While it wasn’t out of Hollywood, the round-of-32 game between Notre Dame and Butler possessed the same level of drama.
Rather than an Indiana high school state title hanging in the balance, the prize for the winner of this overtime battle in Pittsburgh was a trip to the Sweet 16 in Cleveland, and a date with the winner of Sunday’s Kansas-Wichita State game. Yet, while this game was part of a national tournament, there was an unmistakable sense that it was still an in-state championship game brought to a more national stage.
These schools are not only within the same state; the linkages between them go deeper than that. Butler actually replaced Notre Dame in the Big East when the Irish departed to the ACC. Also, the Villanova loss earlier in the day in Pittsburgh made Butler the last remaining team for the Big East other than Xavier. This game, being an NCAA tournament game, owned national dimensions, but victory was craved for other reasons as well.
When such stakes are involved, the value of composure becomes magnified to a large degree. In the end, Notre Dame continued to show how clutch it is, as the victory was its fourth overtime victory of the 2014-2015 college basketball campaign.
The game’s 40 regulation minutes featured off nights by a couple of stars on each squad. Pat Connaughton hit only 2-of-7 shots from the floor for four points for the Irish, while Kellen Dunham hit 2-of-10 shots for the Bulldogs for six points prior to the extra session. In a fascinating twist of fate, these two players were brought together in the final second of regulation. Connaughton soared into the air to block Dunham’s corner three-point attempt with 0.6 seconds left. The block preserved a 55-55 tie in regulation and gave Connaughton a chance to write a new script in overtime. That’s exactly what he did, draining a massive 3-pointer in the extra session after failing to hit perimeter shots in regulation.
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For Notre Dame, the trio of Steve Vasturia, Demetruis Jackson, and Jerian Grant led the way. Grant, the first Notre Dame All-American since Troy Murphy, scored 16 points. Jackson produced 13, while Vasturia delivered 20, more than double his season average.
For Butler, the Roosevelt Jones show once again took center stage, much as it has all season. Jones got into the paint all night long with the dribble — it’s what he does, and no one can stop it. Jones owned the Irish inside. Post player Andrew Chrabascz scored 18 points, but it was Jones who softened up the Notre Dame defense and created openings for Chrabascz and others.
The success inside was a theme all night long for Butler, and a constant struggle for the Irish. Notre Dame had an opportunity to complete bury Butler in the first half, but the Bulldogs were able to stay in the game by establishing that inside presence. While Notre Dame eventually won the rebounding battle, there were several times that it had a tough time scoring inside after getting into the paint. This was especially true when Butler went on a big run to take a 47-41 lead midway through the second half. In addition to being able to deny the Irish near the rim on defense, the Bulldogs were able to score at will in the paint for most of the night.
Though both teams played clean, solid games, either one would likely get run out of the gym by Kentucky in the region, as the Wildcats just have too much size. The win is uplifting for the Irish, but they have to shore up their interior play — both Kansas and Kentucky are strong inside. If Notre Dame is not able to find an extra measure of muscle, the Irish will likely be going home before next weekend.
However, on this very late night in Pittsburgh, the Irish showed that they have more steel in their veins than in previous seasons.
For the first time since 2003 and just the second time in head coach Mike Brey’s entire tenure, Notre Dame has a second weekend of an NCAA tournament to look forward to. Yes, certain weaknesses have to be addressed in the coming week… but it’s a week in which Notre Dame is still alive in the brackets, instead of preparing its offseason plans.
