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Butler makes Michigan State's mistakes hurtNCAA Basketball Betting Lines04/03/2010 - INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -There's no nickname for them. The column on the stat sheets says ``Points Off Turnovers.'' It doesn't need any more description. Butler took advantage of them and reached the national championship game in its hometown. The Bulldogs turned 16 Michigan State turnovers into 20 points in a 52-50 victory on Saturday night. Michigan State managed only two points off the Bulldogs' eight turnovers. Take care of the ball and score when the other team doesn't. Sounds simple, huh? Butler was good enough following that credo to offset a terrible shooting performance and move within a win of one of college basketball's most unlikely titles. ``Obviously, I didn't think 15 for 49 was a great way to approach this game, and I never would have dreamed we would have won if we shot 15 for 49,'' Butler coach Brad Stevens said. ``But our guys did a great job defending in the last 30 minutes of the game. Really locked on, made it difficult. I think Michigan State had 21 at the 10-minute mark of the first half, and after that, scored I guess 29. So guys really, really dug in.'' The Bulldogs, the champions of the mid-major labeled Horizon League making their first Final Four appearance, started early in taking advantage of mistakes by the Spartans, the team from the Big Ten that was in the national semifinals for the sixth time in 12 years. When Delvon Roe turned the ball over just 2:17 into the game, it took only 12 seconds for Butler's Gordon Hayward to hit a 3-pointer that tied it 6-all. Michigan State's second turnover 37 seconds later turned into a free throw by Shelvin Mack, and the Bulldogs were up 7-6. A mistake by Michigan State point guard Korie Lucious with less than a minute to play in the first half became a fast-break 3-pointer by Mack that made it 28-all. Despite making just six of 25 shots in the second half, Butler was able to hold the lead for most of the final 20 minutes by converting mistakes into cherished points. The Bulldogs made one field goal over the final 12 minutes. ``It did seem like it was a long time,'' Hayward said. ``But for us, as long as we guard, we feel like we can be in games. That's what we've tried to do all year. We've gone through stretches like that before where it seems like we can't throw it in the ocean and we're standing on the beach. For us, as long as we guard, we feel we can still stay in the game.'' The Bulldogs' biggest lead, 44-37, came when Willie Veasley dunked on a fast break after Lucious threw a bad pass. There weren't many field goals for Butler, but free throws after turnovers count just the same and the Bulldogs had a bunch of those to keep the Spartans at bay. ``It was definitely Butler basketball,'' senior forward Avery Jukes said. ``We had to grind it out; it was a long game. It was a close game the whole time, and we ended up with the win.'' It wasn't a blowout by any means. It was another win in an improbable run by a team that was ranked for most of the season and finished 11th in the final poll, two spots ahead of Michigan State. Both teams were No. 5 seeds in the NCAA tournament. One took care of the ball and made sure the other paid for it when it didn't. Butler has held all five opponents in the tournament under 60 points, the first team to do that since the shot clock era began in 1986. The Bulldogs are 20-0 when holding foes under 60 points. Butler has committed 51 turnovers in its five NCAA tournament games. The Bulldogs have forced the opposition into 79. ``Words can't explain the way everybody is feeling right now, to be in the national championship game when nobody gave us a chance at all,'' Veasley said. Michigan State knew what to expect coming in. ``They played great defensively,'' Spartans forward Draymond Green said. ``We have to give our coaching staff credit as well. The scouting report they gave us, everything they did to a `T,' said they would swipe the ball, said we had to be strong with the ball. Everything they said in the scouting report is what they did. You have to give our coaching staff credit as well. But you also have to give them credit. ... They were great help-side defensive. They had very active hands.'' Maybe ``Points Off Turnovers'' can be called the ``Butler Way'' from now on.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
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Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana Should be in: Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it? Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel. Work left to do: Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third. Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim. Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either. Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim. For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.
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