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Dawgs’ cute Cinderella story takes a back seat to VCU

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Once the undisputed NCAA Tournament media darlings, it now appears Butler’s Cinderella slipper is on the other proverbial foot.

Virginia Commonwealth has been trying it on for size. And running with it to the Final Four.

“Man, they’re playing as well as anybody I’ve seen,” Butler senior forward Matt Howard said Monday of VCU, the Bulldogs’ semifinal foe Saturday night in Houston.

“You could make a really good argument they’re playing better than anyone else in the country. It doesn’t matter where you’re from. If you’re playing really well, you could be the team to beat. It doesn’t matter the number beside your name.”

Still, it’s the Bulldogs who are the early favorites. That’s not the typical Butler way.

Expect national perception to categorize this as underdogs tipping off against each other. But VCU coach Shaka Smart has been milking the disrespected vibe ever since some experts suggested the Rams didn’t deserve to make the 68-team field. Butler was the story of last year’s tournament with its run to the title game at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Now the Bulldogs are back again. However incredible or improbable that is for the mid-major program from the Horizon League, some might no longer see Butler as worthy of underdog status.

“I don’t think we’re necessarily a program that uses the whole underdog term; we just go out and play basketball and let everybody else worry about that,” Butler junior guard Ronald Nored said. “But if that’s how they approach it, it’s obviously been successful for them up to this point.

“I don’t think we’re going to focus on that at all. They’re a good team. They’ve beaten all the good teams in their way. We’re not thinking they’re underdogs and we’re better than VCU.”

The eighth-seeded Bulldogs (27-9) upset No. 1 Pittsburgh and No. 2 Florida. VCU (28-11) became the third 11th seed to reach a Final Four with a 10-point win over No. 1 Kansas. The Rams won their five games by an average of 12 points, including an 18-point blowout of third-seeded Purdue.

“I think both of us would look at us as underdogs and enjoy that,” said fourth-year Bulldogs coach Brad Stevens, who, at 34, is the youngest to reach a second Final Four. “Anybody that can use a little extra motivation, that’s a really good thing.

“But I’m going to tell you, one guy who doesn’t believe it as far as VCU goes is me. If you re-ranked the tournament right now, they’d be a 1 seed, based on how they’ve played. They’ve only played one close game. Five tournament games against five BCS schools and they’ve only been in one close game. It’s been remarkable.”

It’s not like Stevens had to say anything to his players, either.

“We just know we’re not going to underestimate them,” Butler junior guard Shelvin Mack said. “They’re going to be a great team. Even though they played in a play-in game, we know they’re a very quality opponent.

“Nothing is going to be easy.”

If last year helped Butler in any way, it’s to not pay too much attention to pre-game hype.

“Either way you think about it, it’s just two teams that have really pulled together in March and started playing their best basketball,” senior guard Zach Hahn said. “That’s the reason why both of us are here. We might be underdogs to other teams, but I don’t think there’s an underdog at all when you look at both of us playing one game against each other for 40 minutes.”

And as Nored added, “As soon as you step on the floor, there’s no such thing as that.”

Stevens suggested his team needs to play better to defeat VCU. And at least one analyst still sees Butler as an underdog — ESPN’s Dick Vitale predicted a Rams triumph.

“You always want to feel like you’re proving someone wrong,” Mack said. “We watch ESPN all the time and we’re never picked to win.”

From www.indystar.com


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