Florida had a double-digit lead in the second half, was dominating in the low post and slowly suffocating Butler's second-straight Final Four run.
How it all went wrong will haunt the Gators for a long, long time.
''I don't really know what to say,'' Florida guard Kenny Boynton said, his head leaning against his locker and a blank stare on his face. ''We didn't get a few loose balls, we were outrebounded and then just missed some shots. They just wanted it more, I guess. It's hard to explain.''
Shelvin Mack scored 27 points, Matt Howard added 14 and Butler came from behind to beat Florida 74-71 in overtime, denying the Gators a third trip to the Final Four in six seasons.
Florida's Vernon Macklin scored a career high 25 points. The Gators seemed unstoppable in the paint until late in the game when questionable shot selection by Boynton and Erving Walker contributed to the team's demise.
With the score tied at 60, Walker missed a long 3-pointer at the end of regulation that would have won the game. There was little ball movement before the contested shot, and it wasn't particularly close, clanging off the side of the rim.
The 5-foot-8 junior had a rough game, making just 1 of 10 shots from the field. He averaged a team leading 14.8 points coming into the game but finished with just eight points.
He sat inches away from Boynton after the game, elbows on his knees and head in his hands.
''Butler was good staying with us, but the looks I got up I thought were pretty good,'' Walker said. ''They just didn't go in for me. I thought I got a great look at the end of regulation. It just rimmed out.''
With Florida (29-8) trailing 72-71, Boynton missed a long 3-point attempt. The look was clean, but it was from several feet behind the arc.
''I just thought it was too good to pass up,'' Boynton said. ''I had the angle, and it felt right. It just didn't happen.''
Florida coach Billy Donovan acknowledged his team's shot selection wasn't perfect, but thought Walker and Boynton made many good decisions most of the game. He said he would have preferred Boynton get a closer look at the end of overtime.
''Give Butler credit because they really got out there in passing lanes hard,'' Donovan said. ''And we've got smaller guards, and it made it harder for them to throw the ball in there ... I would have liked to utilize Vernon a lot more in the second half, but it was hard because he was in foul trouble.''
Considering how easily Florida was scoring inside throughout the game, the low-percentage 3-pointers were a curious way to try and get points with the season on the line.
Macklin was 11 of 14 from the field - devastating Butler's defense with an array of low post moves. Butler's 6-foot-11 center Andrew Smith admitted the Bulldogs couldn't figure out a way to stop him.
''Honestly, I was surprised he stopped getting the ball as much,'' Smith said
But there were some legitimate reasons. Macklin got into foul trouble in the second half, which limited his time on the floor. Donovan also said it was tough to keep Macklin in a tight game because he's such a poor foul shooter - 44.3 percent for the season.
Alex Tyus also had a productive game for the Gators. The 6-foot-8 senior posted his second straight double-double, with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Both Macklin and Tyus were silent in the game's most crucial moments. So was Chandler Parsons, the SEC player of the year, who had just five points and didn't score after halftime.
Tyus didn't hide his frustration with game's ending.
''Our players just weren't really looking for us,'' Tyus said. ''It just happened. I don't know. It's just how the game went.''
While Florida was folding, Butler (27-9) usually made good decisions and the momentum started to turn. Florida led 51-40 after a Tyus jumper with 9:26 remaining, but it took barely more than six minutes for that lead to dwindle to nothing.
Eventually, the game slipped away. As Donovan tried to explain what went wrong, the echoes of Butler's celebration could be heard in the bowels of New Orleans Arena.
''It'll probably take me some time to put the season in perspective,'' Donovan said. ''I'm kind of a guy about the here and now, and right now it's tough to end a season like this.''
