Not much to say about this game . This is it – for all of the marbles and bragging rights until next year. Sit back and join us on the Pine as Butler and UConn battle for the National Championship.
Probable Butler Starters
…………………………………………………………………..PPG….RPG
44 Andrew Smith 6-11 239 So. …………………………8.9…. 5.4
54 Matt Howard 6-8 230 Sr. ………………………….16.7…. 7.7
2 Shawn Vanzant 6-0 172 Sr. …………………………….8.1…. 3.1
1 Shelvin Mack 6-3 215 Jr. ……………………………….15.6 ….4.4
33 Chase Stigall 6-4 195 So. ………………………………4.0….. 1.7
Connecticut Huskies
P # Name Pts. Rebs. Assts
G 3 Jeremy Lamb 11.1 4.3 1.5
• Shooting 48.3 pct. from the field
F 10 Tyler Olander 1.5 1.8 0.4
• Avg. 9.8 minutes per game
G 15 Kemba Walker 23.9 5.3 4.5
• Player of the Year finalist
F 22 Roscoe Smith 6.5 5.2 1.2
• Second on team with 76 offensive rebounds
F 34 Alex Oriakhi 9.6 8.6 1.6^
• Team leader in blocks and offensive rebounding
TEAM STATISTICS BU OPP -------------------------------------------------- SCORING................. 2596 2322 Points per game....... 72.1 64.5 Scoring margin........ +7.6 - FIELD GOALS-ATT......... 886-1999 803-1881 Field goal pct........ .443 .427 3 POINT FG-ATT.......... 272-766 220-674 3-point FG pct........ .355 .326 3-pt FG made per game. 7.6 6.1 FREE THROWS-ATT......... 552-759 496-742 Free throw pct........ .727 .668 F-Throws made per game 15.3 13.8 REBOUNDS................ 1248 1135 Rebounds per game..... 34.7 31.5 Rebounding margin..... +3.1 - ASSISTS................. 439 386 Assists per game...... 12.2 10.7 TURNOVERS............... 401 453 Turnovers per game.... 11.1 12.6 Turnover margin....... +1.4 - Assist/turnover ratio. 1.1 0.9 STEALS.................. 213 194 Steals per game....... 5.9 5.4 BLOCKS.................. 57 98 Blocks per game....... 1.6 2.7 ATTENDANCE.............. 100486 146249 Home games-Avg/Game... 14-7178 13-7785 Neutral site-Avg/Game. - 9-5005 SCORE BY PERIODS: 1st 2nd OT Total ------------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- BUTLER................... 1260 1295 41 - 2596 Opponents................ 1044 1225 53 - 2322 TEAM STATISTICS……………………….. UCONN…………….. OPP SCORING……………………………………………. 2793……………….. 2500 Points per game …………………………73.5…………………. 65.8 Scoring margin ………………………….+7.7 - FIELD GOALS-ATT ………………….988-2269…………… 916-2291 Field goal pct………………………. 4 3 5……………….. . 4 0 0 3 POINT FG-ATT …………………………227-671…………… 239-717 3-point FG pct ……………………….. 3 3 8……………….. . 3 3 3 3-pt FG made per game………… 6.0…………………… 6.3 FREE THROWS-ATT ……………………………590-777……………. 429-623 Free throw pct …………………………….. 7 5 9……………….. . 6 8 9 F-Throws made per game ………………15.5…………………. 11.3 REBOUNDS ……………………………………………1504………………….....1327 Rebounds per game ………………………39.6…………………. 34.9 Rebounding margin …………………………………+4.7 - ASSISTS …………………………………………………502………………….. 470 Assists per game …………………….13.2………………….. 12.4 TURNOVERS ……………………………………………435………………….. 447 Turnovers per game ……………………11.4………………….. 11.8 Turnover margin ………………………….+0.3 - Assist/turnover ratio …….……1.2……………………. 1.1 STEALS …………………………………………………..245…………………… 228 Steals per game …………………………………………6.4……………………. 6.0 BLOCKS ………………………………………………….209 …………………….137 Blocks per game………………………………………. 5.5…………………….. 3.6 ATTENDANCE ………………………………………196671……………… 273188 Home games-Avg/Game …………………..17-11569……………….. 10-13272 Neutral site-Avg/Game – 11-12770 Score by Periods ……………………….1st……….. 2nd…….. OT….. OT2…. Totals UConn ………………………………......……1288……. 1453……….. 43…….... 9…….2793 Opponents ………………………………1140…….. 1311…….... ..39….. 10……. 2500
Rey says
Whew! I’m tired after the first 3 minutes. Quite a frantic pace. BIggest misconception this year is that UCONN was a one man team. Oriaki has been solid all season and is always a threat. Lamb is very smooth though his 15-footer off the dribble isn’t falling right now.
UCONN was 9-9 in the Big East and 21-0 everywhere else.
Rey says
They had a nice overhead shot of a Butler BOB. They set up in a diamond with Matt Howard standing just below the FT line. THe man opposite rolled over top Howard and came to ball while the man on ball side rolled over wide, using Howard as a set screen and the man rolling tight almost as a moving screen. He hit the opposite block and got it for a contested look. Simple but pretty play.
Smitty says
I agree for 2 teams that aren’t the best offensively – this pace is pretty fast right now.
Lamb is silky smooth.
Smitty says
Somebody tell Andrew Smith to catch the ball!!
Smitty says
Lamb picking up his second foul is huge. Has to sit for the rest of the half.
Rey says
A lot is said of Butler’s defense, but I think that most focus on the halfcourt. They’re transition D is phenomenal; they cut off penetration so quick. But how about their baseline-out-of-bounds D! They’ve cause 2 TOs on those alone. UCONN can get nothing under the basket on those.
Rey says
Yeah – Lamb is smooth. Imagine him next year after an off-season of weightlifting and plyometrics.
Rey says
Smitty – is that the Richmond Spider??? As a Temple man, I’m thoroughly upset at that. You know we already have Dayton and Xavier in here, I can’t take you being a Richmond fan all of the sudden.
Smitty says
Butler defense has been fantastic so far. You are right, their transition D has been huge. I think it is part of the reason why they have been able to limit Kemba Walker so far.
On the other hand, UConn’s height is giving Butler fits. Too bad Oriakhi isn’t more dangerous on the offensive side of the ball. He could be taking this game over!!
Smitty says
Rey it is a Richmond Spider and I was supporting the A10.. I will change it once the tournament is over.
Besides.. I don’t want to take sides on the Pine so I am staying neutral and taking another A10 team.. 🙂
Rey says
Come on Smitty – that’s like saying I’m not taking sides in a Duke-Carolina debate so I wear an NC State hat.
Good point about the height issue right now. I imagine someone is talking to Howard in the locker room about #35 guarding him. Howard’s back-to-the-basket game is justnot working. I’d like to see him catch it outside the block and square up on him. Use his quickness and effective shot fake to draw #35 away and exploit him.
Crossword Pete says
Interesting quote; Butler is the best team in the country at playing good when they are playing bad. First half bears that out; 22% from field and lead by 3!
Crossword Pete says
I think Butler is more experienced and more talented. i still don’t know if that is enough to overcome Kemba Walker.
Smitty says
Rey – I am in the middle of too many debates ( Red Sox, Duke, Pats) – I need a break from one.. 🙂
Smitty says
Pete I am not sure it is Kemba Walker that Butler has to overcome. I think it is Alex Oriakhi they have to overcome. He is controlling the paint!
Smitty says
Butler just can’t buy a basket!!
Chas says
Do you think Butler could have beaten Central Connecticut State tonight?
Smitty says
Not sure if they could Chas..
I know one thing. Calhoun outcoached Stevens in this game. The halftime adjustments made by Calhoun allowed the Huskies better opportunities to score. By moving Walker and Lamb to the corners, Butler couldn’t double as quickly and it gave them either an better look at the basket or an easier entry pass into the post.
Wally says
What a dud … we saw a “record-breaking performance” … but in the wrong direction. 18.8% shooting from the field by Butler … sheeeesh …. my 6th grade girls team often shoots better than that. (But not much better) 🙂
Okay … gotta move forward. GO Lady IRISH!!!
Rey says
Greg Anthony coined the phrase about Butler being able to “play good even when they’re playing bad” and everyone started saying that. I never thought it made sense. How ironic that they shoot 18% and don’t win. So much for that cliche getting started.
The thing that must hurt is that Butler just missed. Other than in the paint, it didn’t look like UCONN really caused them to shoot 18% because they missed every open shot imaginable.
Smitty says
Rey, I agree that phrase was not going over well with me at all. Kinda glad it probably isn’t going to stick now.
I am not sure which announcer said it last night, but they basically said something along the lines of UConn was playing good defense, however they weren’t playing THAT good of defense. Butler missed a lot of looks and most of them were really good looks.
Makes you wonder if the moment got to Butler and they were the team with the most Final Four experience.
Crossword Pete says
Smitty, I will stand by my comment that Kemba was more than Butler could handle. With Oriacki controlling the paint and Lamb coming out of the locker room on fire, Walker did not need to score, just keep his team in the game and distribute the ball to the hot hands. If Butler had shot even 25% Kemba would have needed to pick up the scoring, and he would have. I do not believe Butler could have won even if they resembled a basketball team last night. Re: Anthony’s coined phrase, he said it near the end of the half and at that time it was clearly true,
Casey says
Anthony’s comment makes a lot of sense to me. He started using that phrase when Butler beat Florida. The Bulldogs struggled through extended stretches in that game, but they never let it affect them. To a man, the Bulldogs do a great job of moving on to the next play. When things aren’t going well they do a good job of NOT adding to the opponent’s momentum. Sure, that didn’t convert very well last night, but to me, it’s a good message. Stay the course, if you aren’t playing well, ride out the storm until things start going your way. At that point, hopefully you haven’t dug too deep of a hole to climb out.
A couple of key stats to last night’s game: Butler scored 2 points in the paint and UConn had 10 blocks. Another stat not published was the number of shots UConn affected. Butler missed at least 15 shots in the paint because they were trying to avoid being blocked. Add that to the struggles from the outside and you get the anemic performance. They were struggling from the perimeter. What’s the alternative? Go inside? No way. Oriakhi, Okwandu and Smith were the difference last night. Here’s hoping Andrew Smith can recover from last night. I wonder if he has whiplash from ducking some of the play in the paint. Funny how Saturday the tv analysts commented that this UConn team is different from those in the past. Previous Husky teams blocked so many shots, and this year’s version doesn’t. Yeah right.
Rey says
I understand it. I guess it’s arguing semantics. They’re still playing bad. I just found it funny that the comment gained so much steam going into the final and Butler ended up having the worst shooting night ever. So at some point, a certain amount of bad cannot be good no matter how bad the other team is playing, or how long you keep them from being too good to be bad enough to defeat. When is good bad? Sometimes sports becomes too philosophical and that phrase was one of those moments for me.
Great stats about the paint. No stat on how many shots were adjusted. Happened to Howard a lot. Also the rebound margin had to be huge for UCONN. It seemed like UCONN boxed out every defensive possession and kept Butler to a one shot minimum.
Wally says
I’ll say this … credit and discredit goes both ways. This game was certainly an example. UConn gets credit for playing good enough defense to knock maybe 10-15% off of Butler’s usual shooting %. So maybe, just maybe, that puts Butler in the low 30s percentage wise. Meanwhile, Butler clearly is responsible for the rest to take it down to 18%. Guys, they had a lot of open looks from outside … and they simply just clanked ’em. Clanked from the FT line too. In that game, when you get 60+ shots, making another 6-7 probably puts Butler on the champions podium instead of UConn. Remember, this game was only a 3-5 point game most of the way through the 2nd half. Butler actually led by 6 a few mins into the second half.
So UConn deserves credit …. but Butler deserves a lot of discredit. It’s friggin hard to shoot 18% !!!
Casey says
It is a lot easier to shoot 18% percent than you think. Butler entered play averaging 7 threes per game and hitting almost 36% from behind the arc. They went 8-of-23 from long range against VCU (34.8%). Monday night? They were 9-33. A lower percentage but higher than their average makes. What does that mean? Butler went 12-64 for the game. They hit 3 shots inside the arc. Three. UConn took away transition baskets. Took away baseline-out-of-bounds plays. And took away everything in the post. If Butler shoots their average from behind the arc, let’s say 12-33, they still lose the game. UConn picked their poison and won.
Casey says
Another way to look at it – Butler could have increased their shooting percentage from behind the arc by taking fewer shots from out there. Problem is they didn’t have much of an alternative.
Wally says
We were both there. I vividly recall seeing Butler’s “big men” … Howard and Smith (or is it “Stiff”) miss SEVERAL very makeable shots within 3 feet. So that’s right, Casey, Butler hit 3 of 31 shots (9.9%) INSIDE the arc!!! If instead they had made 10 of 31 (32%) INSIDE the arc, they very likely have the chan’ship trophy in their trophy case at Hinkle Fieldhouse. 32% is not asking very much. And they were subpar from the FT line. Failure. Unfortunately.
Chas says
Casey- Wally alluded to this earlier, I believe, and I know he was there, but were you in Houston for the finals?
Oh yeah…and, is today Wednesday? 😉
Wally says
Yes, Chas, Casey was indeed there … and he had a much better seat than I did Monday night, dangit! And a much cheaper seat, double-dangit! And he got a much better view of Butler’s many missed shots. 🙂
Casey says
Yes, Smith, Howard and Marshall missed shots in the paint. Makeable? If that’s what you call contorting your body and trying to get the pumpkin through a sea of arms and hands, then okay. I vividly recall Smith (I wish I could be called Stiff after having played in a national title game) catching the ball on the block and being forced under the window. At the same time UConn denied all of his outlets, so he forced a shot that was an air ball. That wasn’t him being a stiff. That was UConn playing perfect defense.
Wally says
Okay … Casey … so you’re basically saying that UConn just played unbelievable defense on all 28 missed shots inside the arc … and they totally #$*&@! up on Butler’s 3 makes. Wow … that is GREAT defense.
I guess those 15-18 times when the crowd was completely aghast that Butler missed yet another chippy were the times when UConn’s invisible 6th and 7th men were actually guarding Butler’s players. Okay, now I understand.
Btw, if it’s so “easy” to shoot 18% from the field, how many times did UConn “hold their opponent” to less than 20% in a game this season??? Conversely, how many times did Butler shoot less than 20% this season??? I think we’re gonna find that Monday’s game was purely an abberration … a 100 year storm, etc.
Butler crumbled … with just a modicum of competency, they win the game Monday. But I do give credit to UConn … they played “less crappy” on offense.
Smith played like a soft, scared freshman Monday. I’m sure he’ll get better … it’s just that he’ll probably be kicking himself years from now when he thinks about what a non-factor he was in the biggest game of his life. I actually don’t remember him actually catching a ball Monday … seems more like he nervously fumbled a bunch away. JK … he must’ve caught a few … just before he missed all his shots.