Defense Dominates the Dance

K-State, Kentucky KO’d

The Butler Bulldogs are headed to their first Final Four in team history after besting second seeded Kansas State in Saturday’s West regional final. Butler beat the Wildcats 63-56 to advance to Indianapolis next weekend. The underdog Bulldogs clawed the Cats with fantastic defense to extend their winning streak to 24 straight games. Butler’s in-your-face defense propelled them to a 27-20 halftime lead, and the Bulldogs held K-State’s top two scorers to two first half points. Butler hounded Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen as they shot a combined 11 for 30. A late Kansas State comeback fell short. The Bulldogs were relentless despite falling behind briefly in the second half. Sophomore Gordon Hayward was the Bulldogs’ most consistent vessel, scoring 22 points in leading Butler to the Big Dance Final Four.
The Wildcats entered Saturday’s contest with a decided size benefit, but Butler grabbed a plus-12 rebound advantage in establishing their ferocity. Hayward collected nine of the team’s 36 rebounds. The teams scored an even 36 in the second half due in part to senior Clemente’s passionate effort. Clemente carried K-State with 18 points, including three from beyond the arc. Butler boasted their own big man downtown in team leader, Shelvin Mack. Mack, the Bulldogs’ sophomore guard, went 3-for-6 from long range and finished with 16 points. Pullen and Curtis Kelly added 14 apiece for the Big 12 Wildcats. Willie Veasley and Ronald Nored smothered the Wildcat shooters who scored a combined 53 points their double overtime victory over Xavier. Forty hours later, K-State looked lethargic and tired against the Cinderalla Bulldogs. Pullen clanked floating jumpers off the rim time after time, and Clemente hobbled throughout most of the game with a bruised thigh. The Bulldogs shot 38% and did not hit a basket outside 15 feet in the first half. Butler controlled the tempo and pace of the ball game and gave every indication they wanted it more. Clemente’s 3-pointer with 4:49 remaining capped an 8-0 run and the only K-State lead of the day. Butler continued to pack the zone, eliminating any driving chances for the offensive-minded Wildcats. Now it’s on to their hometown Indiana for a Final Four meeting with the winner of today’s Tennessee-Michigan State pairing.
Top-seeded Kentucky is the third number one to be ousted in the tournament. John Calipari’s favored Wildcats were downed by the dance darlings, West Virginia. The Mountaineers topped Kentucky in Syracuse last night, 73-66. Second-seeded West Virginia returns to the Final Four for the first time since Jerry West’s junior season in 1959. The Mountaineers played Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium against the victor of Duke-Baylor. The 31-6 Big East champions were fuled by junior, Joe Mazzulla’s career-high 17 points. Cold-shooting Kentucky was shocked from the opening tip in this one-two matchup. West Virginia made eight 3-pointers in the first half and succeeded in slowing the scintillating sensation, John Wall. Wall, an NBA-bound freshman, scored 19 points for the young and overmatched Wildcats. The aggressive and athletic Mountaineers used solid defense and played exclusively out of the 1-3-1 zone to puzzle the Wildcats. Kentucky’s inability to sustain runs and solve the WVU zone was a major factor in just their third loss of the year.
The Wildcats were dismal from long range, connecting a mere 12.5% of the time. Kentucky missed their first 20 attempts from deep. DeAndre Loggins ended the 3-point drought with 3:29 left, but it was too late for Kentucky. West Virginia allowed few chances for the Kentucky guard to penetrate as the defense and long range shooting kept the Mountaineers in the game during the first half. Bob Huggins’ team were held without a 2-point field goal the entire first half but still led by two points at the break. They were 8-of-15 beyond the arc. Kentucky’s inexperience showed as the ineffective Wildcats misfired following an 11-0 run to open the contest. Da’Sean Butler guided the Mountaineers with 18 points. West Virginia denied the top seed easy shot by committing fouls and forcing the Wildcats to make free throws. The Wildcats were just 16-of-29 from the line. Wall was 7-of-18 from the floor and hit half of his eight freebies. Kentucky outrebounded West Virginia by nine, but four Mountaineers reached double digits in this team effort. Kevin Jones and Devin Ebanks combined for 15 rebounds and 25 points. Patrick Patterson, the junior forward snatched 13 rebounds in Kentucky’s attempt to reject the Mountaineers. WVY deployed a second half strategy to get to the rim and implement layup opportunities. It paid off to play to their offensive strengths. The Mountaineers built a ten point advantage to begin the second half. The spurt put WVU in control the remainder of the game. The mighty Mountaineers exited the Carrier Dome with an encouraging upset to grab the spotlight in this unpredictable tournament.

Parting Points: Happy Palm Sunday!