For parts of three men’s basketball seasons, Butler fans had the opportunity to watch former student Shelvin Mack play at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Collegian file photo

Now Butler alumni have the opportunity to witness Mack in action in a NBA game.

Organized by the Butler University Washington, D.C. Alumni Chapter, the event will give Butler alumni and students in the area the chance to see Mack and the rest of the Washington Wizards host the Cleveland Cavaliers Saturday in the nation’s capital.

Monique Wise, associate director of alumni programs, said the idea of seeing a Wizards’ game was mentioned during a chapter conference call last fall.

“Several committee members had brought up the idea of attending a Wizards game so we could see Shelvin play because it would be Shelvin’s first year, and he is a Butler alumnus,” Wise said.

In addition to taking in an NBA game, attendees will get to take part in a meet-and-greet with Mack after the contest.

Wise said Mack did not hesitate to say yes when asked if he would do a meet-and-greet.

“He was very excited that Butler alumni would want to come and see him,” Wise said. “He was very honored and very happy to hear that.”

This is the second such event that a Butler alumni chapter has organized this year.

The school’s Atlanta chapter arranged for alumni to attend a game between former student Gordon Hayward’s Utah Jazz and the Atlanta Hawks earlier in the NBA season.

Attendees for that event also got to meet with Hayward after the game.

Lauren Cialone, president of the Washington, D.C., chapter, said that the Butler alumni office handled the logistics of setting up the event, including securing tickets and communicating with Mack.

Cialone said she feels the event is a great opportunity for alumni who live outside of Washington, D.C.

“There are folks and families who live a little farther out, and this gives them a chance to be able to come out here for the weekend and participate in the activity,” Cialone said.

Wise said the event was not easy to set up because of the NBA lockout, which shortened the current season.

Wise said the alumni office also had to work around Butler President Jim Danko’s “Imagine the Possibilities” tour in addition to finding a game that a majority of alumni could potentially attend.

Michael Landes, a 2008 graduate and member of the Washington, D.C., chapter, said the event could not come at a better time, especially with many local Butler alumni being involved in election season activities.

Photo courtesy of MCT

“Everyone’s really excited,” Landes said. “They want to see Shelvin and show their support for him during the game.”

Tickets for the event cost $35 each, and Wise said that 20 tickets had been sold as of Monday morning.

Landes said those who are already attending the game are “pumped, big time.”

“I know the Wizards have been kind of lackluster lately as far as their record, but nobody really cares about that,” Landes said. “It’s a pretty good opportunity.”

Photo by Maria Porter

When Shelvin Mack left his position as a junior guard on Butler’s men’s basketball team, there were not many people who were truly surprised.

Mack left Butler a year early to enter the National Basketball Association’s 2011 draft, where he was selected by the Washington Wizards.

Since the NBA lockout began in late June, Mack has been stuck playing when he can, which includes action in Pro Am games.

Of course, it would be easy for Butler basketball fans to get on Mack about leaving since the NBA lockout got underway. Mack is unable to practice with his new team when he could have been playing with his former Bulldogs’ teammates this season.

I do not know the reasons behind Mack jumping to the NBA, and it would be wrong of me to try to assume what they might be.

However, I believe that Mack should have stayed at Butler for one more season, and I am not saying this merely because the men’s team could use him this season.

Mack is not the first college basketball player to jump to the NBA before the end of his senior collegiate season, and he certainly will not be the last.

While I do not feel there should be a rule preventing college students from entering the NBA draft, I do believe they should think long and hard about the choice they are making when they leave college early.

When a student-athlete makes a commitment to play a sport in college, the college assumes that said student-athlete will be part of the team for a full four seasons.

So what happens when a student-athlete decides to break this commitment to play the same sport professionally?

When a collegiate athlete promises to play a sport for a college and later decides he or she would rather go pro than finish his or her collegiate career, it shows that the athlete cannot be trusted with a commitment.

Who says that the athlete will not leave the professional team he or she joins after just a year of participation?

Essentially, negative conclusions can be drawn about an athlete when he or she opts out of a commitment early, and those conclusions can stay with the athlete for the rest of his or her career.

Another problem with an athlete leaving college early is the fact that he or she is not only leaving collegiate athletics—the athlete is also leaving his or her schooling prematurely.

What happens if an athlete’s professional athletic career does not pan out? His or her fallback plan would likely be whatever they were learning in college.

However, the athlete did not get a complete education and may now struggle to get a job. Finishing schooling should be a student-athlete’s primary goal during college.

When an athlete leaves college early, he or she is also abandoning the college experience that could have created great future opportunities for the athlete.

Opportunities come in a variety of forms during college, and if an athlete leaves college early, he or she could miss out on something that would have changed his or her life for the better.

Like I said before, I do not know the reasons behind Mack jumping to the NBA. He deserves the right to do as he wishes, and I hope he can have a fantastic career in professional basketball.

In the end, however, I think college athletes need to be careful what they wish for and consider all variables before leaving college early.

Photo by Rachel Anderson

After celebrating our president’s inauguration this weekend, be sure to blow out a candle for Butler University’s  most famous student.

No, we’re not talking about Gordon Hayward or Shelvin Mack, we’re talking about Hoosier author Kurt Vonnegut.

The author of such novels like “Cat’s Cradle” and “Slaughterhouse-Five” was enrolled at Butler for a short time in 1942 but dropped out after managing no better than a “C” average in his English courses.

This Friday would have been Kurt Vonnegut’s 89th birthday.

His hometown is ready to celebrate him at the ongoing Spirit & Place Festival, which featured Butler dancers last weekend. This weekend, the festival is featuring “Kurt Vonnegut on the Human Body.”

Richard Clark, professor of music at Butler, will be conducting a group of Butler students and alumni in pieces based on Vonnegut’s own words.

Clark said he was a close friend of Vonnegut, calling him a quasi-grandfather. Vonnegut collaborated with Clark and his orchestra in New York, performing with them and writing original music with Clark.

“I’m keeping my friendship with him alive through this performance and events like these,” Clark said.

The first piece is entitled “Destructive Testing,” which is from “Breakfast of Champions.” There will also be what Clark described as “Ice-9 Ballads,” a reference that any “Cat’s Cradle fan will recognize.

Finally, and what Clark said is the most important, is “Armistice Day.” Nov. 11 is commonly known in the United States as Veterans Day, but during Vonnegut’s life, it was still known as Armistice Day, a celebration of the end of World War I. Clark said the fact that this day fell on Vonnegut’s birthday was very important to Vonnegut.

Katie Burns, a sophomore cello performance and English major, said that she is looking forward to the performance.

“I am so excited to help celebrate Kurt Vonnegut, not only because he’s one of my favorite American authors,” she said. “It makes me glad to see that people realize the value of his work and are putting in the effort to continue his legacy.”

Julia Whitehead, the current president, executive director and founder of the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library, is particularly excited about the event and thinks it is an excellent opportunity for Butler students to learn more about Indiana’s most famous author.

“Having the spirit of Kurt in the back of our mind is helpful, not only to create new ideas, but to know that we can put them into motion, just like he did,”  Whitehead said. “He is inspirational. People have said they come to Indianapolis and the United States just to come to the library. Readers connect with him as a friend.”

Besides a performance from the School of Music, the celebration includes a reading and discussion of Vonnegut’s works and a viewing of his art. The event will be moderated by Indianapolis Business Journal arts and entertainment editor Lou Harry, Hoosier author (and Vonnegut’s close friend) Dan Wakefield and Vonnegut scholars and authors Marc Leeds, Rodney Allen and David Hoppe.

Beforehand, Gregory D. Sumner, the author of “Unstuck in Time: A Journey Through Kurt Vonnegut’s Life and Work” will be signing books and speaking at the Vonnegut Library at 5 p.m. After, the group will head to the main event.

The pieces that the Butler group will be performing have been compiled on an album, due out on Jan. 4, 2012. Vonnegut narrated the songs just before his death, and his voice will be on the album. Advanced copies of the album will be available at the  event on Friday night.

The celebration will be held at the Frank and Katrina Basile Theater at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. The cost is $20. The event is presented by the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library and the Butler University department of music.

A TRULY HOOSIER BIRTHDAY

Want other ways to celebrate Vonnegut’s day of birth? Here are some other ideas for the weekend.

VISIT THE KURT VONNEGUT MEMORIAL LIBRARY
Located at 340 N. Senate Ave., the Vonnegut Library offers art and literature from Vonnegut, along with a recreation of his workspace.

CHECK OUT A VONNEGUT BOOK FROM IRWIN LIBRARY
Whether you choose out of the ordinary short stories, or a classic like “Cat’s Cradle,” reading Vonnegut provides many fun facts about the Naptown that Vonnegut knew.

VISIT THE ATHENAEUM
Built by Vonnegut’s grandfather in 1898, this building now houses the Rathskellar, Indiana’s local German restaurant.

So, this is what happens when the National Basketball Association faces a lockout?

If such a lockout allows me to see NBA players facing off against NBA players (with a few amateur players sprinkled in) in exhibition-style games, I hope the lockout never gets resolved.

That is obviously greedy of me. However, after seeing the Knox Indianapolis Pro Am team take on the Goodman League from Washington D.C., I can safely say something I have not said in a long time: I enjoyed a basketball game featuring NBA players.

Gone was the boring, slow-paced walking around that one sees during an NBA game. Gone too was the dramatic acting done by players trying to draw a foul.

There were no unreasonably long timeouts to allow for advertisements or a break for the players who had not even broken a sweat.

The NBA players in attendance at the University of Indianapolis’ Nicoson Hall last Saturday put on a heck of a show. It did not matter that there was next to no defense played during the game; the two teams were on the hardwood having fun and causing the crowd to erupt with cheering throughout the night.

Washington Wizards point guard John Wall and Los Angeles Clippers shooting guard (and Indianapolis native) Eric Gordon were the stars of the show for their respective teams.

Wall, playing for the Goodman League, put up 41 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds, a triple-double, while playing a majority of the game’s 48 minutes.

Gordon nearly matched him, posting 40 points with nine assists while throwing down a few huge slam dunks and draining multiple deep three-point shots.

In all, 12 NBA players took to the court in the game. All of them put up more than 10 points, much unlike a typical NBA game.

Butler alumni Shelvin Mack and Gordon Hayward were even in on the fun. Mack, playing for the Goodman League, scored 15 points, including a tough three-point basket over the outstretched arm of a defender.

For the Indy Pro Am team, Hayward tallied 20 points and ten rebounds. You could see him all over the floor, sprinting to both ends like a kid in a pick-up game.

I wish actual NBA games were this way.

I got to see NBA stars compete in a non-stop contest where they were attempting shots that they could not try during an NBA game, because it would be a waste of a possession.

These guys were not worried about anything. Maybe that explains why Boston Celtics small forward Jeff Green was wearing pink shoes and driving the net like it was nobody’s business. He ended up with 35 points on the night.

Maybe that explains why Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins was spinning defenders around like tops and taking shots from everywhere he could. He ended up with 33 points and 15 assists on the night.

Maybe that explains why Gordon was draining three-pointers from ungodly distances. Maybe that even explains why Indiana Pacers shooting guard Lance Stephenson received a technical foul after nonchalantly hurling the ball down the court after drawing a foul.

There was no pressure. It was all about fun and playing the game of basketball.

“We’re looking to do something good during the lockout,” Indy Pro Am CEO and coach Carlos Knox said before the event. “We’re hoping to get together with other Pro Ams and there is definitely more to come.”

Thank you, Mr. Knox. Thank you.

Butler University junior guard Shelvin Mack has made himself eligible for the 2011 National Basketball Association Draft. He has not hired an agent and may therefore retain his eligibility if he withdraws before May 8.

“I’m exploring my options and gathering information to see what opportunities might exist for me,” Mack said. “I’ve always had a dream to play in the NBA, and I want to make an informed decision on that possiblity.”

Mack, who started all but the “Senior Day” game this past season, led the Bulldogs in assists (131), and was Butler’s second-leading scorer in the 2010-11 season, with 16.0 points per game.

Mack overachieved in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, though, averaging 20.3 points in Butler’s six NCAA tournament games. He scored 30 points in Butler’s victory over No. 1 seed Pittsburgh and 27 in the Regional Final win against No. 2 seed Florida.

Mack was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Southeast Regional after the first four NCAA tournament games, and he was named to his second-consecutive All-Tournament Team at the Final Four.

“It’s really exciting any time you have a player and person of Mack’s caliber in a position where we can do the research on what his NBA opportunities might be,” Butler head coach Brad Stevens said. “We look forward to helping him through every step of this process and gathering information to help him with his decision.”

Mack is currently 11th on Butler’s all-time scoring list with 1,527 points, which is four points behind Wayne Burris (1973-77).

Mack is Butler’s second-consecutive underclassman to declare for the NBA Draft and second in the school’s history.

The first was Gordon Hayward, who was selected No. 9 overall by the Utah Jazz in last year’s NBA Draft.

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.

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Video by Elyssa Garfinkle
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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?

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PHOTO GALLERY | Moment by moment of Butler vs. Florida

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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.