Should Butler foul?

[DavantesInferno]

5.5 seconds left.  Butler up by 3.  What does Stevens tell them to do?

[SacWarrior]

they did

[nyg]

they did

And it worked.

Wow, Butler doesn't score a field goal for almost 10 minutes and still wins. 

[Norm]

Worked out for Butler this game. Can't believe a Horizon team is in the final game. That is pretty amazing.

[ATWizJr]

And it worked.

Wow, Butler doesn't score a field goal for almost 10 minutes and still wins. 

Congrats to the winners, but, wow, like watching paint dry.

[CrimsonNCrean]

Congrats to the winners, but, wow, like watching paint dry.

I disagree...  this was grind it out, hard nosed D basketball at it's best......   The kind of ball I like...   Great game...   

And this style of ball does win games, you just need "NBA" types to take it all the way... and MSU (in the past) and Butler right now do..

What Butler has done is nothing short of AMAZING... 

And all the while Butler did not have it's second best player in the second half....  simply awesome.

[PGsHeroes32]

I am so happy Butler won. Lets get a WVU win now too.

[ATWizJr]

I disagree...  this was grind it out, hard nosed D basketball at it's best......   The kind of ball I like...   Great game...   

And this style of ball does win games, you just need "NBA" types to take it all the way... and MSU (in the past) and Butler right now do..

What Butler has done is nothing short of AMAZING... 

And all the while Butler did not have it's second best player in the second half....  simply awesome.   5 and 10 minute scoring droughts do grind it out make.  it was a brutal exhibition of poor offense ala the Badgers style of play. Congrats to the winners, but not very attractive BB.

[karavotsos]

I'm sorry, but I've watched 4 of the 5 Butler tourney games thus far, and they are pretty atrocious offensively.  I think it speaks somewhat to the weakness of the field this year that Butler hasn't faced a team able to score enough against them to beat them.

[DavantesInferno]

I almost wonder what would have happened if they had called the foul at half-court when the MSU player went up for the shot.  It looked like a good no-call but I wouldn't have been surprised if the refs called it.  Not sure who the MSU player was but i would have been interesting to see what MSU would have done with the extra free throw.

[ATWizJr]

Yeah, that's another thing, the FT disparity was unfortunate and strongly favored Butler.

[TJ]

Congrats to the winners, but, wow, like watching paint dry.

I thought it was a really exciting game, especially considering the offensive output of each team.

[NersEllenson]

I'm sorry, but I've watched 4 of the 5 Butler tourney games thus far, and they are pretty atrocious offensively.  I think it speaks somewhat to the weakness of the field this year that Butler hasn't faced a team able to score enough against them to beat them.

Actually I find Butler's offense fun to watch - in many ways they remind me of this years MU team.  I felt they share the ball well, make the extra pass, played hard - much the way our team did this year - thoug Butler doesn't shoot the 3 quite as well as we do. I do feel you might be underestimating the caliber of Butler's defense as I don't think its so much an issue of the teams Butler has faced in the tourney not being able to score the ball well - as much is it has to do with Butler playing great team defense.  They held Syracuse to what 49 points?  Enough said!!

[ATWizJr]

Actually I find Butler's offense fun to watch - in many ways they remind me of this years MU team.  I felt they share the ball well, make the extra pass, played hard - much the way our team did this year - thoug Butler doesn't shoot the 3 quite as well as we do. I do feel you might be underestimating the caliber of Butler's defense as I don't think its so much an issue of the teams Butler has faced in the tourney not being able to score the ball well - as much is it has to do with Butler playing great team defense.  They held Syracuse to what 49 points?  Enough said!!

I'll say it again, an offense with 5 and 10 minute droughts?  Yeccchh.  MSU was equally incapable but outbumbled BU.

[CrimsonNCrean]

Yeah, that's another thing, the FT disparity was unfortunate and strongly favored Butler.

But...  Butler was the aggressor more consistently...   they looked to drive every possession where MSU settles for jump shot far to often.

[CrimsonNCrean]

I'm sorry, but I've watched 4 of the 5 Butler tourney games thus far, and they are pretty atrocious offensively.  I think it speaks somewhat to the weakness of the field this year that Butler hasn't faced a team able to score enough against them to beat them.

sigh.....   Butler has beaten the 7th Syracuse, and 11th K State highest scoring teams in the NCAA.....
http://www.ncaa.com/sports/m-baskbl/stats/ncaa-m-baskbl-div1-team-scoring-offense.html

care to try again....   

[CrimsonNCrean]

oh and Murray St was 31st...   

[karavotsos]

I'm not sure how that responds to my argument.  I said teams this year are historically weaker than other years.  I'm saying no matter how good you are defensively, you could not have held UNC or Villanova of last year to under 60, or most likely MSU for that matter.

That they played higher rated offensive teams that were unable to score I think actually supports my point.

[ATWizJr]

sigh.....   Butler has beaten the 7th Syracuse, and 11th K State highest scoring teams in the NCAA.....
http://www.ncaa.com/sports/m-baskbl/stats/ncaa-m-baskbl-div1-team-scoring-offense.html

care to try again....   

Butler shot 31% for the game.  If that's not atrocious it's at least terribly boring.  Again, kinda' like B10 style of play.  You can win with it but it is not fun to watch.

[karavotsos]

Bill Walton was on Westwood One between games, and he even said it was bad basketball in the middle of his rant about how unbelievable and magnificent the Final Four was.  The rarely critical Bill Walton.

[CrimsonNCrean]

C'mon man...

the 2008 NY Giants were not nearly the best team in the NFL ... but they WON...  does that in any way diminish what they have accomplished?

Shouldn't each season be viewed on its own merit?

[karavotsos]

Yes, it should.  I don't begrudge Butler anything.  That's not the argument you were making before.  I'm just saying that their FG% was 31%.  They have been consistently bad on one end of the floor for the entire tournament.  They don't have one guy who can beat their defender off the dribble most of the time.  In most seasons, a team could not be that bad on one end and go all the way because they would run into a team that could outscore them, maybe not for the whole game, but at least at the end of the game.

The thing that I find most amazing about Butler is that they score at the end of games.  They are so bad offensively.  Then at least against KSU and Cuse they got down at the end, and they scored.  Cuse and KSU didn't.  MSU was similar, except MSU never got the lead. 

I expected Butler not to be able to score, and Cuse or KSU to be able to pull away.  Yet this team that can't score scores, and they hold at off a better offensive team that should have more confident offensive players.  They deserve credit for what they've done, no doubt.  It's still winnin' ugly. 

[CrimsonNCrean]

I live in central IN...   I am an IU grad and fan...  I "love" the way BU plays...  and they are not a "bad" offensive team at all.....   as a matter of fact they run O very well...   tonight against MSU they missed about 5 cupcakes...  ?  what can you do?

Plus put this in perspective...  Matt Howard played 4 min. in the first half....   he was the 2009 Horizan League player of the year..   And Shelvin Mack, BU's 2nd best player hardly played at all in the second half..   

Give credit where credit is due....   this is just the classic "underdog" story...   when in fact BU is no underdog at all......

I love it.....   It could only happen in the state of INDIANA..........   

[ATWizJr]

No one has said they don't deserve credit and congratulations.  But, man, that was an unattractive display today by both teams.

[CrimsonNCrean]

No one has said they don't deserve credit and congratulations.  But, man, that was an unattractive display today by both teams.

would you rather watch IU?  hehe...