Butler « On Point w/ Sean Napfel

The stage is set: Keys to victory + prediction

By Sean Napfel, on April 3rd, 2011%

Two weeks ago when the tournament known as March Madness began, we started with a field of 68 teams. Each one of those 68 teams began the tournament with aspirations of getting to Houston for a shot at the National Championship and an opportunity to cut down the nets for the right to be called champions. Unfortunately, the dream stopped short of Houston for 64 of those 68 teams originally but by 11:30p.m. on Saturday night the dream was only a possibility for two teams: Butler and Connecticut.

Nobody thought they’d be back. But the Butler Bulldogs, who came up just shy of a national title last season, have returned to the NCAA championship game to face another blueblood. The tiny school from Indianapolis faced Duke last year; Monday it’s UConn. Eighth-seeded Butler is the lowest-seeded team to play for the title since Villanova won it as a No. 8 seed in 1985. The third-seeded Huskies are seeking their third national championship, having won it in 1999 and 2004. Both teams play stifling defense and take their cues from a star junior guard.

Keys to Victory: Butler – The Bulldogs have won 14 straight and appear to be mentally tougher than everyone they play. Shelvin Mack scored 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting to lead the Bulldogs past VCU 70-62 in the semifinals, and he’s been clutch throughout the tournament. He made five of six from beyond the arc and also grabbed six rebounds. Leading scorer Matt Howard drew 10 fouls, making 11 of 12 free throws. Reserve senior guard Zach Hahn scored all eight of his points in a decisive 90-second span in the second half. Ronald Nored is the defensive tone-setter. A shutdown on-ball defender, Nored will face his toughest challenge yet in trying to contain Huskies superstar Kemba Walker.

Keys to Victory: Connecticut - The Huskies have won 10 straight dating to the start of the Big East tournament, making their ninth-place Big East finish a distant memory. Walker didn’t shoot well in UConn’s 56-55 semifinal win over Kentucky, but he did everything else, getting seven assists, six rebounds and two steals to go with 18 points. Walker continues to penetrate at will and is averaging more than eight free throws in the tournament (38 of 42). The Huskies out-rebounded the bigger Wildcats and held them to 34 percent shooting. Jeremy Lamb continues to be a nice complement to Walker; he’s shooting 59 percent in the tournament and has made 11 of 17 3-pointers. Forward must stay out of foul trouble to defend Howard.

Prediction: No team is more fundamentally sound than Butler, but the Bulldogs will be bothered by UConn’s superior quickness. Most importantly, the Huskies have the best player in Walker. In what’s sure to be a ”dog fight” between the Bulldogs and Huskies, ultimately Walker makes the difference and Connecticut cuts down the nets and earns the right to be called National Champions.

What a Shaka! VCU stuns Kansas in upset for the ages

By Sean Napfel, on March 27th, 2011%

Two weeks ago, the 11th-seeded Rams doubted they would get a NCAA tournament invite just like everyone else. Now, all of America will be watching them in the Final Four.

The 11th-seeded Rams are heading to Houston, and final No. 1 seed Kansas is heading home after the biggest March upset in years.

VCU stunned the Jayhawks 71-61 on Sunday, becoming just the third 11th seed to make the Final Four. The Jayhawks had been the last top seed standing, but what looked like an easy path to the final weekend ended in a stunning collapse.

Eighth-seeded Butler, you’re promoted to a favorite next week. VCU is the trendy underdog pick this year.

“Once again, we felt like nobody really thought we could win going into this game. Our guys have done a phenomenal job of putting all the doubters aside, all the people that didn’t believe in us, and going out to do their job.” - VCU coach Shaka Smart

Smart was guided from one interview to another wearing the cut-down net around his neck.

It’s George Mason all over again, and VCU had an even tougher Final Four path than their tiny conference brethren in 2006.

The Rams needed five wins to go from First Four to Final Four. Along the way, they toppled the Pac-10′s Southern California, the Big East’s Georgetown, the Big 10′s Purdue, the ACC’s Florida State and now the Big 12′s Kansas.

They’ll pick on someone their own size next: Butler.

The Jayhawks? All they did was bully smaller teams to get this far. Kansas never apologized for coasting through a favorable bracket that served up schools seeded 16th (Boston University), ninth (Illinois) and 12th (Richmond).

None of those games tested the Jayhawks, who had been ranked No. 1 this season and had won 11 in row. Then VCU came out and showed it wasn’t just another pushover.

The Jayhawks spent the first half not knowing what hit them.

Kansas (36-3) hadn’t trailed by more than two points the entire tournament. With five minutes left in the first half, the Jayhawks trailed by 17.

The Rams hit 9 of their 12 3-pointers in the first half. Kansas trailed 41-27 at halftime and closed the lead to 46-44 with 13:11 left, but a 10-2 VCU run put the Jayhawks right back where they started.

Shaka Smart, the 33-year-old whose enigmatic personality has made him a breakout star, was so animated shuffling in front of his bench that officials shooed him back. Another official later served Smart his first technical all season.

Smart said he used that moment as a motivator–though he had to clean up his language first.

“It was basically forget the refs, forget Kansas, this is all about us” Smart said. “We got to do what we got to do.”

VCU (28-11) is the third 11th seed to crack the Final Four. The last was George Mason in 2006, when that Colonial Athletic Association school stunned Connecticut in its regional final. LSU made it in 1986.

The Rams’ upset guaranteed a Final Four without a No. 1 seed.

Ohio State, Pittsburgh and Duke didn’t even last to the regional finals. Two traditional basketball powers, Arizona and Kentucky, and defending runner-up Butler took care of that.

On Saturday, Smart quoted a line from “Dumb and Dumber“ to explain how he felt about his team: “So you’re saying we’ve got a chance?” A day later, he leaned on another old comedy to sum up the Ram’s unlikely run.

“Ever seen the movie ‘Major League?’” Skeen told reporters. “I can’t say exactly what the guy says. But they get in some situations, and there’s only one thing left to do.

“Win the whole blank thing.”

VCU might very well get to the championship, but I’m still riding with the UConn Huskies

Mad world on road to Houston

By Sean Napfel, on March 27th, 2011%

Saturday’s regional championships in the 2011 men’s basketball tournament were just like the games in previous rounds: Intense, entertaining, and full of March Madness. In the end, two teams many felt were ‘dead’ and ‘buried’ back in February are now Houston bound.

Shelvin Mack poured in a game-high 27 points to lead Butler to its second-consecutive Final Four. (AP)

Butler outlasts Florida 74-71

The Bulldogs gave an encore performance Saturday afternoon at the New Orleans Arena, a year after providing an offering that left almost anyone who treasures college basketball yearning for more. Back to the Final Four, the Bulldogs are going, courtesy of their 74-71 overtime victory over Florida in the Southeast Regional final.

Back for a second consecutive year, having eliminated the Nos. 1 (Pittsburgh), 2 (Florida) and 4 (Wisconsin) seeds in the regional as the eighth seed. Back for another chance to advance to the national championship game, this time at Reliant Stadium in Houston.

“We kind of stayed together, stayed the course, figured it out and just played resiliently.” Butler Coach Brad Stevens

Never has a statement been more – pardon the pun – on point.

The Bulldogs erased an 11-point deficit, 51-40, with 9:26 left in regulation because they outworked, outgutted, outwanted and finally outplayed Florida, which was outscored 20-9 down the stretch by a team that shot 40 percent and missed half of its 20 foul shots in regulation.

Doing whatever it takes to win is what the Bulldogs have done and did again Saturday. When all appeared lost — momentum shifted, spirits sagged, hope finally seeming to have vacated the huddle — Butler simply set its jaw and played harder. That talent — and playing hard is a talent, one that’s not exhibited by every team — got Butler over the hump and back to the national semifinals.

UConn Head Coach Jim Calhoun cuts down the net after advancing his Huskies to another Final Four. (AP)

UConn tops Arizona 65-63

Kemba Walker scored 20 points, freshman Jeremy Lamb added 19 and Connecticut earned its second Final Four berth in three years by beating Arizona 65-63 to win the West regional. The third-seeded Huskies won their ninth victory in 19 days and earned a trip to Houston for the Final Four next weekend. After missing the NCAA tournament entirely last year, coach Jim Calhoun’s tireless team is headed to UConn’s fourth Final Four. UConn, the last of 11 Big East teams standing in the tourney, is 21-0 against teams outside the Big East.

Again, let me reiterate, Kemba Walker, named the West Region’s most outstanding player, had 20 points and seven assists. Jeremy Lamb, named to the all-Region team, had 19. Derrick Williams, also named to the all-Region team, sat out much of the first half with foul trouble but was ferocious in the second, finishing with 20 points.

In my opinion, Williams’ early foul trouble was the silver lining of this game. UConn was able to capitalize while Williams was on the bench and despite Arizona going on a run and Williams having a huge second half, they weren’t able to fully recover. That stretch was critical and UConn took full advantage. That is what good teams are supposed to do.

UConn won despite being out-rebounded 42-31 (with 19 offensive rebounds by Arizona) and outscored in the paint, 34-22. The Huskies shot 41.1 percent, making just five of 17 three-pointers. But they made 14 of 18 free throws and held Arizona to 4-for-21 on threes.

“One of the things I learned today coaching against UConn for the first time is that you can’t underestimate their poise” Arizona coach Sean Miller

The Huskies twice had nine point leads, the last with under 10 minutes remaining, and twice lost them only to storm back to silence a rambunctious pro-Arizona crowd. The defining stretch, before the final sequence, was a 10-0 run built on six points by Lamb to make it 62-55 with 3:08 left.

Arizona guard Lamont “MoMo” Jones, who was a high school teammate of UConn superstar Kemba Walker, may have summed it up best.

“Great teams make great plays and we had a stretch where we went on a run and they came back on a run. The game is whoever makes the most runs and they made the most runs.” Lamont “MoMo” Jones

Later, Kyle Fogg made a three to cut the Arizona deficit to three with 1:45 remaining. Next, Walker stepped back with authority for a jump shot to make it 65-60. Horne answered with a three-pointer, Napier missed one at the other end.

Arizona called timeout with 18.2 seconds remaining. The play was designed to free Fogg. But Williams shot from the top of the key and missed long. There was, fittingly, an offensive rebound by Fogg. The ball wound with Horne on the right. He also missed. Jones grabbed the ball but couldn’t get off a shot. Time ran out. The celebration began.

“I was nervous, after that, I saw my teammates running on the court.” - Kemba Walker

What’s on tap

11VCU vs. 1 Kansas 2:20p.m. EDT (CBS)

4 Kentucky vs. 2 North Carolina 5:05p.m. EDT (CBS)

Another #1 bites the dust; perfect no more

By Sean Napfel, on March 25th, 2011%

Well, I made it to the first day of the Sweet Sixteen with my Final Four picks still intact. Thanks to Butler, my shot at a perfect Final Four is no more. Wisconsin struggled shooting the basketball. For a time it appeared the Badgers would strain to match the 33 points they scored in a three-point loss to Penn State in the Big Ten tournament, an outing that did nothing to dispel their reputation of producing an almost unwatchable brand of basketball.

They were stuck on 24 points – the number they posted in the first half – for the first 5:57 of the second half, incapable of scoring, at times appearing as if they were trying to toss a beach ball through a Cheerio.

The team that entered the game averaging 7.5 turnovers per game committed eight in the first half. It’s 82.3 percent shooting from the free throw line plunged to 50 percent in the first half, when it missed half of its eight attempts, all by guard Jordan Taylor, an 85 percent shooter.

But to suggest Wisconsin’s wounds completely were self-inflicted would be to shortchange the Bulldogs. And when a team makes consecutive trips to the Elite Eight, it earns every piece of change tossed at its feet.

The Butler Bulldogs are back and it’s not so cute anymore.

The Bulldogs are cold-blooded, NCAA Tournament-tested, proven winners who now have backed up a title-game appearance last year with a spot in the Elite Eight this year after defeating the Wisconsin Badgers by a score of 61-54.

There’s nothing cuddly about that kind of efficiency and consistency.

There’s plenty to appreciate, though, after the Bulldogs (26-9) took out the Badgers (25-9) in the semifinals of the Southeast Regional and earned the right to play Florida on Saturday, with the winner advancing to the Final Four in Houston.

Bedeviled

The Duke Blue Devils fell short of their yearly goal as they were eliminated in the Sweet 16 by Arizona, 93-77.

Kyrie Irving scored 28 points, while senior forward Kyle Singler scored 18 and also had eight rebounds. The Blue Devils needed a lot out of guard Nolan Smith, but he struggled throughout the game, scoring only eight points in 34 minutes. Smith went 3-of-14 from the field and 0-of-4 from three-point land.

Interesting stat:

Duke has lost five times in the Sweet 16 as a No. 1 seed, which is the most by any program.

The world became acquainted with Arizona’s super sophomore, forward Derrick Williams, who scored 32 points and grabbed 13 boards while shooting 11-of-17 from the floor and 5-of-6 from three-point range. Williams also made a highlight-reel put-back dunk early in the first half.

Guard Lamont Jones and forward Solomon Hill also scored in double-digits to help the cause. This is the first time Arizona has reached the Elite Eight since 2005. One of the two remaining teams from the Big East, the UConn Huskies, are next up for the Wildcats.

UConn defeated San Diego State to advance to the Elite Eight, and they were led by the red-hot Kemba Walker.

*I had to close out this post with a picture that warms my heart. They say a picture is worth a thousand words and this picture speaks volumes.

The stage is set: Keys to victory + prediction

What a Shaka! VCU stuns Kansas in upset for the ages