Butler wins, but did Syracuse beat themselves?

There are mid-major programs, and then there are programs that play in mid-major conferences.

Gonzaga is an example of this. The Zags play in the WCC, a league not exactly known for their athletics, but compete for top 100 recruits and travel all over the country to take on any and all comers. Xavier is another one. Its no coincidence that the Muskies have become the beacon of basketball in the Atlantic 10, once again reaching the Sweet 16 this season.

Butler is on the precipice of being lumped in with that group.

Is it possible tonight's game pushed them over that ledge?

For the first time in the program's history, Butler will be playing in the Elite 8, and with a win over Kansas State on Saturday, the Bulldogs will be headed to the Final Four to play what amounts to a home game.

Butler celebrates after making their first Elite 8.
(photo credit: 2nd and Short)

They deserve all the credit in the world for it.

I know I'm not the only one that doubted Butler coming into the tournament. The thinking went that the Bulldogs didn't have the size or the athleticism to compete with the big boys. Toughness and grit on the defensive end only gets you so far. Eventually, talent is going to win out, a reason why just one team in the last 40 years has won an NCAA Tournament without three guys that eventually played in the NBA on their roster.

Even with Arinze Onuaku in street clothes as he nurses a leg injury, Syracuse was the most talented team on the floor tonight.

But Butler was the team that came ready, and they beat the Orange playing Butler basketball.

Generally, mid-majors that make a tournament run do it via the three-ball. As the saying goes, the three pointer is the great equalizer. As good as Butler is, they are not a great shooting team. It showed tonight, as the Bulldogs finished the game shooting 40% from the floor and 6-24 from three.

No, Butler won because they played harder than Syracuse. They wanted it more than the Orange. They jumped on the Cuse early and had the resolve -- a word that Brad Stevens harped on in his post game interviews -- to withstand two big runs that seemingly put the Orange in control of this game. They executed and made the plays down the stretch they needed to make in order to win.

I always give credit where credit is due, and Butler deserves praise for their performance tonight.

That said, I cannot help but feel like this Syracuse team gave the game away. Lord knows they had their chances.

Syracuse's inability to make a play down the stretch cost them Thursday night.
(photo credit: SILive.com)

Two plays stand out in my mind. After taking a 54-50 lead with 5:23 left, Syracuse allowed Butler to score eight straight points, falling behind 58-54 with a minute and a half left. After the Bulldogs worked the shot clock, Shelvin Mack missed a jumper. All Syracuse needed to do was corral the rebound, but 6'3" Willie Veasley outworked 6'8" Kris Joseph for position, jumping over him for a tip-in that put the Bulldogs ahead by six with under a minute left.

But Butler, apparently in a giving mood, left the door open for Syracuse by missing free throws. So with 12 seconds left, down 63-59, Wes Johnson missed the second of two freebies, and the rebound ended up in Rick Jackson's hands. He lost control of the ball, nearly picked it back up, but bobbled it again, this time watching as the ball bounced out of bounds to Butler.

As if to add insult to injury, Willie Veasley missed both free throws, but Scoop Jardine turned the ball over, setting off the celebration.

If anything, this loss came down to a lack of leadership on the floor.

I've written about it extensively before, but the one true knock on this Syracuse team was their lack of a go-to scorer; a guy you could give the ball too when the other team was making a run, when your team really needed a basket.

Put the sluggish start aside. Put the five point deficit midway through the second half aside. All that stopped mattering when the Orange took a 54-50 lead with 5:23 left. Their next six possessions -- Scoop Jardine missed a three, Andy Rautins turned the ball over, Jardine missed a short jumper, Rautins turned it over, Rautins missed a quick three, Jardine missed a three.

All it would have for Syracuse to hold that lead was someone, anyone, to make a play -- be it score a basket, penetrate and find an assist, make a steal, get a rebound, something.

But it was Butler that made the plays late, as they did all game long.

And as a result, its Butler that will still be playing on Saturday.