It was there for the taking. And the crowd of 7,500 inside Hinkle Fieldhouse, the fans who did not migrate south to Houston, knew it.

Junior guard Shelvin Mack drained a 3-pointer to beat the halftime buzzer and sent the Bulldogs into the locker room up, 22-19.

The Butler faithful cheered wildly, recognizing that their beloved Bulldogs were a mere 20 minutes from capturing college basketball’s most heralded and elusive title: national champion.

It was certain that Butler, a team known for having strong second halves, would improve upon its 22 percent first half shooting and pull away from the UConn Huskies, righting the wrongs left by last year’s heartbreaking loss to Duke.

And then it happened—31 of Butler’s 37 second half shot attempts fell off the mark. Consequently, the Bulldogs fell out of contention, leaving Butler fans across the country stunned.

Not many people foresaw Butler advancing to its second consecutive Final Four, especially after losing sensational sophomore Gordon Hayward to the NBA Draft. Out of the 15 million households that watched the game’s telecast, no one foresaw the Bulldogs shooting 19 percent on the biggest stage in college basketball.

Seniors Matt Howard, Zach Hahn and Shawn Vanzant, playing in their final collegiate game, shot a collective 3-of-25 en route to a 53-41 loss on Monday in the national title game.

The last time the Bulldogs scored fewer points in a game was during a 51-39 loss at Wright State Jan. 3, 2004. Prior to Monday night, Butler had been held under 50 points just four times in the past seven seasons.

It was Butler’s worst performance in recent memory and it happened to come in arguably Butler’s most important game in school history.

The faces of this year’s team, Howard, Mack and head coach Brad Stevens, all remarked that the team simply could not make shots. It was clearly a disappointing and uninspiring end to what was otherwise a remarkable run.

As Howard, who ranks third on Butler’s all-time scoring list, leaves the program, the contributions of him and his fellow seniors should not be forgotten.

The 117 wins by the outgoing senior class, consisting of Howard, Hahn, Vanzant, Grant Leiendecker and Alex Anglin, is the second most of any class in Butler men’s basketball history.

Over the past four seasons, these five have helped lead the Bulldogs to four Horizon league regular season championships, three Horizon League tournament championships and four NCAA tournament appearances.

More than that, they have helped put Butler University on the map as more than just a school that perennially fields a solid basketball team, but also as an upper-echelon academic institution.

Howard, a finance major with a 3.77 GPA was named this year’s NCAA Division I Academic All-American of the Year.

Butler athletics have embodied “The Butler Way” for decades. However, these past two basketball squads, both finishing as national runners-up, have raised awareness of Butler’s mission and have elevated Butler onto the national stage as a première academic and athletic institution.

A 12-point loss in the national title game is heartbreaking, yes—almost as heartbreaking as a 2-point loss that was decided by fractions of an inch.

It might be years before another Butler team advances to a national semifinal. On the other hand, it might only be another calendar year.

Yet, some things, such as Butler’s national perception, are now here to stay.

Editors note: This story was updated March 30 at 12:52 a.m.

Related Links:

PHOTO GALLERY | Bulldogs celebrate Florida upset

PHOTO GALLERY | Moment by moment of Butler vs. Florida

Video by Elyssa Garfinkle
Story by Steven Peek

The Butler men’s basketball team is headed back to the Final Four despite a January and February full of experts spouting opinions to the contrary.

The doubters had their reasons.

First, Gordon Hayward left. Then, senior Willie Veasley couldn’t be replaced. And surely losses at Louisville, Xavier and a three-game losing streak that culminated at Youngstown State had proven the Bulldogs (27-9) were no longer among the nation’s elite.

But Butler has again done what they seem to do so well—prove others wrong.

Four NCAA tournament wins and millions of busted brackets later, the No. 8 seed Butler has punched a ticket to Houston, where they will play the No. 11 seed Virginia Commonwealth Rams.

“It’s a tribute to the Butler system,” sophomore center Andrew Smith said. “When you lose a great player like Gordon Hayward, people are going to underestimate you, but we’ve been able to turn it around.”

It took a full team effort to get Butler back to the Final Four. Roles had to be realigned and new obstacles had to be overcome.

Senior forward Matt Howard and junior guard Shelvin Mack have been at the front of the pack.

While many nationwide have continued to focus on Howard as a ‘turtleneck sock-wearing,’ nerdy Ichabod Crane,” he has continued doing what he loves to do most—win basketball games with his “brothers.”

Howard is averaging 16.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game during the 2011 NCAA tournament. He also had game-winning shots in the Bulldogs’ second- and third-round wins.

Mack has been right with Howard in the upper eschelons of tournament statistics. His 21.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game during the March tournament run earned him the Southeast Region MVP.

This season, Smith has given some room for Mack and now Howard to work on the perimeter.

A 6-foot-11-inch graduate of local Covenant Christian High School, Smith has successfully played the post position in February and March. He doesn’t always blow up the stat sheet, but he does provide size against large opponents and allows teammates to play to their strengths.

Defense has been a huge part of the Bulldogs’ return to the Final Four with senior guard Shawn Vanzant and junior guard Ronald Nored being the keys to that effort.

Their ability to guard the perimeter and corral quick point guards, like Wisconsin’s Jordan Taylor and Florida’s Erving Walker, have forced deep, difficult shots from opponents and allowed other parts of the scouting report to be executed.

Bench play has also been key in this year’s deep tournament run. When Smith got into foul trouble, Mack rolled an ankle or a spark was needed, the bench was there.

Junior forward Garrett Butcher, senior guard Zach Hahn, freshman guard Chrishawn Hopkins and freshman forward Khyle Marshall have been the support system in Washington, D.C. and New Orleans.

Each had a performance that got the Bulldogs through tough times.

Butcher defended the middle against Old Dominion. Hahn kept things close against Florida in the first half.

Hopkins dished out a no-look assist and then made a 3-pointer in the second half against Florida. Marshall grabbed seven offensive rebounds against the Gators.

The bulk of the work has been done by Howard, Mack, Smith and Vanzant, but a handful of other Bulldogs have each had their part in overcoming a wave in the NCAA tournament’s open sea.

And of course, Butler head coach Brad Stevens has been the glue to bring the pieces together.

“I think he’s one of the best in-game coaches in country,” Nored said. “He does a good job of analyzing teams by numbers first and then getting a feel for how they play.

“He shows us that the little details add up to the big picture.”

Rams: The New “Giant Killers”

Somehow, Stevens, 34, won’t be the youngest head coach in the game.

Shaka Smart, 33, leads the Rams—the “hottest” team in the country and yet still a team that barely made it into the field of 68.

They share more than youth, though. Both have a strong passion for the game, according to Hahn.

The Rams (28-11) have a five-game winning streak, but all of those wins are in the NCAA tournament and against “bigger,” or more major, conferences.

Consider the prestige of the Rams’ victims during this year’s tournament: No. 11 seed Southern California (Pacific-10), No. 6 seed Georgetown (Big East), No. 3 seed Purdue (Big Ten), No. 10 seed Florida State (ACC) and No. 1 seed Kansas (Big 12).

Butler is not from a major conference, but that shouldn’t temper VCU’s ability to play as the underdog. No experts expected the Rams to be where they are now, much like none of them picked Butler to be winner of the Southeast Region.

Stevens called humility a core principle of the Butler program, and that should keep the Bulldogs from overlooking a team that others have in March.

The five days prior to the national semifinal may be what Stevens and the Bulldogs need to prepare for the otherwise surprising Rams.

The matchup epitomizes March Madness and the seemingly changing landscape of college men’s basketball, one in which conference affiliation, media exposure and training facilities aren’t determining factors of how deep a team can go in the tournament.

One of these two unlikely foes—Butler or VCU—will be playing in the national championship game Monday night in Houston against a team from a major conference (Kentucky or Connecticut).

The Butler-VCU national semifinal game tips Saturday at 6:09 p.m.

By Ashleigh Taylor for The Butler Beat

The Butler Bulldogs got a warm welcome at Hinkle Fieldhouse when they returned early Sunday morning after defeating Florida 74-71 in Saturday’s Elite 8 game in New Orleans.

Was reserve guard Chrishawn Hopkins the key to Butler’s success against Florida in the Elite 8 game?

Related Links:

PHOTO GALLERY | Moment by moment of Butler vs. Florida

PHOTO GALLERY | Bulldogs celebrate Florida upset

Video by Elyssa Garfinkle
Story by Steven Peek

A 74-71 overtime victory against the No. 2 seed Florida Gators makes the Bulldogs champions of the NCAA tournament’s Southeast Region.

After the game, junior guard Ronald Nored even shouted those same famous words, which preceded senior guard Zach Hahn shouting, “Your dogs are back, woof woof!”

Butler advanced to its second consecutive Final Four, just one year after losing the national championship game by two points.

“I’m incredibly proud of these guys,” Butler head coach Brad Stevens said. “They carried their coach today in a big way. I got out-coached today big time, but our assistants did a great job and our players did a great job.

“We’re really lucky that they’re Butler Bulldogs.”

Florida and Butler were both previously undefeated in NCAA Regional Finals—Butler 1-0 (2010) and Florida 4-0 (1994, 2000, 2006, 2007)—so something had to give.

The Gators caved and the Bulldogs advanced to Houston where they will face the winner of the VCU-Kansas game tomorrow night.

Defeating a tested Florida men’s basketball program wasn’t the only history Butler made.

Butler won its first overtime game of the season, having lost the first three.

Butler is also the first non-Bowl Championship Series school to make consecutive Final Fours since UNLV in 1990 and 1991.

To make such history, Butler had to overcome a lot to punch a ticket to Houston.

Florida senior center Vernon Macklin had 25 points on 11-of-14 shooting in the game, and senior forward Alex Tyus had 14 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore guard Kenny Boynton was hard to stop in the second half and scored 17 points on the Bulldogs.

“I was asked earlier do you talk about going to the Final Four, or trying to win a national championship game, and the answer is no,” Stevens said. “We talk about how to guard a cross screen, which we didn’t do very well, and how to guard on-ball screens, which we didn’t do very well at the start.

“But we stayed together, stayed the course, figured it out, and just played resiliently.”

Senior forward Matt Howard and junior guard Shelvin Mack echoed Stevens’ thought, both saying that the win was a team effort.

“We talked about not having any regrets,” Howard said. “If we’re talking about offensive rebounding, don’t have any regrets not going [for the ball].”

Butler countered with positives of their own, Mack’s shooting, team defense and the bench being the most pivotal of them all.

Mack led all scorers with 27 points, which he accumulated on 8-of-20 shooting with four 3-pointers. His 1,490 career points surpassed Jon Neuhouser’s and are now 11th on Butler’s all-time scoring list.

The Bulldogs also held Florida to 25-of-57 (43.9 percent) shooting making this the Gators’ first 2011 NCAA tournament game in which they did not shoot at least 45 percent.

Gators’ All-American senior forward Chandler Parsons was held to five points, and junior guard Erving Walker shot 1-of-10 from the field, making only one of his seven 3-pointers attempted.

That lone made shot gave the Gators a one-point lead with 141 remaining in regulation but was answered 20 seconds later by a Mack long-distance shot

Butler also received strong play from its bench.

Freshman guard Chrishawn Hopkins epitomized Butler’s great bench play.

During a timeout with 7:37 left in regulation, Brad Stevens told his team, “Score, get a stop, then score.” Hopkins listened and facilitated.

After sophomore center Andrew Smith passed an offensive rebound to Hopkins, the freshman made a no-look pass to Howard for a layup.

Then following a missed Boynton jumper, Hopkins received a pass from a driving Mack and sank a 3-pointer to put the Bulldogs within four points.

From then on, momentum belonged to Butler, who was then in process of overcoming an 11-point deficit.

Freshman forward Khyle Marshall also had an impact off the bench and was especially necessary as Smith got into foul trouble and eventually fouled out. Marshall scored 10 points and grabbed seven offensive rebounds against the longer and older Gators.

Butler out-rebounded Florida 41-34, and Marshall’s seven offensive rebounds were nearly half of the team’s 16.

“I thought we had some great effort plays from our freshmen,” Howard said. “Our bench was good for us today.”

Marshall even created a key three-point play late in the second half after one of his offensive grabs.

“It was remarkable—a high, high basketball play,” Stevens said. “Very few guys can do it. He was so quick off the floor and so high.”

The play was indicative of the Elite 8 game’s physical nature.

“I think it was two teams really playing hard and playing aggressive,” Florida head coach Billy Donovan said. “Really, I think they won the battle when the ball was up in the air, and I think that was the difference in the game.”

“[Butler] had great, great heart tonight.”

One such hustle play game when Butler led 72-71 with 19 seconds remaining. Boynton missed a 3-pointer and players from both teams came down with a rebound, resulting in a jump ball which favored the Bulldogs.

From then, Butler had a tactical advantage in the game. Two Mack free throws created the eventual final score and the final seconds melted away after Nored got a defensive rebound and threw the ball toward the court’s opposite end.

Butler will know its next opponent once the Rams and Jayhawks face off. That semifinal game will be played Saturday at a time yet to be determined.

It’s a consecutive Final Four appearance for the Butler Bulldogs after another intense NCAA tournament upset. The Butler Bulldogs defeated the Florida gators 74-71 on Saturday.

By Greg Logan, Newsday

NEW ORLEANS–Has there ever been a more magical run to the NCAA national championship game than the one Butler made last season when it went home to Indiana for the Final Four?

Gordon Hayward’s half-court shot at the buzzer seemed destined to beat Duke until it caromed off glass and the front of the rim, taking the fairy-tale finish with it. With Hayward in the NBA this season and defensive specialist Willie Veazley having graduated, it seemed there was no possibility of “Hoosiers II.”

Oh, the Bulldogs gave a good account of themselves in an early-season rematch against Duke at the Meadowlands, but that was a pale imitation of the title game.

What followed was a season-long struggle for Butler just to survive Horizon League play and qualify for the tournament.

But after last-second wins against Old Dominion and Big East champion Pittsburgh, the lightning is back in the bottle for Butler.

Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack have stepped into the lead roles to rekindle the fire of belief that these Bulldogs (25-9) are good enough to overcome Wisconsin (25-8) of the Big Ten in the Southeast Regional semifinals tonight to get within one victory of the Final Four.

“Getting to the tournament is really hard and, I mean, we got to the Sweet 16 this year because we had the ball last in two games,” Butler coach Brad Stevens said yesterday. “Otherwise, we’re done in the first round. So getting to the Final Four–we recognize how fortunate we were to have been in that situation. It’s almost fairy tale-type stuff.”

Without a doubt, Butler’s presence in the Sweet 16 is a far greater surprise this season than it was a year ago. Back then, the Bulldogs were viewed as the most likely of the mid-majors to succeed. But they lost four of their first eight games this season and had a midseason stretch where they lost four of five, getting knocked off by the likes of Wright State, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Valparaiso and Youngstown State. Not exactly Murderer’s Row.

It wasn’t easy being the “name” team with a target on your jersey. Butler was accustomed to that treatment within the confines of the Horizon League, but Stevens admitted, “As much as everybody can tell you about what it’s going to be like coming off a national championship game, it doesn’t do it justice until you live it. And I think we certainly lived through some of those things. This is as proud of a team as I’ve ever been for handling basketball adversity.”

Coach Bo Ryan’s Badgers, one of two teams to defeat No. 1 Ohio State this season, present another challenge if only because they are equally well-schooled in the fundamentals as the Bulldogs. No team in the country maximizes each possession like Wisconsin, which is fourth-ranked in defense, first in free-throw percentage and first in fewest turnovers.

Forward Jon Leuer and point guard Jordan Taylor are first-team All-Big Ten and both are Wooden Award candidates for player of the year. Stevens said Taylor, in particular, “makes them a national title contender.”

But the truth is that last year wasn’t Butler’s first time at the ball. This is the Bulldogs’ fourth trip to the Sweet 16 since 2003.

While others are talking of fitting them for a glass slipper again, Stevens said, “We never talk about how it’ll be a big surprise if it happens. We talk about: ‘Here’s what we need to do.’

“The Cinderella tag has been placed on us. Just like the ‘Hoosiers’ talk last year, we’ll gladly take it. It’s not a bad thing to be the underdog.”

Assistant Sports Editor Lance Rinker and Staff Writer Matt Rhinesmith blog the game live from Butler fan hot spot Applebee’s at 1072 Broad Ripple Avenue. The game tips off at 9:57 p.m., but we’ll start giving you the inside scoop at 9:45 p.m., giving you ample time to hype up for the big game.

The eighth-seeded Butler Bulldogs practice in New Orleans Wednesday afternoon in preparation for tonight’s game to fourth-seed Wisconsin (25-8).