouble and Mack dehydrated, Hayward took control and guided the Bulldogs to the biggest game in school history. In an ugly game, Butler took advantage and had its way with the basketball. From poor shooting, to clumsy fouls, to turnovers, they secured the gratifying win at home and celebrated and trotted to the locker room happier than ever.

I deeply believe there’s a movie in the makings.

For years the gold standard for mid-majors was Gonzaga.  Every team wanted to be the next Cinderella and build a national program out of a couple of deep March runs.  The Butler Bulldogs have now done something Gonzaga has never done: break through to the final four. By doing so, they have become the new role model for all mid-majors. 

So what can mid-majors learn from Butler and position themselves to be the next Cinderella story in the big dance?

It Is All About the Coach

In the college game players come and go every year, but coaching can stay consistent year after year.  Before Brad Stevens took over the Bulldogs, it was recently-fired Iowa  coach Todd Lickliter running the show. 

Before that it was Xavier coach Thad Matta. Even when the team had to make a coaching change, they brought in another excellent young coach to run the show. The lesson here: even when a power conference school swoops in and takes your coach, the right hire can make all the difference.

The Conference Does Not Matter

The Horizon League is a good but not great mid-major conference.  This season it finished as the 14th rated conference in RPI and only sent one other team to a postseason tournament. 

Besides playing Siena in a Bracket-buster match up in February, Butler hadn't played a tournament team since December 19. Is the level of play in the Horizon any better than that of the MAC, or WAC, or CAA? The lesson here: If you are a good team it doesn't matter who you play, it is how you play.

It's All About the Team

This year's Butler team has some outstanding players in Gordon Hayword, Matt Howard, and Shelvin Mack among others, but Butler doesn't have any players that would be a superstar on any of the other three teams remaining. 

They get by on teamwork, sharing the basketball, and excellent defense.  These things can be found on any well coached team across the country regardless of level of play.  The lesson here: You need great players, but above that you need great teamwork to advance in March.

You Have To Get Lucky

Murray State led against Butler in the second round of the tournament with under 30 seconds to go. Would the Bulldogs still be here had Murray State hit their last second attempt and sent the game to overtime?

Any good tournament run requires a bit of luck (Michigan State barely got by New Mexico State in Round 1, with the help of a late lane violation call) and Butler has been on the wrong side of it before (Remember Mike Miller in 2000?).

So many things have to line up for a deep run: a good draw, a couple of lucky bounces, the opponent having to play the occasional double OT game the round before.  This is to take nothing away from Butler, but everyone needs a little luck to get far in the tournament. The lesson here: Sometimes it's up to fate.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I am sick of listening to people talk about how the movie Hoosiers is similar to Butler's run to the Final Four. 

I mean the comparison is not hard to make. You are not a genius. 

Yes, they are a mid-major school playing for a chance at a national championship. Yes, their home court was the set for the filming of the movie. And yes, if they win, it would be Hollywood material. 

That doesn't change the fact that I am sick of hearing about the similarities. 

According to a google news search of the world "Hoosiers," there are 2,165 articles relating them to Butler. 

And counting. 

I think one thing that people are overlooking is the fact that Butler really isn't an underdog. 

They were ranked 10th coming into the season. They have won 24 straight games, dating back to Dec. 22, 2009. They play in Indiana, which is basketball country, so finding at least decent recruits shouldn't be too hard.

They have been to the tournament 10 times, including 9 times in the past 13 years, and all of the last four. This isn't all that out of the blue. We should also mention that Butler has played a 12 and 13 during this tournament...I'm just saying. 

I am sick of Butler being this Hoosier team, and I think that they are sick of it too. They are the Bulldogs, and they are looking to make their own magic. So shut up about the dang movie, and let history take its course this weekend.

Just watch out, if they win, God only knows how many more Hoosier stories Butler will be part of.   

By now, you have heard almost every imaginable compare and contrast cliche pertaining to the 2010 Butler Bulldogs and the 1951 Hickory Huskers (or the real life 1954 Milan High School equivalent).

Heck, I am sick of the comparisons, and I own “Hoosiers” on VHS, DVD, and Blue Ray!

Yet, there are only a few similarities between these two phenomenal, albeit very different stories, that are even worth mentioning.

The local and national media picked up on the premise that Butler is a small Indiana school (4,000+ enrollment), plays in Hinkle Fieldhouse (the same venue where “Hoosiers” was filmed and Milan won its State Championship), and seemingly came out of no where to make it to the semifinals, beating bigger schools along the way.

It took Butler making the 2010  Final Four in Indianapolis to bring “Hoosier Hysteria” back to the once-proud tradition of Indiana basketball.

Truth is, the Butler Bulldogs have been on the verge of this kind of success over the past 10 years, but few people in Indianapolis or the country took notice.

The severed ties between Indiana and its love for basketball can be traced back to the late '90s.

After the 1997 Indiana State Championship, the IHSAA did away with single-class basketball and implemented a class system, which divided the tournament into four sections based on school enrollment , thus ensuring there would never be a small school like Milan winning a “true” state championship.

This decision was met with controversy by traditionalists and it’s widely accepted that high school basketball in Indiana is not as popular as it once was.

The power shift in fans from the Indiana Pacers to the Indianapolis Colts have also taken a toll on basketball support with the retirement of Reggie and the emergence of Peyton.

The quarterback from the University of Tennessee has entrenched the Colts as a yearly Super Bowl contender, while Larry Legend has turned a once proud NBA team into a franchise that offers “College Night” discounts at every other game. The fans that do show up secretly hope the Pacers lose in order to better their Draft Lottery odds.

There’s no reason to blame the  infamous brawl in Detroit or the “thug” reputation the Pacers were given from 2004-2007 for the lack of passion the fans currently have. The Pacers have gotten rid of every player from those teams, with little off the court problems since.

There is only one reason fans in Indianapolis choose to follow a team: winning.

The city only cares to support the teams during the good times. When the Pacers were good, few cared about the Colts. Now it’s vice-versa.

Hoosiers might be the worst “Bandwagon fans” in America. The Butler story is proof.

In terms of college basketball throughout Indiana history, Butler was always on the outside looking in. With imposing figures like Bob Knight and the tradition-rich Indiana University, Gene Keady and the success he brought to Purdue University, and even the relative success of Notre Dame, it is easy to understand why the Indianapolis private school was forgotten.

Forgotten, but not gone.

The Butler Bulldogs achieved their greatest success prior to NCAA Tournament development.

In 1924 they won the AAU National Championship with coach Harlan Page and in 1929 were given the John J. McDevitt Trophy (national title) under coach Tony Hinkle.

The NCAA Tournament began in 1939 and it wasn’t until 1962 that Butler made its first appearance under Hinkle, who stayed on until 1970. Hinkle coached Butler from 1926-1970, only missing time to serve in the Navy during WW II.

I can see why they named the Fieldhouse after him.

It wasn’t until 1997 that coach Barry Collier led the Bulldogs to a second “Big Dance” appearance. BU went on to make March appearances three of the next four years under Collier, highlighted in 2000 by the narrow loss to eventual runner-up Florida, on a Mike Miller buzzer beater.

The following year, Collier left for the head coaching job at Nebraska and top assistant Thad Matta took over.

Around this same time, Bob Knight’s tenure at IU was over and Gene Keady was nearing the end of his reign in West Lafayette.

In 2001, Matta led the No. 10 seeded Bulldogs to its first NCAA victory in almost 40 years when  they knocked off Wake Forest in the first round, before falling to eventual runner-up Arizona in the second round.

After only one season, Matta left Butler for the Xavier coaching vacancy and was replaced by his top assistant, Todd Lickliter.

From 2002-2007, the Lickliter led Bulldogs made two Sweet 16 appearances and in 2006 Collier returned as Butler Athletic Director. After the Bulldogs lost to eventual 2007 champion Florida in the Sweet 16, a game in which they played the Gators close, Lickliter left for the Iowa job.

Once again, the University did not have to look far to find the next.

Brad Stevens worked at Indianapolis pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly until 2000, when he quit to become a volunteer coach at Butler. Under Matta, Stevens worked his way up to coordinator of basketball operations. When Lickliter took over as head coach, he promoted Stevens to assistant coach, where he would take part in skills instruction, game preparation, in-game coaching, and recruiting.

When Lickliter left for Iowa, AD Barry Collier promoted Stevens to the head coaching position.

In the 2007-2008 season, Stevens first, Butler finished the year 30-4, losing to No. 2 seed Tennessee 76-71 in the second round of the Tournament.

The 2008-2009 season saw Butler enter postseason play with a 26-5 record, but falling to LSU 75-71 in the No. 8 vs. No. 9 game.

With the Bulldogs bringing back talented sophomores Gordon Hayward, Shelvin Mack, and Ronald Nored, to go along with junior Matt Howard, they entered the 2009-2010 season as a top No. 12 team.

The Butler Bulldogs have been preparing for a kind of run like this for years. Over the last decade, they have put together incredible regular season records, only to have some bad luck in the NCAA Tournament. However, those losses in March came against the likes of Arizona, Oklahoma, Florida, Tennessee, and LSU.

Hardly a list to be embarrassed about, considering basketball power Kansas has lost to Bucknell, Bradley, and Northern Iowa during that same time frame.

This season, Butler put together a non-conference schedule that has ultimately paid dividends to their success in March. Some of the power conference teams like to beat up on borderline Division II opponents  doing the early season. Not Butler. They played the likes of Davidson, Northwestern, Minnesota, UCLA, Clemson, Georgetown, Xavier, and UAB.

Over the last three years, the “baby-faced” coach has led the Bulldogs to an impressive 88-14 record, entering today’s Final Four.

The Butler Bulldogs will be playing in their home city,  with new support from fans that should have been there for them all along.

During games this January, Hinkle Fieldhouse (with a capacity of 11,000) saw games where attendance was 6,754, 6,151, and 5,383.

These numbers are embarrassing for a city and state that prides itself on basketball “Hysteria.”

Butler plays basketball the right way, are well coached, and play in one of the great historical venues to watch a college basketball game.

It is a shame it took the city of Indianapolis THIS long to figure that out.

Not me, I have been singing the “Butler War Song” since going to Barry Collier Basketball Camp back in the day and have always enjoyed going to games at the Fieldhouse, only Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence trumps as greatest college basketball game experience.

At a public practice yesterday for the Final Four, Butler drew 25,000 fans. Where were these same fans in January?

Butler will be the sentimental favorite to win the Final Four for fans outside of the other three teams, and will have the city of Indianapolis behind it. Even though a lot of them are bandwagon fans, who would give you a glazed stare if you asked them who Brandon Miller, Darnell Archey, Joel Cornette, A.J. Graves, or Pete Campbell are.

I can’t see Mack or Hayward saying “Let’s win this one for all the small schools, who never had a chance to get here.” Butler has been working toward this for a long time.

It is the “Butler Way” and you could argue that the 2010 NCAA Tournament run is one of the most surprising stories in March history.

The truth is, Butler has been doing it for years—you just didn’t notice.

The Final Four is back in Indianapolis, the city that hosts it the best. A scan down the teams' rosters finds quite a few natives of the Hoosier State, but, unlike football, most of the teams get their players from out of state.

Duke , located in Durham, NC, has just two players from the Tar Heel state (Blue Devil fans just cringed reading that description). One is sitting out this year after transferring (Seth Curry), and the other is a little-used freshman named Mike Kelly.

The Blue Devils big three hail from all over: Northbrook, IL, Medford, OR, and Upper Marlboro, MD. The Plumlees are from Indiana, about two hours from Indy, and Brian Zoubek is from New Jersey. It remains to be seen whether Big Z will appear on Jersey Shore this Summer.

For all the fanfare Michigan State got playing in front of a home crowd in Detroit last year, most of their top players were from Ohio. This year the Spartans have a distinct Michigan feel with top players Kalin Lucas (injured), Draymond Green, and Durrell Summers all playing in their home state.

But Tom Izzo has gone to six Final Fours in 10 years, and has done so mostly without McDonald's All-Americans—especially as of late—having gone four straight seasons without one.

As one would expect, Bob Huggins is not recruiting a whole lot of in-state talent to West Virginia. In fact, the only Mountaineer on the roster is little-used Cam Payne, who averages 2.5 minutes per game.

The Mountaineers have hit up the fertile recruiting grounds of New York City, bringing Devin Ebanks and Da'Sean Butler from the Big Apple. Kevin Jones hails from Mount Vernon, NY, and Joe Mazulla is from Rhode Island.

Jerry West, the University's most famous alum, is a native of the state, and his son Jonnie plays on the team.

The hometown team, Butler , whose Hinkle Fieldhouse played host to the famous high school basketball game that spawned the movie Hoosiers, is just six miles from Lucas Oil Stadium, site of the 2010 Final Four.

The Bulldogs are a small, private school, and are making their first Final Four appearance in their hometown. They have a distinct Hoosier flavor, with 10 players from Indiana. Star Gordon Hayward hails from Brownsburg, and starter Matt Howard is from Connersville.

Brad Stevens' club possesses no McDonald's All-Americans, but did somehow manage to keep the talented Hayward away from Purdue and Indiana, and plucked Shelvin Mack out of Lexington, Kentucky.

By State Count:

Indiana: 12

Michigan: 8

New Jersey: 5

Ohio: 4

New York: 4

Pennsylvania: 3

Georgia: 3

Maryland: 2

Illinois: 2

13 states with 1 player

This article is also featured on The ACC & SEC Blog

INDIANAPOLIS—It's not every day that one of the final four remaining college basketball teams has to attend class and then take a bus ride across town to prepare for the biggest game in school history.

That's the scenario many Butler players faced Friday morning. Butler's Gordon Hayward and Andrew Smith said their classes weren't too education-orientated, but instead filled with taking pictures, signing autographs, and enjoying time with their peers.

The week-long party in Indy is the result of Butler reaching its preseason objectives.

Several Butler players said their goal before the season was to make the NCAA Tournament and, once they did, also reach the Final Four and play in front of their hometown crowd.

Now that the Bulldogs are here in Indianapolis, the pressure should be on them to perform. That's at least what Michigan State players said after they dealt with a similar scenario last year with the Final Four in Detroit.

"There's definitely pressure, but there's also adrenaline you've never felt before," Spartan guard Durrell Summers said. "All those people in there are pulling for you. It's a great feeling. There's a lot more pressure because you feel like you got to win."

"It puts a lot of pressure on them because you are no longer playing for yourself, but you are playing for a whole state or community," sophomore Delvon Roe said. "You are going out there dealing with distractions. We handled [the distractions] pretty well last year, and we'll see how they handle them this year."

There is one major difference this year between Michigan State playing in Detroit and Butler playing in Indianapolis. The feeling last year was the Spartans were playing for the state of Michigan and the city of Detroit. Michigan State was playing to raise the spirit of a beleaguered state and city.

This Butler team is more just representing Indianapolis and the state of Indiana. Spirits are high among the droves of Butler fans that clearly outnumber all other fans combined.

"It's sort of overwhelming, sort of awesome to see so many people come out just to support us," Butler forward Matt Howard said. "On the way, people just waving, saying, thumbs up, 'Keep it going.' The city's been awesome."

The players have been able to stay loose and focused throughout this week despite distractions at the weirdest hours.

"I've had one person just walk straight into my room at 1 a.m. and ask for my autograph," freshman center Andrew Smith said.  "It's been wild."

So wild that the school's president crowd surfed at a campus event. Of course, the sidewalks are jammed with Butler fans; the players have been bombarded with autographs and pictures on campus.

You have to shudder to think what this basketball-crazed city will do if Butler cuts down the nets Monday.

For more updates on college basketball, follow @JamesonFleming on twitter. He's in Indianapolis covering the Final Four for Bleacher Report.

Pick against him. I dare you.

I’ve done it a time or two this tournament myself using a litany of excuses. “This opponent’s too big. This team’s too deep. This squad’s too athletic.”

Only to utter excuses and lamentations after the Butler killed and disposed of my brackets and millions of brackets around the world.

The Butler did it!

As for the Spartans, the route was similar in its improbability. The key difference is that Michigan State was supposed to be good. They started the year preseason No. 2, after all.

Now they’re at least the fourth best team in country. An improbable survive-and-advance tournament clinic was done without Spartan’s best player and unquestioned leader, Kalin Lucas. Instead, MSU used a roster that resembles a M*A*S*H unit more so than a Final Four caliber team.

Two teams, two unlikely stories, with two entirely different paths to Indianapolis. Let’s take a look at what each team needs to do to punch their ticket to the Championship game and keep dancing.

Keys for Butler

Matt Howard. As in find a way to keep Matt Howard on the floor. Play some zone, hide him against a less accomplished scorer like the dinged up Delvin Roe, but do whatever it takes to keep Howard out of the type of foul trouble that’s plagued the 6′11″ post for most of the tournament.

If Howard has to sit for a long stretch in this ballgame, the Spartans will pound the Bulldogs on the glass Tom Izzo style.

Identify shooters. Not all shooters were created equal, and Michigan State’s bombers are no different.

Since Izzo loves his motion game and can run your defenders through a labyrinth of screens before finding an open look. You have to preserve your limited help resources by knowing who to extend beyond the arc and who to play soft on.

If you treat every shooter like he’s Reggie Miller, then there’s too much paint to defend against talented athletes like Green, Roe, and Morgan.

Rest assured, Brad Stevens is all too aware of this fact.

I’m confident that 40 percent deep-shooter Chris Allen will be contested coming out of the locker room, while 30 percent shooter Korie Lucious will be played more straight up until he's proven he’s found his stroke.

In the regional final, Stevens used his quickest defender, Ronald Nored, to chase KSU’s sharpshooter Jacob Pullen off of shots, while playing everyone else on the floor honest. The result was a season low 56 points for the Wildcats.

Stop Baby Magic. Kalin Lucas’ injury left the Spartans without a true point guard, and although Korie Lucious has played admirably, he’s still had trouble protecting the ball and creating for teammates when the Spartan motion game gets bogged down.

This is where Baby Magic, Draymond Green, has stepped in. The 6′8″ power forward is a terrific ball handler for a big guy, especially when he’s being guarded by slow-footed 4’s. Green has been a pressure outlet as well as a dime-dropper, finding Raymar Morgan for the game-winner against Tennessee.

In their regional final, Volunteer coach Bruce Pearl made a huge tactical mistake by not jumping or trapping Green and his Magic act 15 feet from the bucket when the Spartans were running offense through the big fella.

Green has a good handle for a post, but when you run guards at him to make Draymond make split-second decisions, I suspect he’d turn the ball over more often than he makes plays with the rock.

Keys For Michigan State

The Paint is Your Friend. Butler is one of the most sound defensive teams in all of college basketball, so they’re perfectly content to guard you, let you shoot over the top, and then block you out for one and done’s all game long.

They did it to Syracuse, who fell in love with the jump shot when they had an advantage inside, they did the same to Kansas State, and they’ll do it to MSU if the Spartans cooperate.

MSU needs to run its motion game and make touches for Roe, Morgan, Derrick Nix, and Green inside a focal point of the offense.

It’s an absolute must for three reasons: Gordon Hayward, depth, and size.

You must make Gordon Hayward, the Bulldogs best player, defend the post. MSU can throw a double post 3-2 look at you and make Hayward defend in an effort to wear down the talented forward or draw fouls. Plus the Bulldogs have little depth along the front court after Howard and Hayward, and these guys don’t have elite size.

Protect the basketball. The Spartans struggled with Tennessee’s perimeter pressure and they’ll see the same caliber perimeter defenders from the Bulldogs.

In fact, I’d argue that Butler is the best defensive team MSU has faced this tournament just because they’re such a sound help and recover team.

Think Purdue.

They guard as well as Purdue, so if MSU doesn’t value the basketball, they’ll lose possessions and shots that would normally result in points or offensive rebounds for State. Anything over 10 turnovers in this game for MSU could spell doom for the Spartans.

Funnel Shooters. If there’s a knock against the two offensive stars for Butler, Mack and Hayward, it’s that they don’t finish at the rim all that well against big athletes. If I’m Izzo, I tell my kids to jump on this duo’s shooting hands and then chase them to the bucket where my bigs are waiting.

Neither player is an outstanding athlete, but they both have great mid-range games and can shoot the eye out of the three-ball.

MSU’s advantage is at the cup on both ends, so they need to make most battles in this game occur at the rack.

Prediction

This is the Final Four. Every team is skilled, tough, gelling, add whichever adjective you prefer. I get the feeling, however, that Michigan State is a little more smoke and mirrors at this point without Lucas, while Butler’s success is more second nature.

I think the Bulldogs have the same talent as the Spartans, but they’re more comfortable with their identity as a team. Mack, Hayward, Veasley, and Howard are Butler’s four double digit scorers and they’ve had these roles for multiple seasons now.

On the flipside, Lucious and Green have been playing point guard and point forward respectively for about a month. Add the Bulldogs ability to defend to the mix, and it could shock an MSU team that’s played defensive lesser-lights NMSU, Northern Iowa, Maryland, and Tennessee to get here.

Meanwhile, Butler has smothered explosive offensive teams like Syracuse and Kansas State in back-to-back sub-60 point games.

For those reasons, I like Butler to win by six in a defensive grinder.

The glass slipper fits for another game.

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Kevin writes the leading college hoops blog March To March.

Follow him on Twitter: @MarchToMarch

Throughout their unexpected run through the West regional, Butler has played at a defensive level that would make their mascot proud. The Bulldogs have played a tough and determined defense all year, but have been able to put everything together to elevate their game to a Final Four level.

The road to the Final Four has not been easy for the Bulldogs.

In Butler's first round match-up, they faced a very good UTEP team which came into the NCAA tournament as a No. 12 seed, despite being ranked in the Top 25 at the end of the regular season.

During the 2009-10 season, the Miners averaged over 75 points per game. When they met the Bulldogs in the first round of the NCAA tournament, however, UTEP hit a brick wall. The Miners scored only 59 points while shooting an anemic 22 percent from behind the arc. Butler's quick and swarming defense was able to disrupt and deny shots, keeping the Miners from finding their form offensively.

In the round of 32, the Bulldogs squared off with a little-known Murray State team. Though Murray State flew under the radar all season, the Racers entered the tournament with a 30-4 record. During the season, Murray State had six players averaging 10 points per game and shot 37.7 percent as a team from three. Despite these impressive offensive numbers, the Bulldogs held the Racers to a season-low 52 points, managing to sneak into the Sweet Sixteen with a two point victory.

As a match-up with the Syracuse Orange approached, ranked fourth in the AP poll, questions of the Bulldogs' ability to shut down the offensive Juggernaut that is Andy Routins and Wes Johnson emerged. With seven players averaging over eight points per game, the Orange were thought by most to be a major contender for the national title.

Again, Butler's defense proved their worth. In a back and forth game, Butler held Syracuse to only 59 points, not allowing Wes or Andy to find any rhythm offensively.

With the No. 1 seeded Orange out of the mix, the only thing standing in the way of the Bulldogs' hopes of a Final Four birth was Jacob Pullen, Denis Clemente, and the Kansas State Wildcats.

Again, the key to the game was Butler's defense against the prolific scoring of the Wildcat's back court. For the fourth straight game, Butler got after it defensively, keeping Pullen and Clemente out of rhythm. Pullen was held to 14 points and Clemente 18 as Butler rolled to a 63-56 victory to cut down the nets in Salt Lake City.

Looking forward to their Final Four match-up with Michigan State, the Bulldogs look to continue their defensive dominance.

Thus far, the Bulldogs have yet to give up more than 59 points in the NCAA tournament. With only two games standing between the Bulldogs and college basketball immortality, Butler will lean on strong defense and consistent scoring to cut down the nets. As the old saying goes, "defense wins championships." In less than a week, this adage will be put to the test. But only one thing is guaranteed, this should be a hell of a weekend to be a college basketball fan.