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NCAA Basketball News | April 4, 2010
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Butler vs. Goliath, 9:21 PM ET, Apr 5, 2010
By Gerry Ahern
April 4, 2010
Indainapolis, IN — They may not be Cinderella, but Butler advancing to Monday’s national championship game against Duke has to rank as one of the more unlikely scenarios to unfold in NCAA tournament history.
That takes nothing away from Brad Stevens’ Bulldogs, who scrapped their way past Michigan State 52-50 in Saturday’s semifinal.
They escaped despite shooting just 24 percent in the second half against the Spartans, 30.6 percent for the game. They went almost 11 minutes without a field goal.
They escaped because the best player in the tournament, Gordon Hayward, had 19 points and nine rebounds and Shelvin Mack managed 14 points.
They advanced because Michigan State missed shot after shot down low.
“I never would have dreamed we would have won if we shot 15-for-49,” Stevens said. “But our guys did a great job defending in the last 30 minutes of the game. They really locked on, made it difficult.”
Against the Blue Devils things will only get tougher.
Duke’s ability to shoot the 3-pointer can be deadly, as evidenced in a 78-57 win over West Virginia. A stunning 13-for-25 night behind the arc proved impossible for the Mountaineers to overcome.
Backcourt leader Jon Scheyer again played the star, striking for 23 points, 5-for-9 from 3-point distance. He also had six assists.
The other components of the “Big Three,” forward Kyle Singler and guard Nolan Smith, were right there with him. Singler scored 21 points (3-for-5 from 3-point territory) with nine rebounds. Smith poured in 19 points (4-for-9 from 3) with six assists.
“All three of our perimeter guys had outstanding shooting games,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “They were difficult to guard as a result of that.”
More like impossible.
In the title game, the Blue Devils’ biggest advantage might be the depth of their frontcourt. Seven-foot-1 center Brian Zoubek is a load. He had 10 rebounds in the semifinal victory. At forward, 6-10 Miles Plumlee and 6-10 Mason Plumlee come off the bench to spell starters Singler and Lance Thomas.
Butler has length and bulk up front. Hayward just seems to be getting better by the game. He is ready for the NBA. Teammate Matt Howard is talented but prone to foul trouble. That fact, and what might have been a minor concussion, rendered him ineffective against Michigan State (four points, two rebounds over 15 minutes). He did not practice Sunday and his status will be a game-time decision. Willie Veasley can be productive. Still, the numbers favor Duke.
Both teams pride themselves on defense and are effective in rebounding, so it comes down to whom you believe can convert more scoring chances.
With more options, the edge goes to Duke. If Scheyer, Singler and Smith are shooting the way they did against WVU, forget about it.
The Bulldogs (33-4) are no flashes in the pan. Rip on the Horizon League all you want, but this team has won 25 consecutive games including NCAA tournament victories over UTEP, Murray State, Syracuse, Kansas State and Michigan State.
Believe it or not, they expected to be here.
“It’s what we’ve strived for since the beginning, since the fall when we worked on fundamentals on defense,” Hayward said. “The whole year we talked about the next game. We’re just real excited that the next game is going to be for the national championship.”
Krzyzewski and his team aren’t buying anyone trying to bill Butler as upstarts.
“I think they are one of the best teams in the country,” Krzyzewski said. “I think Cinderella would be more if someone had eight or nine losses and pulled some upsets. They’ve beaten Syracuse and Kansas State and Michigan State tonight.
“They are accomplished players. They earned it. They probably had the toughest road to get here.”
It became en vogue to bash the ACC as being down this year and Duke (34-5) was allegedly the weakest No. 1 seed in the tournament. All it has done is win 17 of its past 18 games and pounded Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Cal, Purdue, Baylor and WVU to reach the final.
Tobacco Road critics are looking a little foolish at this juncture.
With one more victory, Krzyzewski will have his fourth national championship in Durham.
Expect it to happen Monday.
That would be hard to knock.
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