The Butler Bulldogs and the Pittsburgh Panthers will play on Friday in Indianapolis. What some fans may not appreciate is the complexity of the Butler vs. Pitt history.
In the 2009-2010 season, Butler and head coach Brad Stevens did the unthinkable, going from Horizon League champions to NCAA Tournament runners-up. In the championship game against Duke, it came down to a half-court shot from Gordon Hayward that rimmed out, giving Duke the narrow 61-59 win. Maybe even more improbable was the Bulldogs making another run to the NCAA championship game the year after.
Butler’s Second NCAA Run in 2010-11
Butler’s run started with a nail-biting 60-58 win over Old Dominion. Then the Bulldogs faced the No. 1-seeded powerhouse Pitt Panthers. Pitt fans remember this game all too well. The score was 70-69 Bulldogs, with two seconds left. The Panthers inbounded the ball, and Pitt’s Gilbert Brown was fouled while dribbling up the court with 1.4 seconds left. Brown hit the first free throw to tie the game, then missed the second; on the rebound, the Panthers fouled, and Butler made the game-winning free throw.
It was a gut-wrenching loss for the Panthers, who had national championship aspirations. This win propelled Butler to another big tournament run and its second consecutive national championship game. The Bulldogs faced the always March-ready UConn Huskies in the title game and came up short for the second year in a row…