Butler can't shoot, doesn't lose

INDIANAPOLIS - This time, it didn't look as if its defense would save Butler from continuing its unlikely march through the NCAA tournament, because the Bulldogs' offense couldn't make a shot from anywhere on the floor.

However, converting only one field goal in the final 12 minutes, 18 seconds proved to be a minor problem Saturday night for the Bulldogs. Their defense stayed solid, digging in on every Michigan State possession and frustrating the Spartans time after time.

When Gordon Hayward cradled the rebound of Korie Lucious' intentionally missed free throw with 2 seconds left and watched the many Butler fans in Lucas Oil Stadium rise to their feet in celebration, the Bulldogs had a 52-50 victory and a spot in Monday night's national championship game.

With its 25th consecutive victory, Butler (33-4), a fifth seed, moves on to its first title opportunity. The Bulldogs will face Duke, the winner of Saturday night's second game.

The crowd of 71,298 saw a defensive slugfest, with the Bulldogs taking a few pages out of Michigan State's playbook, matching the Spartans (28-9) bump for bump. They frustrated them into committing nine turnovers in the second half, and held them to two field goals in the final 10:54.

They had to. Butler connected on just 6 of 25 shots in the second half, including misses on all seven of its three-point tries. The Bulldogs wound up shooting 15 for 49, or 30.6 percent.

Two free throws with 6.1 seconds remaining from guard Ronald Nored, who entered the game 3 for 12 from the line in the NCAA tournament, provided the winning margin.

"Obviously, I didn't think 15 of 49 was a great way to approach this game," Butler coach Brad Stevens said. "I never would have dreamed we would have won if we shot 15 of 49. But our guys did a great job defending in the last 30 minutes of the game. Our guys really, really dug in."

The Bulldogs did it with limited participation from two starters, guard Shelvin Mack and center Matt Howard, in the second half. Mack became dehydrated and was suffering from leg cramps, and Howard got hit in the head and told Stevens he wasn't feeling well.

The 6-foot-9 Hayward, a sophomore who led his team with 19 points and nine rebounds, said there was no panic as the Bulldogs kept missing shots and the Spartans, down six with 6 minutes to go, were trimming the deficit to four, then three, then two, and one.

"For us, as long as we guard, we feel like we can be in games," Hayward said. "That's what we've tried to do all year. We've gone through stretches like this before where it seems like we can't throw it in the ocean, and we're standing on the beach."

Hayward's follow-up basket, off a tremendous rebound and feed by Shawn Vanzant, gave Butler a 50-46 lead with 1:36 to play. But Michigan State free throws - one from Durrell Summers and two from Draymond Green - made it a one-point game with 56.3 seconds left.

On the Spartans' next possession, Green drove on Hayward and failed to hit iron.

"I don't know if I got a piece of the ball or maybe a piece of his arm," Hayward said, smiling.

Nored, a 6-foot sophomore, grabbed the miss and subsequently hit two free throws. Stevens had Vanzant foul Lucious after the Spartans guard dribbled into the offensive zone. Lucious made the first and threw the second off the back of the rim, but Hayward snatched the rebound and held it until hearing the final buzzer.

"I've got a lot of emotions right now," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "I felt like if I was not playing, I would be a Butler fan. I like the way they play. They're physical. I like their story. I like the whole thing. They do play like a Big Ten team."

Summers had 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Spartans. But it's Butler heading to the grand finale.

"It's what we've strived for from the beginning . . ." Hayward said. "The whole year we talked about the next game. That's what we focused on. So we're just real excited that the next game is going be for the national championship."