By Mark Concannon
FOXSportsWisconsin.com
March 8, 2011
The Butler Bulldogs, who had been on the wrong side of knockout punches in this building in the 2003 and 2006 Horizon League tournament championship games in Milwaukee, delivered a quick K.O. themselves in Tuesday night's league final at U.S. Cellular Arena. Butler took command of the contest early and went on to defeat Milwaukee 59-44 for its ninth straight victory, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
"In 2003 it was 14-0 before the tip finished," recalled Butler head coach Brad Stevens. "You got no shot. It was important for us to get off to a good start."
Milwaukee, which had already locked up an NIT bid by winning the league's regular-season title, pounded the ball inside to Anthony Hill early. Hill made four free throws after drawing two shooting fouls in the opening minute. But Hill would finish with just 10 points, hitting two of his five field-goal attempts.
"It was tough to get the ball down low," Hill said. "I'm going to blame myself for not being determined enough to get the ball from my teammates."
With the score tied at four, the teams went their separate ways on one sequence. Milwaukee's Tone Boyle, who shot 2 of 9 from the floor, missed an open 3-pointer from the corner. Butler's Shelvin Mack nailed a trey at the other end moments later to make it 7-4 and the Bulldogs were ahead to stay.
Butler's long-range bombers were open behind the arc at the outset. Matt Howard, who finished with 18 points and was named tournament MVP, was met with little defensive resistance, burying two 3's to spark a 14-0 run as the Bulldogs broke out to a 23-6 lead.
"We were moving the ball really well," Howard said. "When you move the ball well, you find open guys. I just happened to benefit from that tonight."
"Howard set the tone and let everyone in the building know they are not new to this environment," Milwaukee coach Rob Jeter said.
During one stretch, Milwaukee turned the ball over on three consecutive possessions, Boyle threw up an air ball and another Panthers turnover led to a Mack layup as the partisan crowd of 10,437 sat in stunned silence.
The Bulldogs had a chance to extend their lead to 20 points but missed some open shots, while Boyle found his form and knocked down two 3-pointers as the Panthers climbed to within 28-20 with two minutes left in the half. But 3-pointers from Zach Hahn and Chase Stigall helped Butler hold on to a sizable 33-20 lead at the break.
Milwaukee made just 4 of 21 shots from the floor in the first half. "They're a great defensive team," Boyle said. "They did a great job."
"These guys have really buckled down and guarded," Stevens said of his team. "That's been the difference."
Shawn Vanzant's 3-pointer gave Butler a 38-23 lead with just less than 18 minutes left in regulation.
But Milwaukee answered with an 11-0 run, sparked by consecutive treys by Tony Meier. Stevens called a timeout to quiet the crowd, which had rediscovered its voice as Milwaukee trailed 38-34.
"When they cut it to three, I felt pretty good that if our guys had the gumption I thought they did, they would respond," Stevens said.
And respond they did. The Panthers got within three on Ryan Allen's layup, but Butler scored the next six points and went on a 12-1 run to put the game away.
The Bulldogs, who stared down Duke into the final seconds of last year's national championship, showed their pedigree against a Milwaukee team that had won 10 straight league games to get to the tournament final, but faded under the brightest lights the program has seen in five seasons.
"It's hard to play in that environment if you haven't played in it," Stevens said. "Our experience in a game of that magnitude allowed the first four minutes to go our way."
Butler coasted to its 23rd victory of the season by standing up to a late Milwaukee run in a hostile environment.
"We've done it quite a bit," Stevens said. "It's a trademark to withstand the storm."
Butler has been perfect since a three-game losing streak in late January and early February, which culminated with a setback at perennial league doormat Youngstown State. Stevens said there were some tough meetings after that loss, but he felt his team was getting close to turning things around. Now he feels good about where his club is headed in the NCAA tournament.
"It's the greatest feeling in the world to qualify for the tournament," Stevens said. "Especially when you win your league championship. Nobody knows how hard that is."
Can Butler make another run to the Final Four? The Bulldogs will be challenged to duplicate their Cinderella story of 2010, but they are still thinking big as they enter the field of 68.
"You can't be satisfied with where you are," Howard said. "There's more out there if you do the right things. You can't relax now. That's the key."
