Upset special: Butler beats Pittsburgh 71-70--MICentralSports.com
The NCAA Tournament Diff: Round of 32 Day 1--The Mid-Majority
[8] Butler vs. [1] Pittsburgh - 7:10 pm
Southeast Region - Washington, DC
Athletic: BUTL: $12,394,719 PITT: $49,218,556 ($-37m diff/24.5% of PITT's)
Men's Basketball: BUTL: $2,822,892 PITT: $6,046,724 ($-4m diff/33.3% of PITT's)
RTC Live: NCAA Third Round Games – Saturday--Rush The Court
7:05
Kevin Doyle:
Good evening hoop fans, and welcome to Washington DC for two of the later games of the day. First up will be an 8 vs. 1 game as the Butler Bulldogs look to surprise the nation once again as they do battle with the Pittsburgh Panthers. My name is Kevin Doyle, and I will be taking you through all the action in DC. Furthermore, I'll give you all the little things that you will not pick up while watching the tube and listening to the commentators.
...
7:06
Kevin Doyle:
We are about 10 minutes away from the opening tip. Both teams have returned to their respective benches and are awaiting the opening introductions.
Saturday March 19, 2011 7:06 Kevin Doyle
7:08
Kevin Doyle:
Just as a little side note that I observed in the pregame festivities, the Butler Bulldog totally outperformed Pitt's Panther. The dude in the fury dog suit is really getting into it.
...
7:21
Kevin Doyle:
Butler 10, Pittsburgh 6 at the under 16 (15:15)—Matt Howard for Butler has come out with a real chip on his shoulder early and has had a big first few minutes. Aside from two triples that he swished home, he and Andrew Smith orchestrated a beautiful back door play that resulted in a Smith slam home. Vintage Butler basketball for you; they recognized Pitt was overplaying them on defense and they saw the opportunity for a back door play. Both teams have been shooting the ball exceptionally as they are a combined 7-11 from the field.
Saturday March 19, 2011 7:21 Kevin Doyle
7:22
Kevin Doyle:
Although unrelated to the game, Pitt and Butler are definitely familiar with one another, even though they have not played in recent memory. Jamie Dixon coached Shelvin Mack on the USA Basketball team last year; Ashton Gibbs was also a member of that team. And Matt Howard and Gary McGhee have played against one another dating back to their freshman year in high school in Indiana.
...
7:28
Kevin Doyle:
Butler 20, Pittsburgh 14 at the under 12 (11:24)—Both teams continue to shoot the ball at an unbelievable clip. It is not that the defenses have been porous, but sometimes a defense simply cannot defend a good shot. Butler has already hit four shots from behind the arc, while Pitt is struggling to miss as well. I would not be surprised if Butler began to switch up their defenses a little bit; they did so on Thursday to fluster Old Dominion.
...
7:29
Kevin Doyle:
Just received the stats for the game thus far, and it really is incredible these shooting percentages. Butler is 8-11 (73%) and Pitt is 7-10 (70%). The question now becomes, which team hits a cold spell first?
...
7:42
Kevin Doyle:
Butler 28, Pittsburgh 18 at the under 8 (7:19)—Jamie Dixon was absolutely irate over an offensive player controlled foul on Pittsburgh. Lamar Patterson yanked down a rebound and was called for swinging his elbow at Howard—pretty good acting job by Matty H for the record. Dixon erupted as did all of the Pitt fans in the arena; it was the loudest they have been today. Naturally, on the ensuing possession for Butler, Zach Hahn drilled a three pointer. Butler just taking advantage of a break they received; they seem to do that a lot. Just prior to the media timeout, Shelvin Mack drained a three from the top of the key and at the other end of the floor took a charge. Howard and Mack have 14 of the 28 points for Butler. Pitt is struggling to slow down Butler’s picturesque offense.
Saturday March 19, 2011 7:42 Kevin Doyle
7:43
Kevin Doyle:
Oh, and the mascots had a showdown during the timeout. "Roc" for Pittsburgh represented himself very well against "Hink." He really showed me something that I didn't think he was capable of. Think he may have even pulled off the Harlem Shake, impressive to say the least.
Saturday March 19, 2011 7:43 Kevin Doyle
7:44
Kevin Doyle:
Bulldogs still can't miss: 11-17 from the field and 6-9 from downtown.
...
7:49
Kevin Doyle:
Butler has failed to score on four straight possessions and Butler has really heated up causing Brad Stevens to use a timely 30 second timeout. Not too long ago it was 28-18 in favor of Butler, now it is 30-27.
Saturday March 19, 2011 7:49 Kevin Doyle
7:53
Kevin Doyle:
Butler 33, Pittsburgh 29 at the under 4 (2:26)—Definitely more Pittsburgh fans in the arena and they are being heard. After reeling off an 11-2 run, Shelvin Mack drained a three to quiet the crowd and bring the Butler fans to their feet. You knew the Bulldogs could not continue to shoot at the ridiculous clip they were at, and failing to score on five straight possessions was reflective of that. Even still, draining seven threes thus far is downright impressive.
Saturday March 19, 2011 7:53 Kevin Doyle
7:54
Kevin Doyle:
Pitt is now actually shooting a better percentage than Butler: 56% to 52%.
...
8:04
Kevin Doyle:
Butler 38, Pittsburgh 30 halftime—This is all you need to know about the first half: Butler shot 8-16 from three, while Pittsburgh was 2-6. Shelvin Mack has been far and away the best played on the floor as he has 16 points and hit on four triples. While all that is very impressive for Brad Stevens’ club, the best thing for Butler is that Mack has just one foul and Matt Howard has zero. Entering the second half, Stevens will not even have to worry about either being in foul trouble. Conversely, Pittsburgh’s defense has really struggled. They have played primarily man defense, but I would not be surprised if they extended this defense to take away Butler’s three point chances, as well as showing a full-court press. The Bulldogs are showing signs of last year’s squad that made it to the National Championship game, no reason they cannot do it again this year after watching their performance in that half.
...
8:05
Kevin Doyle:
Oh, I should add, Dixon definitely was mixing in some zone on defense, but that only presented Butler more opportunities to hit shots from behind the arc.
...
8:07
Kevin Doyle:
A near flawless half for Butler: 15-29 from the field, 8-16 from three, 10 assists to 2 turnovers. Pretty.
...
8:18
Kevin Doyle:
Halftime in DC could not have come at a better time. Catching all this late action in Tuscon with SDSU and Temple has been beautiful.
...
8:26
Kevin Doyle:
Just realized, wasn't aware prior to the game, that Darnell Archie is an assistant coach for Butler...saw him as he came over by the scorer's table. Dude was like a 98% free throw shooter at Butler.
...
8:33
Kevin Doyle:
Butler 41, Pittsburgh 41 at the under 16 (15:01)—Pittsburgh has predictably vamped up the effort and pressure on the defensive end as the only basked in the first five minutes for Butler was a three by none other than Mr. Mack. Aside from that, however, Pitt is on an 11-3 run to knot the score at 41. They are beginning to play like the #1 seed that they are, and Butler is in a rut. I have not seen one possession of zone out of Jamie Dixon’s defense, just straight up tight man-to-man defense. Certainly has been working.
...
8:39
Kevin Doyle:
Butler 48, Pittsburgh 46 at the under 12 (11:46)—Jamie Dixon could not believe the latest sequence of events. He though that Matt Howard had bumped Travon Woodall—no call—and then Howard stepped in and took a charge moments later. He really got in the officials face about it. Meanwhile on the other end, Butler is starting to find the fluid offense they had in the first half; Mack continues to make it rain. Ashton Gibbs has been invisible so far this half. After scoring 11 in the opening half, he has the goose egg in the second; he has got to assert himself in the offense.
...
8:50
Kevin Doyle:
Pittsburgh 55, Butler 52 at the under 8 (7:57)—Matt Howard will most likely be playing basketball next year at the professional level—if not the NBA then somewhere else—but if that does not work out for him he may have a career in acting. As cliché as that sounds, it is absolutely true after two charging calls that he drew on Pittsburgh. Jamie Dixon is beside himself and the boos coming from the Pittsburgh sections of the arena have never been so loud. Even still, Pitt is up by three. The smirk Dixon has on his face right now as he confers with his team of assistants is pretty funny to look at. He has been peppering the officials with some words following these calls, certainly hoping that his guys will be the beneficiary of some calls later in the game.
Saturday March 19, 2011 8:50 Kevin Doyle
8:52
Kevin Doyle:
Both teams still shooting at very high percentages: Butler is 20-44 (45.5%) and Pitt is 22-38 (58%)
...
9:04
Kevin Doyle:
Butler 64, Pittsburgh 62 at the under 4 (3:40)—Shelvin Mack, have mercy! I can only imagine how big the basket looks to him. No matter what Pittsburgh throws at him; everything that Mack throws up is going in. We have a dandy here in DC and these last three minutes and change are going to be nothing short of drama-filled. I just received word that the school record for threes made in a game for Butler is 8 (Mack has 7) and the school record for points in a game is 26—Mack has surpassed that with 29 tonight. All of this is absolutely meaningless though if the Bulldogs cannot hold on. As for Pittsburgh, Gilbert Brown has been on the money with 23 points. It is all about nerves right now; let’s see who has them and who doesn’t.
...
9:10
Kevin Doyle:
Dixon will take a timeout to ensure that Pittsburgh gets a good shot; their offensive looked a little flustered right there. I do not have the play-by-play in front of me, but I do not believe Shelvin Mack has taken a shot on Butler's recent times down the floor. The offense has to go straight through him at this point.
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:10 Kevin Doyle
9:11
Kevin Doyle:
60 seconds straight up remaining in the game and Brad Stevens will take a 30 second timeout. I would be absolutely shocked if Mack or Howard does not take this shot. The only way one of them won't be is if a teammate is standing under the basket with no one within 10 feet of them.
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:11 Kevin Doyle
9:13
Kevin Doyle:
Brad Stevens just yelled out to Ronald Nored: "Bring the ball and run over as fast as you can to me." I presume that Stevens will take a timeout immediately when Nored crosses half court.
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:13 Kevin Doyle
9:13
Kevin Doyle:
Following a shot clock violation on Pitt, the officials gathered around the scorer's table and they reset the clock from 8.9 to 9.2 seconds.
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:13 Kevin Doyle
9:15
Kevin Doyle:
So, let me reset the game for you. 7.1 seconds left after Butler took a full timeout. That is their last timeout, while Pitt has one remaining.
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:15 Kevin Doyle
9:15
Kevin Doyle:
Stevens has taken his team to the very corner of the floor away from the bench to review the final play they will run. I am sure Stevens has an arsenal of plays for this situation, let's see what he elects to go with.
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:15 Kevin Doyle
9:16
Kevin Doyle:
Some great gamesmanship going on here. As soon as Dixon saw what Butler came out in, he took a timeout of his own--a full timeout. That was pretty predictable, no sense in leaving it on the table.
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:16 Kevin Doyle
9:16
Kevin Doyle:
The only danger Dixon and Pitt runs into now is if Butler makes a shot here with minimal time remaining; they will not have a timeout left.
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:16 Kevin Doyle
9:17
Kevin Doyle:
This is what makes the Madness so Mad ladies and gents.
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:17 Kevin Doyle
9:19
Kevin Doyle:
Reviewing the monitor of how much time is left in the end of game scenarios is customary practice in the Tournament. Real debatable and tough call on behalf of the officials, but it happened right in front of me and I had no major gripe with it. It is incredibly tough, but it looked like Mack bumped Brown.
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:19 Kevin Doyle
9:19
Kevin Doyle:
A foul is a foul is a foul, right?
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:19 Kevin Doyle
9:20
Kevin Doyle:
Just for reference, Gilbert Brown is a 79% free throw shooter.
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:20 Kevin Doyle
9:22
Kevin Doyle:
Oh my!
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:22 Kevin Doyle
9:23
Kevin Doyle:
Just an outstanding and unbelievable college basketball game.
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:23 Kevin Doyle
9:23
Andrew Murawa:
Okay, but what happened?
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:23 Andrew Murawa
9:23
Kevin Doyle:
It is a bit of a shame it ended with those calls and decisions down the stretch, but that was an incredible finish nevertheless.
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:23 Kevin Doyle
9:24
Kevin Doyle:
This should be an entertaining press conference.
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:24 Kevin Doyle
9:24
Kevin Doyle:
I will try to explain the best I can. Butler trails by 1 with 7.1 seconds left. They inbound the ball to Mack who gives it to Vanzant, and then Smith frees himself up via a screen. He lays the ball home with about 2 ticks left.
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:24 Kevin Doyle
9:25
[Comment From StlVUFanStlVUFan: ]
One foul canceled out the other one. It's a wash
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:25 StlVUFan
9:25
Kevin Doyle:
Pitt inbounds the ball up the floor, and Gilbert Brown is slightly bumped by Shelvin Mack. A call that will be debated for the days to come was made in favor of Pitt. Brown hits 1 of 2 free throws. But on the second free throw which he missed, Howard grabbed the rebound and was fouled in the process.
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:25 Kevin Doyle
9:26
Kevin Doyle:
He steps to the line, with .8 seconds left, and makes the first then misses the second one intentionally.
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:26 Kevin Doyle
9:26
Kevin Doyle:
You are actually right about it being a wash. If neither of the calls are made, Butler wins by 1.
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:26 Kevin Doyle
9:26
Kevin Doyle:
I'm off to the press conference right now. Can't wait to hear some of these reactions.
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:26 Kevin Doyle
9:27
rtmsf:
BYU 61, Gonzaga 45, 14:30 2d Half. Well the Jimmer Show has continued here to start the second half, with two more threes for him and a Cougar run that has pushed the lead out impressively. The run was 16-6 and one part of the strategy of going inside for Gonzaga is that the GU guards haven't gotten enough shots up to feel things out. Now they're two-thirds of the way through this game and they have a total of 6 pts. It won't matter if Jimmer is going to continue hitting 75% of his three attempts, though. He's now got 22 pts and the crowd here gave a giant roar of approval after hearing that Butler defeated Pitt. Guess the BUlldogs are still America's team (oh, and their bracket just got eviscerated, that too)....
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:27 rtmsf
9:27
Andrew Murawa:
They just announced the score here, and of course it was met with much approval by the crowd... Score is K-State 16, Wisconsin 15 with just under 12 minutes here. I hate missing the start of these games as much as I hate missing the end of games elsewhere...
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:27 Andrew Murawa
9:33
Kevin Doyle:
Live from the press conference right now. Waiting on the Pittsburgh team first.
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:33 Kevin Doyle
9:34
Kevin Doyle:
It really pains me that one of those teams had to lose that basketball game.
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:34 Kevin Doyle
9:34
Kevin Doyle:
We'll see Jamie Dixon's take on it, as well as some of his players.
...
9:44
Kevin Doyle:
Fairly generic opening statement from Jamie Dixon. Classy in that he is "taking responsibility for the loss." He gave plenty of credit to Butler and went onto explain that this game was not lost on just one play at the end, but in many plays during the beginning and middle of the game.
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:44 Kevin Doyle
9:45
Kevin Doyle:
"We lost that game in the first half with mental lapses on defense...That last 2.5, everything could have been avoided if I made that free throw." --Gilbert Brown
...
9:46
Kevin Doyle:
"Nas was just trying to make a play...he is probably the hardest worker and didn't foul intentionally." --Gilbert Brown on the foul on Matt Howard with .8 seconds left
...
9:49
Kevin Doyle:
"Only thing that came to my mind when whistle was blown with ,8 seconds left was for Howard to miss two free throws...That's all." --Brad Wanamaker
...
9:50
Kevin Doyle:
"A loss is a loss regardless of the outcome. It comes down to the plays that we didn't make in the game...it all hurts the same. This game is even worse since it will be our last game as seniors." --Gilbert Brown comparing the loss to Butler and the loss to UConn in the Big East Tournament
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:50 Kevin Doyle
9:53
Kevin Doyle:
"I thought we did a pretty good job their at the end...I think they scored off of a broken play. We defended it pretty well, but they made a good pass to Smith...When we looked at film on Butler we saw that he had great hands and could finish around the basket...Credit goes to him." --Jamie Dixon on Andrew Smith's basket to put Butler up by one point
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:53 Kevin Doyle
9:54
[Comment From StlVUFanStlVUFan: ]
The "winning" basket by Andrew Smith was almost exactly the same play as they used at the end of the ODU game.
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:54 StlVUFan
9:55
Kevin Doyle:
"I think you have to be consistent all the way through. And if a foul is a foul you have to call it...We will never talk about the officials in a negative manner. I thought they did a good job...They did their best. You have to call it consistently all the way through." --Dixon on the officiating
Saturday March 19, 2011 9:55 Kevin Doyle
9:55
Kevin Doyle:
Agree on that. It looked like a great set play by Brad Stevens, but Dixon seemed to think it was a buster play. I disagree, that play was totally scripted for Andrew Smith.
...
10:00
Kevin Doyle:
That will do it for Jamie Dixon and Pittsburgh, up next will be Butler.
Saturday March 19, 2011 10:00 Kevin Doyle
10:00
Kevin Doyle:
Looks like I will miss the first few minutes of the UConn-Cincinnati game.
Saturday March 19, 2011 10:00 Kevin Doyle
10:00
Kevin Doyle:
"One of the things that needs to be clear is that we are not a better team than ODU and Pittsburgh, we just had the ball last." --Brad Stevens
Saturday March 19, 2011 10:00 Kevin Doyle
10:01
Kevin Doyle:
"You hate to see the game end that way. But, I asked Shelvin if he though he fouled [Brown] and he said he did, and then I asked Matt and he thought he was fouled to."
Saturday March 19, 2011 10:01 Kevin Doyle
10:03
Kevin Doyle:
"Once the call was made, I knew it was the mistake of my life," --Shelvin Mack on fouling Gilbert Brown
Saturday March 19, 2011 10:03 Kevin Doyle
10:03
Kevin Doyle:
"Yea I was really surprised [I was fouled]...I felt his arm come across me so I just threw the ball at the rim." --Matt Howard
Saturday March 19, 2011 10:03 Kevin Doyle
10:04
Kevin Doyle:
"It has been the craziest weekend of my life basketball wise...I probably had the worst foul in Butler history, but it worked out aright." --Mack
...
10:05
Kevin Doyle:
"I'm a dead man walking." --Mack on committing the foul
Saturday March 19, 2011 10:05 Kevin Doyle
10:07
Kevin Doyle:
That will do it for the press conference. Real interesting stuff from both sides. Shelvin Mack was cracking some funny jokes...Matt Howard as stiff as a board.
...
0:19
Kevin Doyle:
Cincinnati 17, UConn 15 at the under 12 (11:50)—Not going to lie guys, it is pretty hard to go from the ending I saw with Butler-Pitt to the first half of another game. I am still in shock/disbelief of what I saw transpire in the last 2 seconds and change in the previous game. As for the current game, however, Kemba Walker has it going early with 10 points. He has the Bearcat defense on their heels—exhibited by a pretty shot fake that he parlayed into a foul—but Cincy is still up by a deuce. It is easy to see this will be a back and forth game as both teams love to get out and score in transition. The Cincy defense is among the stingiest in the nation (Kenpom has them at #14), so they will certainly try to turn this into a half court game when UConn is on the offensive end.
Saturday March 19, 2011 10:19 Kevin Doyle
10:21
Andrew Murawa:
Haha Kevin. I had the same problem in the first half of this Wiscy/KSU game following the 2OT thing. I'm just barely starting to get my wits back.
Saturday March 19, 2011 10:21 Andrew Murawa
10:23
Kevin Doyle:
It really is unbelievable, Andrew. I have no affiliation to Butler or Pitt, yet still feeling the ramifications from the ending. I can only imagine the extraordinary high Butler is on, and the shock that Pitt is no doubt in.
...
11:06
Kevin Doyle:
Quote from John Higgins, the head official of the Butler-Pitt game: "We do it every day. It just happened to be a crucial part of the game. You have to do what you have to do as an official. If we get it right, we're good. If we get it wrong, we're deadbeats and we're all over SportsCenter. We did what we think is correct."
Higgins' response if it was difficult to make those calls in that situation, particularly in light of what happened in NY last week.
NCAA Tournament Tidbits: 03.19.2011--Rush The Court
Southeast
...
* Butler guard Ronald Nored had to swallow his pride and accept a late-season move from a starting to role to a contributor off the bench. Will he provide a spark against the top-seeded Pittsburgh Panthers?
Butler defeats Pitt with an amazing ending--College Hoops Journal
Butler beats Pitt in one of the wildest finishes in recent memory--Ballin' is a Habit
Reactions to the end to Pitt/Butler--Ballin' is a Habit
2011 NCAA Tournament: Day 3 recap--Ballin' is a Habit
Video: Butler upsets Pitt amid controversy--Eye On College Basketball
Pittsburgh Loses to Butler after a Bad Foul With 0.8 Seconds Left--The Big Lead
Wisconsin Knocks Off Kansas State, Advances to Sweet Sixteen--BT Powerhouse
All told, Wisconsin withstood everything that K-State threw at them, matching the Wildcats punch for punch en route to their first win in the Round of 32 since 2007-08. Their next opponent? Not Pitt, which many people expected to make the Final Four, including the Commander-in-Chief. No, Wisconsin will play last year's Cinderella: The Butler Bulldogs. Yikes.
2011 NCAA Tournament: Matt Howard Keys Butler To Another Stunning Victory, Knocking Off No. 1 Pitt 71-70 To Reach Sweet Sixteen--SB Nation Indiana
TOURNEY WATCH: 3/20/2011 (NCAA Open Thread)--Bring On The Cats
In the headliner of the night, Butler delivered the biggest upset of the tournament by outlasting Pittsburgh in a last-minute dumb-off. While the way the game stumbled to a finish was notable, the final result itself was not.
Butler perennially is an under-seeded team in March, relative to its accomplishments, while Pitt is infamous for its early exits. It was a mismatch from the start. My only surprise was that the score was so close.
Indelible, Incredible--Basketball Prospectus
Marshall bounces back--The Indy Star
For Butler, foul is fair: Butler 71, Pittsburgh 70--The Indy Star
Butler Bulldogs come home to cheering fans--The Indy Star
The story continues . . .--Indy Star Butler Insider
Butler vs. Pitt: Countdown to game time--Victory Firelight
Butler disposes Pitt, Sweet Sixteen calling--Victory Firelight
This is what magic looks like--Victory Firelight
This is how you bask in the glow--Victory Firelight
BUTLER 71, PITTSBURGH 70--THE unOFFICIAL BUTLER BULLDOGS MEN'S BASKETBALL PAGE
A sweet upset: Butler defeats Pitt two games away from the Final Four--Butler Collegian
Bulldogs Heading To Sweet 16--ButlerSports.com
Game 7-098: NIT Second Round--The Mid-Majority
Virginia Tech vs. Wichita State: Charleston Awaits Winner in NIT Quarterfinals--Gobbler Country
Cleveland State loses to College of Charleston, 64-56, in NIT second-round game--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Cleveland State men's basketball team ends season with baffling NIT loss to College of Charleston--Cleveland Plain Dealer
NIT Second Round: College of Charleston 64, Cleveland State 56--Let's Go Vikes!
Vikings Fall to Charleston, 64-56--csuvikings.com
Cleveland State loses to Chicago State in Women's Basketball Invitational Tournament--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Vikings Fall to Chicago State, 68-50, in WBI Quarterfinals--Cleveland Plain Dealer
NCAA women's basketball: UW-Green Bay feels at home in Wichita--Green Bay Press Gazette
UW-Green Bay's Matt Bollant, Mike Divilbiss combine opposite styles for winning formula--Green Bay Press Gazette
Green Bay Set to Face UALR in First Round of NCAA Tournament--uwgbathletics.com
WSU hosting WBI quarterfinal today--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Wild Finish Sends Butler to Sweet 16--Horizon League Network
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