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Things You May Have Missed: Breaking Down Butler-VCU and UConn-Kentucky

Patrick Crawley, Devin Altschul, Dave Dulberg, Victor Marticorena, James Santelli |
April 2, 2011 | 10:14 p.m. PDT

Kemba Walker and the Huskies will be playing in the title game on Monday. (Photo courtesy of Robert Mora.)
Kemba Walker and the Huskies will be playing in the title game on Monday. (Photo courtesy of Robert Mora.)
The NCAA championship is set. Against all odds, Butler is making its second championship appearance in as many years. This time they'll be taking on people's champ Kemba Walker and the UConn Huskies, though, not Coach K and the Blue Devils.

Both UConn and Butler played tremendous defense en route to the title game, but it was their playmakers (Shelvin Mack for Butler, Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb for UConn) who made the difference in the end.

Saturday was an exciting day of hoops. Here are a few things you may have missed while the pizza delivery guy was trying to make exact change:

Butler 70, VCU 62

Butler's win came down to two big runs in the second half: Zach Hahn's eight-point streak midway through the half and Shelvin Mack's 10-point spree a few minutes later. Hahn and Mack combined for four threes and 18 points, shattering VCU's zone in the worst bust since the cops got Charlie Sheen at the Plaza Hotel. That stretch, in my mind, is what put the Bulldogs over the top.

- Patrick Crawley

Can enough be said about Butler's Shelvin Mack? How about that he shot 8-for-11 from the field tonight, including 5-of-6 from three. That's just not fair.

- James Santelli

Everyone wants to anoint Kemba Walker and Jimmer Fredette as the best pure scorers in college basketball, but from what I’ve seen through five rounds, Butler’s Shelvin Mack does more with less better than anyone in the country. In the Bulldogs’ balanced offense, Mack has been forced to create opportunities for himself and is thriving in that role, scoring over 21 points per game in this year‘s tournament.

- Dave Dulberg

Shelvin Mack has a knack for hitting threes when the Bulldogs need a boost of energy. I’ve seen plenty of people on Twitter comment on how Mack reminds them of Dwyane Wade back when he was leading Marquette. That’s a pretty nice comparison. Hopefully Mack can translate that into a great NBA career.

- Victor Marticorena


Shaka Smart has rarely been outcoached in the tournament, but his inability to adjust Saturday cost the Rams any chance of sustaining their run. Smart was enamored with a full court press that was neither effective nor cohesive. VCU’s porous defensive strategy allowed Butler to score several easy baskets en route to a second straight trip to the championship game.

- Dulberg

An 8-for-22 three-point shooting night would be fine for most teams, but it wasn't enough for VCU, which has relied heavily on its shooting from beyond the arc. It was the Rams' worst three-point game of the tournament. Butler matched them almost shot-for-shot, finishing 8-for-23.

- Santelli

Butler connected on 10 field goal attempts on 35 percent shooting in the first half. So how did they separate themselves in the first 20 minutes? The free throw line. The Bulldogs hit 11 shots from the charity stripe compared to just two by VCU.

- Dulberg

VCU lost but Jamie Skeen deserves credit for keeping the Rams close. He was a monster in the post, scoring a game-high 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting. Skeen sometimes has a difficult time creating his own shot, but he does have a great spin move that should translate well to the next level. I wouldn't be surpised if a team scoops him up in the early second round.

- Crawley

Matt Howard is a ball magnet. Either that or the game ball has some sort of mechanism that attracts Howard to it. If the latter is true, then I think the mechanism only turns on with three minutes left in the game. Somehow, Howard is able to get to the ball at key moments in the game when his team needs it most. He has come up with a clutch rebound in just about every game so far this tournament.

- Marticorena

Matt Howard of Butler delivered the dagger that ended VCU's run. Down four points with 1:30 left, VCU had to get a stop. Shawn Vanzant missed a jumper for Butler, but Howard got the rebound and made the putback to extend the lead to six. Ten seconds later (the opposite end), Darius Theus missed a layup for VCU. Howard pulled down the rebound as he was being fouled. He made both free throws to give Butler an insurmountable eight-point lead with 47 seconds left. 

- Santelli

I enjoyed the halftime show with Brad Stevens and Matt Howard. They are so modest and grateful. I think Butler is looking for revenge this year. They have a good shot of winning the whole thing.

- Devin Altschul

Has Blue II replaced Meaty from Rob & Big as America's favorite bulldog? Someone needs to get to the bottom of this.

- Crawley

When the Bulldogs take the floor Monday night at Reliant Stadium they will once again fall into the role of underdog. The team is 7-1 over the last two years in tournament games they weren’t favored to win. Their only loss was last year’s 63-61 loss to Duke in the championship game.

- Dulberg

UConn 56, Kentucky 55

Kentucky’s previous opponents ran their offense mainly through their big men. Fortunately for the Wildcats, Josh Harrellson was able to negate that by playing well on both ends of the floor. Connecticut was a different kind of team, though. UConn runs their entire offense through its guards. Kemba Walker, Shabazz Napier and Jeremy Lamb determine whether or not the big men get the ball, and their big men are counted on for their defense and rebounding, not their offense. From the start, UConn had the advantage in the guard play of Walker and Lamb, and, once again, those players led the Huskies to victory.

- Marticorena

We've had a few overtime thrillers in this tournament, but UConn-Kentucky was the most evenly matched game so far. The toughness and athleticism of the Wildcats versus the defense and playmaking of the Huskies. In the end, Kemba and Co. won, but it easily could have gone the other way. One more made free throw from DeAndre Liggins and this baby was headed for extra time. If these teams played 10 times, I'm convinced each one would win five.

- Crawley

Kemba Walker tied his lowest scoring output of the tournament with 18 points, but it was his leadership in other facets of the game that helped the Huskies advance. The senior guard led the team in assists (7), steals (2) and blocks (2) while also grabbing six rebounds.

- Dulberg

I didn’t notice this until looking at the box score, but Kentucky shot 33 percent across the board. 33 percent from the field, 33 percent from downtown and 33 percent from the charity stripe. Now, I’m no math whiz, but I’m pretty sure those are not good numbers. Speaking of bad shooting, UConn shot an appalling 8.3 percent from beyond the arc. It’s a good thing they made a lot more two-pointers and free throws than Kentucky.

- Marticorena


Throw the comparisons to Jonny Flynn out the window. Kemba Walker is going to be a legitimate contributor in the NBA. He's more athletic than Flynn, creates shots more easily and is a better perimeter defender. Did you see him put the clamps on Brandon Knight on Kentucky's final possession? That was as clutch a play as any made down the stretch. Kentucky's guards were bigger than Kemba and he had to contend with Josh Harrellson inside. It didn't matter, though. He scored 18 points and did what he had to do to win the game. I can't wait to see him play at the next level.

- Crawley

I often tell friends not to pick Calipari-coached teams to win the championship because they're notoriously bad at the free throw line. Saturday's game was another example of that. The Wildcats made just four of their 12 free throws. UConn, on the other hand, shot 9-of-11, including a pair of free throws from Shabazz Napier that sealed the game. Terrence Jones was the biggest perpetrator for Kentucky. He missed all five of his shots from the line. Coach Cal would be wise to spend the 15 minutes it takes him to "Pauly D" his hair in the morning on team free throw shooting drills. Maybe then he'd finally get the championship he's been chasing since his days at UMass. 

- Crawley

Despite outscoring Connecticut from the three-point line by 24, Brandon Knight’s shot selection from downtown really took the Wildcats out of their rhythm. The star freshman shot 3-of-11 from distance. Ironically, in games where he took at least 10 shots this season, Knight’s two worst shooting nights came against the Huskies (3-of-15 in the 84-67 Maui Invitational loss and 6-of-23 in Saturday’s Final Four loss).

- Dulberg

Better postseason gesture? Kobe Bryant sticking out his lower jaw or John Calipari’s two-fisted pump in a full squat?

- Dulberg

Post play was the X-factor in this game for UConn. Alex Oriakhi, Roscoe Smith and Charles Okwandu combined to shoot 9-of-15 from the field for 18 points. The trio also grabbed 20 rebounds and played great interior defense. This may not sound like much for three men combined. Then again, you have the duo of Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb on your team, so you really don’t need too much offensive production from your bigs. With that said, UConn's interior game played a huge role in Saturday's win.

- Marticorena

Free throw shooting aside, I was impressed with Terrence Jones' performance. Eleven points, 15 rebounds and four steals. He was terrific all game long, which had to come as a relief to the Kentucky coaching staff given the absolute stinker of a game Josh Harrellson had (6 points, 4 rebounds).

- Crawley

In two trips to the national championship game, Jim Calhoun is a perfect 2-0. If he is to add to his flawless record with a win on Monday, he would join Bob Knight in a tie for third place all-time on the Mount Rushmore of College Coaches. Only John Wooden (10), Mike Krzyzewski (four) and Adolph Rupp (four) have more.

- Dulberg

That's all folks. Check back Monday for coverage of what figures to be a very exciting championship game.  



 

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