NEW ORLEANS?There is a saying in sports that not everyone in today?s games really likes to follow: Act like you?ve been there before.
Oh, that?s what Butler did.
In the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive season and playing once again opposite a higher-seeded team, the Bulldogs performed with the confidence?arrogance, almost?of a team that knows it is excellent no matter what league it calls home, no matter what other schools recruited its players or what star ratings they were assigned by scouting services.
The elite eight-seed Bulldogs dazzled their way into the Southeast Region final with a 61-54 victory over No. 4 seed Wisconsin, offering a performance so dominant for so much of the game it almost looked as though they were executing 5-on-0 shadow drills in a routine afternoon practice at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse.
This was Butler?s second consecutive win over a power-conference power, following a miraculous escape of top-seeded Pitt in last Saturday?s second round.
Butler, which will play Florida in Saturday?s region final, now is one win away from a second consecutive Final Four, an achievement lately reserved for the most titanic college basketball powers: North Carolina, Michigan State, UCLA, Florida.
Led by rugged power forward Matt Howard?s 20 points, the Bulldogs (26-9) built an 11-point lead at half by making half their shots and limiting the Badgers (25-9) to 8-of-23 shooting.
It seemed it never would be a game from that point, just a raucous celebration for the gathering of Butler fans that filled the two sections behind the team?s bench.
They had only two moments of concern. The first came when 6-11 center Andrew Smith inadvertently had his left knee knocked from under by Wisconsin guard Jordan Taylor him while gathering a rebound. Smith went down screaming in pain and rested on the court while he was cared for by the team trainer. He limped off the court with assistance, but returned about four minutes later and subsequently scored by tipping in a lob pass that gave Butler a 47-27 lead.
Nearly 10 minutes into the half, he?d scored only one fewer point than the entire Wisconsin team, which had only three points until Taylor scored on a lob play at the 10:25 mark.
Taylor, a second-team Sporting News All-America, was far off his typical game. He seemed almost lopsided, with nearly every shot he took, even free throws, tilting to the right and rolling off the rim. He finished with 22 points but shot 6-of-18, and fellow star Jon Leuer, a 6-10 power forward, scored only 3.
Eventually Wisconsin made a run at the lead when the Bulldogs became too deliberate on offense. After Taylor hit a 3-pointer with 94 seconds left, he cut the lead to 53-49, a remarkable comeback from a team not typically known for dynamic offense. Butler again drained the shot clock, but this time guard Shelvin Mack nailed a pull-up jumper over Leuer's reach. With only a minute remaining, the game slipped out of reach, as well.
Duke vs. Arizona: Recap | Play-by-Play | Box score
Connecticut vs. San Diego State: Recap | Play-by-Play | Box score
Butler vs. Wisconsin: Recap | Play-by-Play | Box score
BYU vs. Florida: Recap | Play-by-Play | Box score
Sweet 16 video: Derrick Rose recalls playing Kansas | Hakim Warrick talks about winning a title
sports news football news cricket news golf news baseball news
No comments:
Post a Comment