Poor-shooting Butler relies on stout defense to hold off Michigan State

INDIANAPOLIS -- Butler Coach Brad Stevens does not possess a wealth of Final Four experience. In fact, the third-year, 33-year-old head coach never had stepped onto college basketball's grandest stage prior to Saturday night.

But it didn't take the sterling credentials of his counterpart, Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo -- whose teams have made six Final Fours in the past 12 seasons -- to understand that shooting 30.6 percent was not a prudent plan for success, which made Stevens that much prouder of his team's defensive effort in the aftermath of Butler's 52-50 win over the Spartans.

Performing in front of an overwhelmingly partisan crowd, Butler tallied 12 steals and forced 16 Michigan State turnovers. As a reward, the Bulldogs have an opportunity Monday night to become the second team in NCAA tournament history to win a national title in its home city.

"Well, obviously I didn't think 15 for 49 was a great way to approach this game, and I never would have dreamed that we would have won if we shot 15 for 49," Stevens said. "But our guys did a great job defending in the last 30 minutes of the game. They really locked on and made it difficult. . . . The guys really dug in."

The Bulldogs went 10 minutes 35 seconds during the second half without making a field goal. In fact, Butler made just one field goal from the field in the game's final 12 minutes. But its defense -- especially in the closing minutes -- remained Butler's salvation.

Neither team led by more than seven points all night, due in large part to Butler's inability to shoot and Michigan State's inability to control the ball. The Spartans closed their deficit to three with 2:27 remaining in the game and were poised to pull even closer. But Bulldogs guard Ronald Nored registered one of his three steals against Michigan State point guard Korie Lucious and fed teammate Shawn Vanzant on a fast break.

Butler outscored the Spartans, 20-2, in points off turnovers. On that possession, Vanzant ended up being fouled and making one of two free throws, extending the Bulldogs' lead to four.

Following a basket by Michigan State forward Draymond Green, Butler forward Gordon Hayward drained a jump shot with 1:35 to play, marking one of just six made baskets for the Bulldogs in the second half. It was also the only field goal Butler made in the final 12 minutes.

"It did seem like it was a long time [going without a basket], but for us, as long as we guard, we feel like we can be in games, and that's what we've tried to do all year," said Hayward, who finished with 19 points and nine rebounds. "We've gone through stretches like that before when it just seems like we can't throw it in the ocean when we're standing on the beach. For us, as long as we guard we feel like we can still stay in the game."

With 56.3 seconds remaining in the game, Green made a pair of free throws to pull the Spartans within one point of the lead. On the Spartans' next possession, Green missed a turnaround jumper, and Nored grabbed the rebound with 6.1 seconds left.

Nored approached the free throw line armed with the knowledge that two makes would go a long way toward securing the win, as well as that he had shot 3 for 12 from the line during the previous four games of Butler's NCAA tournament run.

Earlier this week, Nored looked over photographs of his previous free throw attempts in recent weeks and noticed that he was coming up short, aiming rather than simply shooting. With a berth in the national championship game at stake, Nored said he reminded himself to get his elbow under the shot, finish high and flick his wrist.

He made the first, and then he made the second.

Throughout the month of March, the Bulldogs insisted to anyone who would listen that they are not the Cinderella that their Horizon League affiliation would suggest. Butler -- ranked in the top 10 at the season's outset and owner of a 25-game winning streak -- will stick to sneakers instead of glass slippers, thank you.

"This is what we've all played for; this is where we should be," Hayward said. "This is where we want to be."