Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY -- With his team leading No. 1 seed Syracuse by only six points and only 38 seconds remaining in the game, Butler star Gordon Hayward went to the free throw line. With a monumental upset starting to feel within reach, the sophomore easily dropped the first free throw. With everyone who watched the game on the edge of their seats, Hayward's second attempt fell well short of the iron.
It all comes from coach; Coach starts it. He's our head. He gets us focused. I think that's why we can be poised under pressure.
–Butler guard Ronald Nored
While the crowd in the Energy Solutions Arena let out a collective sigh, Butler Head Coach Brad Stevens couldn't help but let out a chuckle as he encouraged his team to get back on defense. The guy just doesn't get rattled, and it seems to have rubbed off on his team.
"Under any circumstance we're poised," Butler guard Ronald Nored said after the game. "Our team's thing is to stay together through anything and I think we did that… It all comes from coach; Coach starts it. He's our head. He gets us focused. I think that's why we can be poised under pressure."
Related:
Butler one win from heading home for Final Four
Everybody gets it. It's no longer fair or accurate to pat Butler on the head and portray the Bulldogs as that scrappy, plucky, mid-major underdog with more heart than hops and a dream that won't die.The Bulldogs (31-4) struggled throughout the game against Syracuse's stingy zone defense shooting only 40 percent from the field and 25 percent from 3-point range.
Despite their struggles shooting the ball, Stevens' players made up for it by playing some staunch defense of their own, forcing an uncharacteristic 18 Syracuse turnovers.
While the Orangemen were committing costly turnovers, the Bulldogs stayed un-phased, committing only seven turnovers in the game.
In each huddle during timeouts, the difference in composure was obvious. Syracuse Coach Jim Boeheim was beside himself, pleading for his players to make a play. In the Butler huddles, even after falling down by four points with 5:23 remaining, Stevens was a rock, never looking worried that his team would not come through. It was clear he had confidence in his players that they would be able to make the plays they needed down the stretch.
"We've said this word over and over in Indianapolis and that is ‘resolve,'" Stevens said after the game. "These guys have resolve. Hard to measure, but they got it."
What's more is where he is doing it and who he is doing it with. Butler isn't North Carolina, UCLA or Texas. It isn't even the school that claims the best basketball legacy in the state of Indiana.
Stevens gets the job done with second-tier athletes. These kids don't have the talent to play one year of college as a formality before they can play in the NBA. They become a part of a system and are developed into smart basketball players who can compete with anyone. This is a much tougher coaching job than one that lands the best players in the country every year.
Stevens convinces his players that they can compete with anyone, and that belief has quickly become a reality for the Bulldogs, who have defeated UTEP, Murray State and now Syracuse on their bid for a national championship. And it sounds like Stevens thinks that is exactly what his team can achieve.
"There are no better seeds. There are higher seeds," Stevens said Thursday night. "Right now it's just about who plays good on a given night."
Butler will face Kansas State, who defeated Xavier in double overtime Thursday, Saturday at the Energy Solutions Arena with a 2:30 p.m. tip.
