Final Four: Butler Moves To Second Straight NCAA Championship Game With 70-62 Win Over VCU

Zach Hahn has caught fire for Butler in its Final Four game against VCU. Hann scored eight points in the last four minutes, pushing Butler to a one-point lead with under 12 minutes to go in the game.

Matt Howard halted VCU’s 7-0 run with a layup in the post, giving Butler a 36-35 lead with just over 16 minutes remaining in the second half. But after a TV timeout, Shaka Smart took a risk and brought Jamie Skeen back in with three fouls. Skeen rewarded his faith initially, nailing a three-pointer to push VCU back up, 38-36.

VCU has made its run at the beginning of the second half of its Final Four game against Butler. The Rams began the second half on a 7-0 run, wresting control back from Butler and taking a 35-34 lead with 16:22 remaining.

VCU got on the board first in the second half when Toby Veal drove down the lane for a layup. Butler then turned the ball over, and VCU cut the lead to 34-33 when Juvonte Reddic took a pass and laid it in.

Butler has slowly rallied in the first half of its FInal Four game against VCU, and it now leads 34-28 at halftime. The Bulldogs closed the half on a 12-4 run after trailing by as many as eight points early on in the half.

Butler started to assert control of the game right after the under-four minute timeout, getting two free throws from Shelvin Mack, a layup from Khyle Marshall and another free throw from Matt Howard after he stole the inbounds pass. Two more Howard free throws pushed the lead back up to 32-28, and another offensive rebound for Howard led to a putback and a 34-28 lead that it held into halftime.

Butler and VCU continue to battle in the first half of a Final Four showdown, and neither team was able to get much going in the past few minutes. Both teams exchanged turnovers and missed shots as defenses started to tighten up and nerves started to kick in.

Butler rallied to tie the score at 15, but then Jamie Skeen scored a lefty hook shot in the lane to stop the run. After a miss by Khyle Marshall on the baseline, both teams exchanged turnovers to end the half, and Ed Nixon also missed a three-pointer from the corner off a kickout pass from Skeen.

Butler has started to assert itself on the offensive glass, and that has keyed a comeback in its Final Four game against VCU. The Bulldogs are on a 8-0 run to tie the score at 15 with 10:15 remaining.

Jamie Skeen, who took a hard fall going into the under-16 minute timeout, hit one of two free throws to push VCU’s lead to 12-7. VCU then stifled Butler with its pressure defense, forcing a wild miss by Butler. Butler’s struggles continued, as Matt Howard rushed a three-pointer on Butler’s next possession, eventually leading to another three-pointer by Burgess from the right corner for a 15-7 VCU lead.

Don’t call it the clash of Cinderellas: Butler vs. VCU might be one of the most unlikely Final Four matchups from the 2011 NCAA Tournament bracket, but both low-seeded teams have made their Big Dance runs based on toughness rather than finesse. Butler’s won three games by three points or less, while VCU’s relentless defense has throttled such blue-bloods as Kansas, Georgetown, and Purdue. We’ll find out which mid-major advances to the NCAA Tournament final this Saturday at 6:09 p.m. Eastern, according to the Final Four schedule, and Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg will have the call in Houston.

Star Watch: Nored contributes next to nothing on offense, which makes his defensive contributions even more important. If he can disrupt what Rodriguez and the Rams want to do around the perimeter, it will be a big boost to Butler’s chances.