Tight game: MSU clinging to lead over Butler, despite scoring drought

Tight game: MSU clinging to lead over Butler

Michigan State has gone more than 5 minutes without a field goal, and just had one taken away when Ronald Nored stepped in front of Delvon Roe and earned a charging foul.

Nored doesn’t score much, but he’s one of the best defenders in the Horizon League.

The two teams were charged up the first couple of minutes, rushing up and down the floor, but now they’ve slowed it down to the tortoise-like pace that most expected.

Shelvin Mack has helped Butler trim the Michigan State lead to 22-20 with 7½ minutes to go in the first half, scoring nine points in quick succession. He’s providing a nice complement for Gordon Hayward, who is being shadowed everywhere he goes.

Both teams have turned the ball over four times, Michigan State has a narrow lead in rebounds, and both teams are shooting around 50 percent from the field.

Talk about a couple of evenly matched programs.

Besides team president Bill Polian, the Colts are also represented by coach Jim Caldwell at the Final Four. And naturally, he was cheering for Butler.

“I’m a big basketball fan,” he said. “This is a great venue, not only for playing football, but for playing basketball.”

Caldwell heard a familiar response when the Bulldogs stepped onto the floor.

“They got a pretty rousing reception,” Caldwell said. “They’ve got great support, and we’re all pulling for them.”

Tom Izzo was stomping his foot on the sideline moments ago, and for good reason.

Raymar Morgan just picked up his third foul with 10:11 left in the first half, putting the banged-up Spartans in a bind. Morgan has been among the hottest players for Michigan State, but just toweled off what little sweat he could work up in about 7 minutes of floor time and shrugged off an offer of a water bottle from a team trainer.

The Spartans figured to use what little size advantage they had to their advantage, but they lack a true center and losing Morgan for an extended period of time will hurt their ability to defend Matt Howard inside and Gordon Hayward driving to the basket.

The only legit NBA prospect on the Bulldogs’ roster is carrying them early on.

Gordon Hayward is 4 for 4 from the field, including two early 3-pointers, but nobody else wearing Butler blue has managed to get in a rhythm. The rest of the team had been 0 for 4 before Shelvin Mack hit a short jumper moments ago.

Michigan State leads 18-14 with 11:02 left before halftime.

Speaking of Hayward, he said there haven’t been too many “wow” moments during this dream week in Indianapolis — except for that phone call Tuesday night from tennis star Andy Roddick.

“He’s just such a superstar, so for him to call, that was really cool,” Hayward said earlier in the week. “You know, I didn’t really think about it at first and then I had to listen to it again. He said ‘Hey, Gordon this is Andy Roddick’ and I was just like ‘Wow!’”

Hayward was nearly as good at tennis as he was basketball in high school.

Draymond Green has come off the bench to provide a spark for Michigan State, hitting a pair of baskets during a 10-2 run that answered seven straight points by Butler.

Green seems to be a little bit hobbled, too, reacting slowly on defense and moving poorly on offense. But at this time of the year, some bumps and bruises are only natural.

Raymar Morgan just checked in with two fouls for Michigan State, taking the place of Green, who plopped down on the bench with a towel over his knees.

The referees have been quick on the whistle, and foul trouble could become a story line because both teams play physical on defense and prefer low-scoring games.

Raymar Morgan already had a pair of fouls with 15 minutes left in the first half, and the Spartans have four as a team.

Butler players were asked before the game how they would deal with a team from the rough-and-tumble Big Ten, and guard Ronald Nored said the Bulldogs wouldn’t back down.

“We’re going to have to match their physicality, we’re going to have to match their toughness,” Nored said. “We’re going to have to match them on the boards.”

Butler big man Matt Howard also has two fouls with 14 minutes left.

More injury woes for Michigan State already.

Korie Lucious limped off the court with a gimpy right foot or ankle, moments after a pass helped setup an easy bucket for Raymar Morgan to make it 8-7 in favor of the Spartans.

Michigan State is already missing Kalin Lucas in the backcourt, and losing Lucious would be a significant blow — especially considering Delvon Roe is playing on his own injured knee.

This is a team that has been resilient all season, though, playing through a flu that swept up and down the roster and injuries that have seemingly affected everybody. Morgan sprained his ankle, Chris Allen had a groin injury, and on and on it goes.

Lucious checked out of the game at the first media timeout, but is already set to check back in.

It’s a party on the perimeter in the first couple minutes of the Final Four opener.

Korie Lucious hit two 3-pointers for Michigan State, making the green-clad fans in Indy forget all about injured point guard Kalin Lucas, before Gordon Hayward knocked down two straight of his own to tie the score 6-all about 3 minutes in.

The fans are loving it, but Tom Izzo might not be.

The Michigan State coach was upset that Lucious left his shooting arm up for a bit after his second 3-pointer. Izzo stomped his feet to get his guard’s attention and tapped his forehead to tell him to think twice, then went back to the bench muttering.

Butler players were introduced moments ago, and one of the quaint rituals — as if there aren’t enough for the small, hometown school — was each player greeting Blue II.

That’s the Bulldogs’ mascot.

He was making the rounds at Lucas Oil Stadium before his team played Michigan State. He hung with the guys from CBS, posed for pictures with adoring fans and got a pat on the head from former Butler coach Thad Matta, now at Ohio State.

He was on his best behavior, too. He didn’t even bark when the Spartans walked by.

“Normally, we’re dragging him. He’s dragging us today,” said owner Michael Kaltenmark, who is Butler’s director of development. “We came in here, and his spirits just lifted.”

Blue II is also celebrating a birthday. He turned 6 last Saturday, the same day Butler beat Kansas State to reach its first Final Four.

Something to watch for in the first national semifinal: Michigan State is undefeated (6-0) when Raymar Morgan has a double-double.

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo talked about Morgan during media availability earlier in the week and had to choose his words carefully in describing his career so far. Izzo wouldn’t tread on the word “disappointment,” but he made it clear that he expects more of the forward.

Morgan has delivered in the NCAA tournament, though, embarking on perhaps the best four-game run of his college basketball career. Does he have another one in him?

Magic Johnson made his way to his seat moments ago, flashing that enormous smile, slapping high-fives with the face-painted Michigan State fans in the front row of the student section.

Even for the Magic Man, this never gets old.

“This is what you live for. This is what it’s all about,” he said. “I love it.”

The MVP of Michigan State’s epic 1979 NCAA title, Johnson was in St. Louis last week to cheer on the Spartans in both rounds of the Midwest Regional, and entered Lucas Oil Stadium for the national semifinal against Butler like a conquering hero returning home.

“It’s a great moment. We’re back again and I think this year is more special because nobody expected us to be here,” Johnson said. “It’s so special.”

Talk about a nice way to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Indiana state high school basketball tournament: Butler playing in the Final Four in Indianapolis.

The Bulldogs are left to carry the banner in a state that calls basketball its own, where you’re more likely to see a backboard and rim attached to the side of barn than you are to see a soccer field in suburbia.

Indiana missed out on the NCAA tournament again, as the once-proud program continues to rebuild. Notre Dame was eliminated in the first round and Purdue was ousted in the regional semifinals by Duke, which plays West Virginia in one of the national semifinals.

That leaves Butler on the big stage against Michigan State.

From small towns like Connersville and Yorktown to bigger cities like Indy and Bloomington, blue Butler shirts are popping up everywhere. Hoosier fans are even joining the bandwagon.

At Victory Field, home of Indy’s minor-league baseball team, the words “Go Dawgs” have been scripted into the stands. At the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in New Castle, home of two Butler players and an assistant coach, growing crowds are asking more questions about Butler.

It’s been a long time since Indiana State and some kid named Larry Bird played Michigan State in the Final Four, but there are certainly some parallels. And they’re evident all over the state of Indiana.

It hasn’t been easy for Butler or Michigan State on the road to Indianapolis.

The Bulldogs had perhaps the easiest game of anybody left in the opening round against UTEP, breezing to a 77-59 victory. The Bulldogs then squeaked by 13th-seeded Murray State by two, upended No. 1 seed Syracuse by four, and struggled to a seven-point win over second-seeded Kansas State in a game that was much closer most of the way.

If that’s impressive, consider that Michigan State won its four games by a whopping 13 points — combined. It was the lowest margin for a Final Four team since the NCAA tournament expanded to 64 in 1985.

The run began with a 70-67 win over New Mexico State, then came a two-point victory over Maryland in which the Spartans lost star guard Kalin Lucas to a ruptured Achilles’ tendon. The injury hasn’t slowed them down, though, in a 59-52 win over Northern Iowa and a 70-69 thriller in the Midwest Regional final against Tennessee.

Colts president Bill Polian brought his son and daughter-in-law to the Final Four.

Just 2½ months ago, Lucas Oil Stadium was the site of the AFC championship. Now it’s been turned into a basketball arena where Michigan State, Butler, West Virginia and Duke will play.

And it was no surprise who Polian, architect of Super Bowl teams in the small-market towns of Buffalo and Indy, was rooting for Saturday. Of course he wanted the small-school guys.

“It’s been an exciting year for Indianapolis sports,” Polian said. “We pull, for the ‘Dawgs every week, so today is no exception.”

He plans to watch Monday night’s title game, too, whether the Bulldogs win or not. But if they do win it could give Polian a glimpse into what the 2012 Super Bowl venue would be like if the Colts were to make it.

“Exciting, very exciting,” Polian said.

Butler fans are ready to party — six miles away from Lucas Oil Stadium.

With ribbons tied around trees and street posts, students, parents and alums started lining up outside of historic Hinkle Fieldhouse more than 2½ hours before tipoff and 75 minutes before doors opened for the school’s viewing party.

Some fans pulled coolers on rolling carts around campus, clearly preparing for a long night, and one Greek organization painted a basketball and Butler’s logo on its front lawn.

Nobody was complaining.

“Hey there’s nothing wrong with camping out, right?” asked freshman Stephanie Holgin.

That’s right.

Every team has a mantra, a few words that define the program, the players and everybody who wears the jersey. In Indianapolis, it’s simply called “The Butler Way.”

“The Butler Way demands commitment,” the official credo reads, “denies selfishness, accepts reality, yet seeks improvement every day while putting the team above self.”

Want evidence of what that means?

On Friday, Butler star Matt Howard broke a shoelace before practice. Little-used freshman Emerson Kampen quickly untied his left shoe, handed over the shoestring and spent the next 50 minutes shooting baskets with, essentially, one good foot.

“I think it’s a lot easier to give up your shoelace than it is to give up your shoes,” coach Brad Stevens said. “But that is something we never talk about unless it’s asked. We want to show what The Butler Way means with our actions.”

It’s gotten them to Lucas Oil Stadium and the Final Four. Now the hometown faithful is hoping it carries Butler through at least one more game.

It begins at last, after three weeks of thrillers and failures, dreams made and dreams dashed. Nearly every office bracket has been turned to confetti, so all that remains are four teams that have weathered the madness to reach college basketball’s biggest stage.

Lucas Oil Stadium. Indianapolis. The Final Four.

The scrappy hometown school, Butler, begins the festivities by taking on Michigan State, which is playing in its second straight Final Four under a coach who is better than just about any other when it comes to tournament play.

The Bulldogs will certainly have the homecourt advantage, but the Spartans know something about that. They played in the championship game against North Carolina at Ford Field a year ago, just a short drive from their East Lansing campus. The Tar Heels routed Michigan State.

The first game will be followed by West Virginia and irascible coach Bob Huggins, still in search of his first national championship, against the blueblood Blue Devils and coach Mike Krzyzewski, who consider it a disappointment when they miss the tournament’s final weekend.

They’re here now, all four of them are, but only two can play on.