Bulldogs, Rams both like their title chances
Butler has been there. Virginia Commonwealth has not.
Will the Bulldogs’ experience and the Rams’ lack of it be the difference when the teams meet in the Final Four on Saturday?
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Suggesting these days that VCU is at a disadvantage in any way doesn’t fly with the Rams, who are emboldened by their NCAA tournament run, which includes wins over teams from five of the six NCAA power conferences.
| Final Four |
| Butler vs. VCU |
| When » Saturday, 6:09 p.m. |
| Where » Reliant Stadium, Houston |
| TV » CBS |
“We made history here, and … we’re not done yet,” coach Shaka Smart said after beating top-seeded Kansas on Sunday.
But Butler is full of confidence as well after toppling three of the top four seeds — No. 1 Pittsburgh, No. 2 Florida and No. 4 Wisconsin — in the East Region. Butler also is full of purpose after its charmed run to the championship game last year, when it lost to Duke 61-59 as a halfcourt shot clanged off the rim at the buzzer.
“I don’t think we’re done yet. We have unfinished business,” senior guard Zach Hahn told reporters earlier this week. “I think that’s a big part of why we’re back here, just relentlessness on both sides of the court.”
This Final Four will feel different for Butler, however, as it is set in Houston. Last year the Bulldogs were the toast of Indianapolis, playing in the Final Four eight miles from campus at Lucas Oil Stadium.
“Nothing will be like Indy,” coach Brad Stevens said. “If there’s 30,000 people [at practice Friday], they’re going to try to be getting whoever else’s autographs are there in Houston. It’s not going to be for our guys.”
There are many similarities between No. 8 Butler (27-9) and No. 11 VCU (28-11), the two lowest seeds ever to meet in the NCAA semifinals. Both teams struggled at times this year. At midseason, Butler lost four of five in the Horizon League. A month later, VCU did the same to close the regular season in the CAA.
“The losses we had were definitely a learning experience and helped us win future games,” VCU freshman center D.J. Haley said. “We came into the tournament very humble and wanted to prove everybody wrong. Maybe [they] have the same mindset.”
Both rallied behind their brilliant young coaches. Stevens, 34, has led Butler to 13 straight wins, while Smart, 33, has guided VCU on a stunning run through the tournament, with four of its wins coming by double-digit margins.
“With what we’ve done in the tournament, we feel like we’re the most dominant team here,” senior guard Joey Rodriguez said.
Butler has done it with physical defense and grace under pressure. The Bulldogs’ four tournament wins have been by a combined 13 points, with the winning points in two coming with less than a second left.
VCU has succeeded by shooting 44 percent from beyond the arc, taking care of the ball and using pressure and changing defenses to force turnovers.
“They’re really scrappy, and they find ways to win, just like us,” VCU senior Jamie Skeen said. “We’re gonna try to get them to run. We’re gonna try to get them to speed it up a little bit and get some turnovers out of them like we’ve been doing to these other teams.”
