Monday, April 4, 2011

News On The Horizon 4/4/2011


10 Most Memorable NCAA Tourney Mid-Majors--Online College Blog
Butler Earns Second Chance--New York Times
When David Meets Goliath on the Hardwood--New York Times
The Miracle of Butler--Sports Illustrated
With discipline, Butler has done the impossible--CBS Sports
Butler’s Last Climb: UConn, Kemba Await--Luke Winn at the Tourney
Conversations With Connersville, Ind.--Luke Winn at the Tourney
Did Shelvin Mack forget that Butler has a football team?--USA Today
Butler-UConn Analysis and Prediction: My heart says Butler, but my head says…BUTLER!!!!--Midwest Sports Fans
A step ahead: Stevens' cool gives Butler edge--Associated Press
Butler wary but not obsessed with UConn's Walker--MICentralSports.com
Final Four Crowd Control--Ballin' is a Habit
Utah Jazz lack effort, lose to Kings--Deseret News

En route to his career-high 19-point effort, Gordon Hayward's hammer dunk and 3-point make pushed Utah to an early 11-5 lead.

But the scrappy and energetic Kings closed the first strong and opened the second quarter even stronger, using a 15-2 spurt to seize a 21-point lead in the first half.

Jazz fans had Hayward's breakout outing as well as an NBA career night for D-League call-up Kyle Weaver to enjoy, but that was about all of the excitement Utah had to offer in its latest dud.

"I haven't given up on the season," Corbin said. "It's just one of those games where we didn't have the maximum effort. But we're going to stay on everybody to continue to play hard every time you step on the floor."

Paul Millsap, who scored a team-high 21, called Utah's performance a "lack of everything."

Like Hayward, Weaver also finished with 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting while splitting time between the point guard and shooting guard positions. The 6-6 newcomer, who played two seasons for the Oklahoma City Thunder before landing in the D-League, only had two points on free throws in his Jazz debut Friday.
...
The same could be said of Hayward, who had another solid outing as he continues to progress in his rookie season. He shot 8-for-14 with two treys, four assists and three boards in 40-plus minutes.

"(My) confidence is definitely up," Hayward said. "It's as high as it's been, just being more comfortable out there and getting more minutes. It's helped me out a lot being more aggressive."

Jazz game at a glance: Kings 106, Jazz 97--Deseret News
Corbin calls out sliding Jazz after 106-97 loss to Kings--Salt Lake Tribune

Utah pulled within five points, at 57-52, with 8:24 left in the third. But the rally was merely a mirage, obscuring a season-high 19 points by Gordon Hayward and a career-high-tying 19 by Kyle Weaver.

Asked if his team gave maximum effort, Hayward said that he could only speak for himself.

“I’m competing as hard as I can every time I step out there,” said the No. 9 overall pick of the 2010 NBA Draft. “I think we were. But I don’t know. I can’t gauge everyone; the level that they give out.”

Hayward struggled with his confidence and place in the league earlier this season, when Utah was winning games and the playoffs appeared to be guaranteed. Now, the directionless Jazz must win their last five contests just to prevent a losing season. But Hayward has found his own momentum, reacting instead of overthinking and shooting instead of simply deferring.

“Confidence is definitely up. As high as it’s been,” said Hayward, who made his 13th start of the year. “I think just being more comfortable out there and getting more minutes is helping me out a lot.”

Badger Bits: Should Wisconsin fans root for Butler?--Bucky's 5th Quarter
TV Schedule 4/4: NCAA Championship (UConn-Butler)--SB Nation Atlanta

Butler Bulldogs vs. Connecticut Huskies, 9, CBS: Why hello there, game of the day. Can UConn send Brad Stevens and company back with another disappointment? Will we start to say dumb stuff about Butler being CHOKE ARTISTS if they fall short? Is the Big East better than the Horizon League?

Extra points: Freep writers predict the NCAA final--The Detroit Free Press
Detroit Mercy coach Ray McCallum says watch rebounding battle in title game--The Detroit News
Butler hopes to finish job this time in NCAA title game--The Chicago Tribune
NCAA final matchup: Butler (28-9) vs. Connecticut (31-9)--The Chicago Tribune
Friends Mack, Walker to square off for NCAA title--The Chicago Tribune
NCAA championship is deeper than battle of good vs. evil--The Chicago Sun-Times
Butler’s Nored is driven by defense--Rivals.com
One phone call changed Butler history--ESPN
Keeping Stevens a priority for Butler AD--ESPN
Butler's championship game plan--ESPN
On cue, Butler a breath of fresh air--ESPN
Back and Forth--Basketball Prospectus
Wins and losses all that matter in NCAA Tournament--ChicagoNow.com
Talk of our Town: Blue II resting up for the big game--The Indy Star
Zach Hahn's long heave brought back memories--The Indy Star
Shelvin Mack ready for UConn's Walker, foe and friend--The Indy Star
Bob Kravitz: Butler wins for all the right reasons--The Indy Star
Butler win tonight would cap the greatest basketball story ever told--The Indy Star
OK, here the Dawgs go again--Indy Star Butler Insider
Chase Stigall, Terry Johnson talk UConn--Victory Firelight
VIDEO | On the eve of a national championship--Butler Collegian

Loyola to name Porter Moser head coach--The Chicago Sun-Times
Polka doesn’t win Chip Hilton Award--Loyola Phoenix

Andy Baggot: Placing welcome Matt an easy call--Madison.com
Hoewisch Named All-American Honorable Mention--uwgbathletics.com

Why UCONN will win tourney--UWM Post

Are you rooting for Butler?--Off The Mark

Head Coach Jerry Slocum Featured On SportsCenter Today at 4:30 p.m.--ysusports.com

Tournament Tracker: April 4--Horizon League Network

No comments: