The Warriors Save the Day

What more can be said about Matt Howard's remarkable tip in at the buzzer to propel Butler to its 60-58 win earlier this afternoon against No. 9-seed Old Dominion.

NOTHING!

Other than this - it saved the Bulldogs season. It extends the career of the Warrior's senior year by one game and hopefully more.

A Warrior comes in and makes those special plays to save the day. A Warrior wills his team to win despite the odds.

On this day when the ultimate Butler Warrior saved the day - he had help from his other warrior teammates.

Garrett Butcher came off the bench and gave a defensive effort everyone knows he can provide when healthy. His scrappiness and effort on the low post against Frank Hassell kept the Dawgs either close, tied or ahead throughout the second half.

Andrew Smith, despite playing with four fouls, made the daring move of cutting off the baseline and took a charge midway through the second half.

Ronald Nored, the one with the rods in his ankles and a robot in the Dawg Pound named after him, showed the defense he had played with for that magical NCAA Tournament run just a year ago. He also drained a crucial 3-pointer in the second half that swayed the tide of momentum to Butler.

Shelvin Mack came out like the gunslinger in the old west firing back-to-back 3s. Mack also had key stretches where he drove to the basket and even took some help from his teammates driving off a couple of stunted screens against the Monarchs zone defense.

And then there's Vanzant. Who in there right mind has the mental process to know just to throw the ball up there for grabs after seeing an opposing defender come over to help on his drive to the basket. That is something that can't be taught. That's pure basketball intellect. As it has been throughout this now five-year run that's what Butler basketball is.

Collectively as all warriors do they won the battles that needed be won. All week long we heard "The battle of rebounding" "How can Butler win the glass" They did. They outrebounded the best rebounding team in the nation by three - 32-29. They even had five more offensive boards than the Monarchs 18-13 and Garrett Butcher himself had five with his hustle to keep the ball alive in crucial situations. Of course the most important one of them all - Matt Howard's for the buzzer beater.

Of course the game plan by the professor Butler coach Brad Stevens and his brain trust of assistants was back to its usual self that we remembered from last year. ODU coach Blaine Taylor backed up what he said in the press conference yesterday during the shootarounds - he was going to mix things up defensively against Butler. Stevens and his assistants prepared for it  for it the best they could.

The Monarchs ways of mixing up the zone in the halfcourt and then sometimes meeting the guards man-to-man fullcourt or in a floating zone press would drive any team fits. It frustrated Butler, but the Bulldogs still found ways to set up their offensive sets and make the plays. Too bad this was a round of 64 game because I would have like to see what ODU could have done the rest of the tournament.

The one thing I have always admired about Stevens is his demeanor on the sideline. Even when Howard's jumper went through, he stayed stoic as he watched the officials go to the monitor at the scorers' table. Then after the confirmation he calmly met ODU coach Blaine Taylor at midcourt for the end-of-game handshake. Just like a warrior who just got the job done and knows there's more battles to be won.

Warriors make the plays with hard work and hustle. They are rewarded in the end. Today those warriors wore white jerseys with BUTLER embroidered in blue with black trim.