Not quite “Hoosiers.” Tiny Butler falls 1 victory short of NCAA title

Butler’s wonderful ride ends 1 win short

INDIANAPOLIS — As the Butler Bulldogs walked out of the arena, still in their uniforms, the security guards lining the hallways applauded them.

“Great job,” some called out.

“Way to go,” others yelled.

No, life is never going to be quite the same for the little guys.

Butler may have lost to Duke 61-59 in the national title game Monday night. By hanging with Duke and making the Blue Devils work for every last bit of their fourth national title, though, the Bulldogs reminded everyone that heart, not size or status, is what matters most.

As Gordon Hayward’s desperation 3-pointer clanged off the rim and confetti began dropping from the ceiling, Matt Howard collapsed at halfcourt and covered his face in his hands, coming so agonizingly close two days after being knocked loopy against Michigan State.

It wasn’t quite the “Hoosiers” sequel that almost the entire crowd of 70,930 — not to mention all those new Butler fans around the country — had hoped for. But Butler’s run will be one for the ages.

“I said yesterday that when you coach these guys, you can be at peace with whatever result you achieve from a won-loss standpoint because of what they gave — they gave everything we had,” Butler coach Brad Stevens said. “There’s certainly nothing to hang your head about.

“I told them in there, what they’ve done, what they did together, will last longer than one night,” Stevens said, “regardless of the outcome.”

College athletics have become almost sterile, as much big business as game. Most teams that get this far in the tournament are from major universities, with facilities that would make NBA teams drool and budgets that dwarf the GNPs of some third-world countries.

But Butler puts the “old” in old school.

With 4,200 students, it was the smallest school to play for the title since the field was expanded to 64 in 1985 and fourth-smallest overall. Forget state-of-the-art facilities. The Bulldogs play in an 82-year-old gym, the barn-like Hinkle Fieldhouse. Practice there, too. At 6:30 a.m. There are no athletic dorms and, yes, those were some of the Butler players spotted in the classroom Monday morning.

“Butler will no longer be what it has been, which has been pretty darn good,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “And everything that’s good about Butler, which are so many things, will now have a chance to be seen in many areas, not just basketball.”

It’s the way they play that most charmed people, though. The Bulldogs call it “The Butler Way,” and it has nothing to do with Xs and Os, backdoor cuts or zone defense. It’s the next guy stepping up, everybody having each other’s back.

“Somebody that is a team-first person, that accepts responsibility, accountable for their actions,” Stevens said before the game when asked to define it. “I think those are all things that lend to a successful program.”

Almost got the Bulldogs (33-5) a national title, too.

With Hayward, Butler’s best pro prospect, Willie Veasley and Howard all struggling early, Avery Jukes carried the Bulldogs in the first 20 minutes. Jukes, better known before the game for the foundation he started to benefit Ugandan kids than his shooting, scored all 10 of his points in the first half, going 2 of 3 from 3-point range.

It was only the third time this season Jukes cracked the double-digit mark.

And when Duke was threatening to pull away late in the second half, Howard stepped up. He wasn’t even cleared to play until a few hours before the game and he picked up his fourth foul with 14:09 still to play. But his six points in the last 5:34 made that thrilling end possible. He made a pair of foul shots and then two layups, including one with 55 seconds left that cut Duke’s lead to 60-59.

Kyle Singler missed at the other end and Nored came up with the rebound. But Hayward missed a jumper and Brian Zoubek got the rebound. Zoubek was fouled and made the first, screaming as the ball dropped through the net. He intentionally missed the second and Hayward got the rebound with three seconds left.

Hayward had made a buzzer-beater in 2008 to give Brownsburg the Indiana Class 4A title. But this one missed, bringing an end to Butler’s wonderful ride. Also ended was Butler’s 25-game losing streak, which had been the longest in the country.

“I was standing at half-court and thought it was going,” Howard said, rubbing his eyes. “That makes it even more devastating when it rims out.”

But it was all those other missed shots that killed Butler’s chance for a Hollywood finish. Two days after going 15 of 49 against Michigan State, the Bulldogs were almost as bad, making 20 of 58 (34.5 percent) against the Blue Devils.

Hayward was limited to 12 points on 2-of-11 shooting. Shelvin Mack 12 and Howard finished with 11.

“We came here to win,” Howard said. “We didn’t come here to finish second, third or fourth place. We came here to win.”