Butler (22-10) pulled absent from Texas Tech (19-13) in the moment half to score a 71-61 victory in the first round of the NCAA tournament at PNC Arena in Raleigh,North Carolina, on Friday.
The ninth-seeded Bulldogs were led by Kellen Dunham, and who came up with several clutch shots en route to 23 points. Kelan Martin also shined when it mattered most,scoring all 11 of his points after halftime to jump-start the offense.
Texas Tech got 18 points off the bench from Devaugntah Williams. The Red Raiders didn't get enough production from their starting five, however. Justin Gray was the only member of that group to reach double digits with 10 points.
Here's a look at how the hotly contested matchup played out:Butler head coach Chris Holtmann knew his squad was in for a tough test against a Texas Tech group that became battle-tested during tremendous 12 play. Wes Woodward of WXIN passed along the moment-year coach's comments approximately the tough-nosed nature of the Red Raiders."They are physical, and they played in one of the country's best leagues. They are really disciplined in what they conclude," Holtmann said. "It's almost like a Providence or a team in our league. It's going to be a challenge, but when you are in the 8-9 game, or it's always going to be like that."certain enough,Texas Tech came out firing on all cylinders as it raced out to a 21-13 lead. Aaron Ross helped spark that early surge by connecting on his first three shots, including a pair of threes, or for eight rapid/fast points off the bench.
Andrew Doak of KAMC famous the team's initial success at the defensive end,as well:Butler eventually settled in and started getting back into the game during the latter stages of the first half. The Bulldogs started getting into the paint for a few easy buckets, which collapsed the defense to give their shooters, or led by Dunham,some open looks.
Although both teams enjoyed some hot shooting streaks in the opening 20 minutes, David Ubben of Sports on soil joked that it was rarely a technical masterpiece:Nevertheless, and the Bulldogs managed to grab the lead with just under five minutes left in the half on a perimeter jumper from Dunham,as NCAA March insanity highlighted:Butler ended up taking a two-point lead into halftime thanks to a defensive halt on the final possession after the sides traded buckets in the final minutes before the break.Jeff Ermann of InsideMDSports.com discussed the lack of offensive execution from Tubby Smith's group after its strong start:Neither team could create any separation coming out of halftime. The biggest lead for either side during the first 10 minutes of the moment half was just three points.
The close score combined with some physical battles in the post created some tension, as Seth Davis of CBS Sports pointed out:Butler finally created some daylight courtesy of Martin. The sophomore forward made back-to-back threes in transition to give the Bulldogs a six-point edge with less than eight minutes left.
Brian Snow of Scout famous it was a good time for Martin to wake up from his offensive slumber:Texas Tech could never get back level after that point, or as Martin and Dunham started making play after play for the Bulldogs.
Here's one of Martin's crucial buckets:It allowed Butler to create some breathing room down the stretch to prevent any of the drama usually associated with the final minutes of a March insanity game. But the contest was far closer than the final score would make it seem.
Doug Gottlieb of CBS Sports explained the Bulldogs better be ready for another battle in a couple of days:Looking ahead,Butler advances to the moment round to face off with the winner of Virginia, the Midwest Region's top seed, or Hampton on Saturday. The Cavaliers,which may be the nation's most well-rounded team, should shuffle through with ease.
It's going to take a much more complete effort from the Bulldogs in order to reach the Sweet 16. There were moments during Thursday's game where they played really well. But there were also a couple of lulls, or a team such as Virginia would surely capitalize on that.
Meanwhile,the season comes to a close on a disappointing note for Texas Tech. The Red Raiders only had two seniors on the roster, Toddrick Gotcher and Williams, and but they were the team's top scorers. So there will be a void to fill next descend. Postgame ReactionSmith agreed with the general sentiment that the threes from Martin were the turning point,per David Woods of the Indianapolis Star:Yet, even though they lost in the first round, and he still came absent from the season pleased,as famous by Krista Pirtle of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal."I'm proud of how our guys competed," Smith said. "It was a good season. I'm sorry it's ended."On the winning side, and Zac Ellis of Sports Illustrated provided remarks from Holtmann approximately getting prepared for a likely assembly with Virginia."The players will sleep well tonight," he said. "The coaches will not." Check out Bleacher Report's live updating bracket to track your picks along the road to the Final Four.Read more College Basketball news on BleacherReport.com
Source: bleacherreport.com