Written by Frank Bolling
What if the shot had gone in? As Gordon Hayward heroically heaved up a shot from half court, millions of college basketball fans all across America held their breath as if they were about to witness greatness.
The script could not have been more perfect. An unheralded team from the Horizon League clawed and fought its way through basketball royalty such as Syracuse University and Michigan State University and stood toe to toe with the Duke University Blue Devils for 40 minutes.The shot sailed toward the hoop and narrowly missed the mark, which left many across the nation wondering, what if the shot had gone in?
As the 2010-2011 college basketball season approached, many wondered how this Butler University team would fare after their miraculous Cinderella run. They began the season ranked in the top 25, but Butler did not measure up to the expectations.
The team underperformed in its conference games, with a record of 13-5. But in early February, as the tournament began to crest on the horizon, something ignited within this Bulldog team. Since Feb. 5, a Butler team that looked like it might struggle to even reach the field of 68, has not lost. They claimed the Horizon League championship,crushing a Milwaukee team that had bested them twice already that season. And once again the Bulldogs have maneuvered their way through the tournament field and found themselves in the title game against a talented team with a Hall of Fame coach.
Same script, different year. The Butler Bulldogs once againhad the chance to prove that they can play with the top programs in the college basketball world. Brad Stevens, the head coach of the Bulldogs, is only 34 and is in his fourth season at Butler. Jim Calhoun, 68, is the head coach of Connecticut and has won two championships to Stevens’ zero. Forty minutes separated these teams from being immortalized within the ranks of college basketball his- tory forever, and for the Butler Bulldogs,the only question that rang in their ears was: Will we make the shot this year?
The first half could not have gone better for the Bulldogs. They forced the Huskies into an ugly half-court game, which favored the scrappy Butler team, and went into halftime ahead 22-19. However, the second half was dominated by UConn.They out-rebounded, out-hustled and out-played Butler.The Bulldogs shot only 18.8 percent from the field, which is the lowest shooting percentage in NCAA Cham- pionship game history.
Once again Butler was left to watch another team walk off the floor with the national title. The Bulldogs would love to have the title, but even though they have left empty-handed the past two seasons, no one can discount the impressive back-to-back championship game appearances.The Bulldogs have proven themselves as one of the best basketball programs over the past few seasons and can start now to write a different script next year.
